Hunting in the rain

[Birdyblaster]

My season runs next Monday through Friday and so far the forecast has it raining every single day.  What are some tips some of you would be willing to share for sealing the deal in the rain?

[owlhoot]

Sit in a blind and stay dry.

[Snoodsniper]

Hunt hard , hunt often. Pressure will be less because the fair weather hunters will be home in bed. Birds will go to fields in the rain.

[2eagles]

Two very good answers. I would add, do some scouting so you know where to set up.

[shaman]

There are a lot of folks out there that like hunting in the rain.   I am not one of them.  The main reason is that it mucks up my gear.   After too much rain, every open space in camp is filled with wet clothes and the calls are soggy and . . . well, I just don't like it.

If I have a downpour coming, it is great to hunt right up to the first drop.  My experience is that turkeys will shut down when the rain initially hits.  They seem to bunch up and get defensive.  That is usually a good time to go in and re-rig.  After it rains for a couple hours, the turkeys will stop being bothered and they will go out in the fields and hunt worms and half-drowned insects.  If you have access to radar, be ready to be out there just as the rain lets up.  That is also a great time to be out.

The one time I will use a blind is when it is going to be raining.  I have a pop-up that I used more when the kids were little.  It is not water proof, but I put a camo tarp up on the inside to catch the rain and send it down in back of me.  If it is really going to pour down, I will go out to one of my fancy deer blinds and sit. I have been in some awesome thunderstorms out in those.  Turkeys will go quiet during the worst of it, but as soon as a cell goes over and the rain is reduced to drizzle, the action will pick up. 

[zelmo1]

  My experience is that a light rain will not affect them drastically. A heavy rain and or thunderstorm will push the into the woods. Hunters will be less. Be patient and calling for us is less. Good luck

[Kevin6Q]

I absolutely LOVE hunting in the rain. Gear gets wet and I get to play with it drying and taking care of it all. My preferred method of hunting is a bow and use cut wing feathers from prior harvests to fletch the shafts and they get wet and the arrows still fly okay. Friction calls  stop working without playing them inside a bag (2 gallon Zip-Lock or small trashcan bags work best) which is a lot of work unless you are in a blind or staying put. Use a mouth call.  I generally don't call and instead try to use the cover of the rain  to find the best setup. The order of the day is minimalism as trying to keep stuff dry is a royal PIA. I wear my gray and black rainsuit over my camo in case the rainstops. A good wool cap and gloves help keep me warm and so does moving about the woods. The rain covers all sorts of noise and movement. I feel confident the rain keeps the birds from staring around and they are clearing the water from their eyes just like anyone/thing  trying to look around. Run and gun (bow?) is so much more fun. Getting wet really sucks but once you are wet you are wet and the fear of getting wet goes away. Everything said in prior posts is absolutely true about the behavior. After the rain stops the leaves and ground are not noisy but the movements are more detectable. With luck the wind is blowing which does help conceal movements. 

Rain is okay but head for shelter (camp or vehicle) if the lightning begins to fly. Not worth getting killed and missing the next few decades of hunting.

If you needed nourishment you'd go. Head out and feed your soul and enjoy the church of the great blue (gray if it's raining) dome. If the day is miserable you have learned something and not relied on another's experience. Your skillset will enlarge as you make mistakes and find solutions. If you have limited time and sit inside you will be miserable. Head out and at least be miserable in the woods which kicks the &$%^**^%#%^ out of being miserable inside in camp.

At the end of the potentially wet and cold day with still empty tags take a long hot shower and enjoy swapping lies and telling stories over a cold beer and bowl of chilli. We have all had crappy days when it was too hot, buggy, windy, cold,etc..... We have also had wonderful and memorable days when it was too hot, buggy, windy, cold,etc... The most memorable hunts always had an element of overcoming adversity. Have a go and have fun. Let us know how it all went.

