The opening day starts tomorrow and there is a 100% chance of rain, I know a lot of people have good results in the rain and I know it can be done but I was wondering about some tips and tactics for hunting turkey's in the rain?
Well I guess it has a lot to do with were you hunt...
Are you hunting a huge track of public land were you have to walk a country mile to get to your birds...
Or do you hunt prime private land with green fields of plenty were you can scout birds from the comfort of 'your atv, the warm cab of your truck, or even better from your living room window lol
If your like me and actually have to work for your WILD turkey... Then I'd say id prob just go to a area that you know birds frequent... And just set up a light weight ground blind like a dog house set out a couple decoys and just spend the day until rain stops or lightens up...
A turkey is a turkey is a turkey regardless of where he lives.
To imply that turkeys aren't killed in fields on public land is nothing less than ignorant.
If you have ag fields close by to your local flock, those birds will be there at some point during the rain. If not, find a large open oak flat where the birds can maximize their visibility and spend some time camped out there.
I rarely hunt in the rain but have killed turkeys using these tactics on public and private land in the past.
try fields
It may pay off to sleep in until after daylight, eat a big breakfast, pack a lunch, and hunt from 9 until 3 or later. Rain and wind can keep them up on the roost for a long time.
The time to be hunting is when the rain stops for a while. It is very common to see them in a freshly cut field (or other field) right after the rain stops. They need to eat, breed, and/or fight at sometime during the day. Hunting during a lull in the rain with tall boots also means less wet gear to have to dry out, but pack for it just in case. I don't enjoy getting everything wet and having to dry it all out (but sometimes do).
Obviously, it's easier to time it all if you live or are staying close to where you hunt.
You can get yourself some plastic bread sacks and other thin plastic bags with no holes, put your box call inside, and run it. You can also put your hands up in there with a pot call, but it's easier to have a non-slate surface with acrylic or other synthetic pot that does not absorb water and a composite tipped, carbon, acrylic or bone striker. Obviously, mouth calls have a certain advantage in such circumstances.
Get an assortment of zip loc bags and do a sub packing of your kit and calls inside the bags and then in the vest pocket or pants pockets, including your wallet and license.
When the rain starts I head to the nearest field , power line or any opening .turkey feels safer when it's raining in the wide open.i was scouting them in the rain today and there they were like normal.
I have 2 power lines that run through my camp,and this is the thing that I can't figure out.
I have been hunting there 13 years,and have NEVER seen a turkey on either one of them during a rain.
I love hunting in the rain, we kill a good bit of turkeys in young planted pine plantations "that have been pruned" while its raining. Our turkeys like to get out in the open fields when the sun pops out after a good rain. We also see a lot of gobblers walking the roads in the rain.
Agree with what everyone else is saying, good rain gear, plastic bags, fields and patience..... :icon_thumright:
Quote from: surehuntsalot on March 28, 2014, 05:25:58 PM
I have 2 power lines that run through my camp,and this is the thing that I can't figure out.
I have been hunting there 13 years,and have NEVER seen a turkey on either one of them during a rain.
I've rarely seen them on mine either, during or just after the rain, except where it's been plowed and there is food or younger green grass/shoots. They tend to go to the fields or they're hiding out somewhere I don't know about (like off the property).
I believe the answer is that they have other options and found somewhere they'd rather be.
On public land with little or no fields, especially ones with 2 1/2' grass, get into the woods and wait for it to stop raining, as said they have to breed sometime. Especially if the sun comes out, this is a good tactic. You might even be by yourself. Also get a good Mil-spec poncho, they are big enough to cover all your gear including a pack, if you have one. When the rain is finished it just takes a minute to remove it and store it in your vest, It is just as fast to put on if it starts raining again.
If you don't have any fields to hunt logging roads or even just. Make shift road through you hunting property can be productive in the rain.