I have killed birds after a rain before, but tonight we have a strong front coming thru bringing severe weather. I got drawn to hunt a wma and hourly forecast shows the storm to be coming through about 5am. 7am shows nw wind at 5mph and partly cloudy. What is yall experience on what the birds do after a strom storm (possible tornadoes)?
Hunt as soon as it shows signs of clearing. Here are two examples of hunts where the storms hit the night before.
Shamanic Tag-out 2017 (http://genesis9.angzva.com/?p=5606)
Podcast: Opener 2011 (http://genesis9.angzva.com/?p=1547)
Our Opener is in mid-April. We've had some exceptionally bad weather before hunt only to have success once the front started to push through.
One of my failed podcasting attempts about a decade ago was this crazy mid-week morning hunt. I knew the storms would hit at sun-up, so I went out to one of my deer blinds and sat. The first wave came through and it got a little scary. After that blew through, I started calling. Lo! Here comes gobblers and hens out from whatever hole they'd been hiding, and there was all sorts of activity just out of view for the next half hour or so. Just as I thought the flock was going to emerge into the open where I could get a shot, the second wave of storms came through and made them disappear. I got back to the house with what I thought was 3 hours of the most exciting recordings I'd ever made and . . .
Drat! The sound files were corrupted. (SIGH)
Frontal weather calls for smart hunting. I have a special old gravel pit that gobblers frequent following a storm where they can dry off out of the wet vegetation. I can park my truck 100 yards from a favorite calling location, watch the radar and go hunt immediately following the rain. It is not a one hundred percent deal, but it keeps me dry and comfortable and I don't contaminate the area. It works often enough to employ.
Get out there as soon as its safe to hunt. I have found that after a storm, they get quite active and move a lot.
If it thunders every bird in the woods will gobble come morn it seems. Best days have rough weather at night and a nice next day. Don't sweat it, this could be your best hunt
Well i roosted a few birds friday eve. The weather got rough friday night and stopped raining right about wake up time. Hit the wods and heard several different birds gobble. Watched t
3 long beards pitch down with a couple hen into a clearcut and they stayed there til 1 pm. Strutting and feeding. Never would close in. Someone ended up driving by seeing them and stopped got out and chased them into the woods. Sunday was cold and wind blowing 20+ didnt hear any gobbles and no birds pitched down. I couldnt sit past 8 because i was cold and lack of confidence. Went out checking some different areas that i had scouted looking for another bird. Long story short, filled a tag on a nice beardless gobbler at 930. Im guessing he got intona battle and got his beard knocked off. Just had a calloused nub. But came in gobbling and strutting like a champ.
I've had some of my best hunts after strong thunderstorms move through followed by clearing,sunny,warm weather.