Deer movement durring the rain
 

Yesterday morning,October 3,2009 was the opener for the Texas archery deer season,lots & lots of rain.I hunt over a corn feeder & this morning when i woke up at deercamp it was pouring down so i decided to stay in until the rain stopped. The main reason i stayed in was because ive always heard that deer dont move in the rain,but when it stopped raining at 8am i went to my treestand and the corn from this morning was completely gone. So my question is do they or do they not feed durring the rain?

It was usually my favorite time to hunt when I was bowhunting. Deer do move during the rain and usually gets them to feeding. They can feel the change in pressure and this stimulates them to eat. It was also one of my favorite times to still hunt due to the ultra quietness of the ground floor when I walked.

iSnipe

I have to agree I love to hunt in the rain the older men I use to hunt with always said that the deer didn't like to bed down because the rain hendered there hearing so they milled around most of the time when itwas raining. By the way has been rainin in east Texas all day today.

I have killed a big eight point right after a rain.

Depends on whether they are hungry or not. Rain doesn't make them feed, but if it is really storming and the wind is blowing limbs back and forth, they will stay bedded.

thanks for the info guys from here on out ill be hunting in the rain "The Truth,Rage broadheads

thats an awesome buck majic, what cal. rifle is that in your photo

I prefer a light rain. Helps cover sound and scent as well.

More likely, they will move/eat just before a storm moves in so they can stay in the bedding area.

Yes, like when it starts to rain!

iSnipe

i am a rain hunter, but i was out , also in texas, leon county, and it rained just about all day sunday, my 1st bow hunt this year, and i stuck it out and didnt see anything, granit the acorns are fallin and they don need any food from our feeders right now, not that we have any out there as its a new spot this year so we havnt put up anything and they (people who live there)are clapping their hands at the deer to keep em away from the grapes. so either they knew we were up to no good(tryin to kill em), or they are just bedded down. i did see a squirrel after the rain stopped, and a blak bird, but that was all.

all and all im still goin out in the rain next time, cause i kno they travel when it rains..
note, if it just started rainin maybe they are layin down, but if it rains fer 2 days they have ta eat!!! right?

It has been my experience that heavy, driving rain with winds from the E to S direction are best spent catching up on my sleep! A cool or cold day, soft drizzle or light sleet ... slight W to N breeze with clearing cold front slipping in from the NW ... I'll be in the woods if at all possible.

last day of pa archery last year, still have my buck tag, raining buckets...everyone that i hunt with stayed in bed, laughed like hell

i saw more bucks, including a giant, during the rain than i have in a long time...they would move during periods when the rain died down, nose around for acorns, then lay down...at one point, i had 4 bucks within 60 yards all bedded

unfortunately, nothing came in within range other than a buck which i could not shoot, due to antler restrictions

i hunted saturday morning before the heavy rain came in blanco county texas. saw a young cull come to the feeder right in front of me but he busted me when i was drawing on him, 30 minutes later 5 does and a nice 8 pointer came from the same area as the first buck and went to the feeder we have set up for the gun blind 100 yards to my 8 o clock, got up to stalk the buck and just couldnt get a clean shot through the woods before he dissapeared, that afternoon the rain came down and i didnt see a thing. usually lots of deer at these feeders, as many as 4 bucks at a time plus does but nothing after rain and still lots of corn on the ground

I honestly believe the affects rain has on deer in usually misunderstood. The same applies to very windy days. I will say hunting during heavy rain, in downpours, deer activity will usually decrease and sighting as well. But those rainy days, when most hunters stay in camp, are times to be in the deer woods.

Rain has less affect on deer movement than most hunters realize. Maybe it's because some of these hunters try to humanize the deer and feel if the hunter hates the rain then so do the deer. Nothing is further from the truth. These deer spend every day of their lives in all kinds of weather and can tolerate most of what we feel is uncomfortable at best.

If it's so windy that being concerned about falling branches (widow makers) or being in the woods during lightening, I would highly recommend staying back in camp with the guys. Other than that, I never let rain or wind keep me from hunting.