[owlhoot]

I absolutely LOVE hunting in the rain. Gear gets wet and I get to play with it drying and taking care of it all. My preferred method of hunting is a bow and use cut wing feathers from prior harvests to fletch the shafts and they get wet and the arrows still fly okay. Friction calls  stop working without playing them inside a bag (2 gallon Zip-Lock or small trashcan bags work best) which is a lot of work unless you are in a blind or staying put. Use a mouth call.  I generally don't call and instead try to use the cover of the rain  to find the best setup. The order of the day is minimalism as trying to keep stuff dry is a royal PIA. I wear my gray and black rainsuit over my camo in case the rainstops. A good wool cap and gloves help keep me warm and so does moving about the woods. The rain covers all sorts of noise and movement. I feel confident the rain keeps the birds from staring around and they are clearing the water from their eyes just like anyone/thing  trying to look around. Run and gun (bow?) is so much more fun. Getting wet really sucks but once you are wet you are wet and the fear of getting wet goes away. Everything said in prior posts is absolutely true about the behavior. After the rain stops the leaves and ground are not noisy but the movements are more detectable. With luck the wind is blowing which does help conceal movements. 

Rain is okay but head for shelter (camp or vehicle) if the lightning begins to fly. Not worth getting killed and missing the next few decades of hunting.

If you needed nourishment you'd go. Head out and feed your soul and enjoy the church of the great blue (gray if it's raining) dome. If the day is miserable you have learned something and not relied on another's experience. Your skillset will enlarge as you make mistakes and find solutions. If you have limited time and sit inside you will be miserable. Head out and at least be miserable in the woods which kicks the &$%^**^%#%^ out of being miserable inside in camp.

At the end of the potentially wet and cold day with still empty tags take a long hot shower and enjoy swapping lies and telling stories over a cold beer and bowl of chilli. We have all had crappy days when it was too hot, buggy, windy, cold,etc..... We have also had wonderful and memorable days when it was too hot, buggy, windy, cold,etc... The most memorable hunts always had an element of overcoming adversity. Have a go and have fun. Let us know how it all went.

Oh shoot :help:lol

[silvestris]

I don't hunt in the rain because I don't enjoy it.  I hunt for pleasure, nothing else.  Approximately an hour after the rain stops is one of my most pleasant times to hunt as the droppings from the wet leaves is usually over by then as well.  Turkeys seem to like that time as well.

[HFultzjr]

I know my new Long Box from Spring Creek Calls, will not see rain if I can help it!
Too sweet sounding and I once ruined an old Lynch Foolproof, that sounded great, until it got soaked. Never sounded the same after that. I got it to the point it worked, but it was never the same.
Keep a zip-lock freezer bag handy.

[redmag]

     I don't mind as long as it is not a downpour.  I wear my rain gear and if I know showers or light rain is expected I carry a folding umbrella in my bag.  The umbrella has saved me especially when I didn't know rain was possible.  Nothing worse than walking back to the vehicle with no bird and soaked.  Also helps when a shower pops up and you can stay in.  Hunting is good right after a shower.

[Cutt]

I like to enjoy myself, and simply do not in steady or heavy rain, and use them days to rest for the next hunt.
A light sprinkle or shower here or there is not bad, but steady or heavy rain, not me. I have enough things to do when I get home, besides tearing my 11-87 down and drying calls, vest, etc. because they got soaked.

And you want to see a very colorful bird on a nice Spring day go from beautiful to down right hideous looking, shoot one in the rain.

[USMC0331]

Season is short so rain,sleet,snow,hail,wind,thunder,or fog I'm hunting.

[BowBendr]

Season is short so rain,sleet,snow,hail,wind,thunder,or fog I'm hunting.

Exactly. We get 1 month. 11 months is a long time to wait til next season. I scout well and know where they go during rain, the same goes for wind. Then I hunt them accordingly.....
I don't do lightning or tornadic wind, but the rest of the time i'm out there.


Sent by this stupid phone

[stinkpickle]

...A heavy rain and or thunderstorm will push the into the woods...

In my parts, it's the exact opposite.  Turkeys head for wide open fields when it pours.  Actually, they head for wide open fields even when it's not raining.