Do you hunt in the rain ?

[jhjimbo]

Would you rather hunt in the rain or a lite snow ?

I wear a poncho in the rain or snow and like to still hunt with my S&W 29 that I keep under the poncho.

[FirstBubba]

Depends.
A hard, pouring rain, no.
Those nasty, misty, drizzly little showers with dark overcast, I love!
Well, I used to anyway.
Achy joints and battered bones keep me by the fire unless I can get to my box blind.
Only shoot pigs, monster bucks or in self defense on those days.

[PigHunter]

I have hunted in the rain but of course don't prefer it. A poncho with water shedding wide-brimmed hat is adequate in light rain and I see the merits of just using a handgun for closer ranges. I've killed a couple of deer with a rifle while wearing military surplus ponchos. Just make sure you still have adequate orange showing. I have one orange boonie hat that's made with Gore-Tex to shed rain and have worn an orange vest over top of my camo poncho.

Sometimes I'll throw a camo tarp over a pop-up blind to keep the rain out and other times I'll just stretch the camo tarp over a more open blind area for ambush style of hunting. A camo military surplus poncho can work as a tarp too (see photo below).

Still hunting in the rain has the disadvantage of reduced visibility and hearing, everything is moving from being hit by raindrops. But the advantage is you can move with more stealth and less smell. I've had a doe walk 20 yards away during rain as I stood still in my poncho, muzzleloader held underneath. She never knew I was there.

Several years ago I was hunting in the rain, temps in the low 40's. It was cold but fortunately I was dressed for it. However, my buddy wasn't and after working a ridge we met at the bottom to discuss lunch plans. To my surprise, he was shivering and his lips had started turning blue. The cold was taking a toll on him even though his poncho kept him dry. I suggested we stop the hunt and walk out, going to a restaurant instead of having sandwiches in the woods. Fortunately he agreed and we ended the day with his safety (and dignity) intact. Lesson learned - you need to be careful hunting in rain, duh!

Another time, but warmer, I shot a nice 9-point buck about two miles from the vehicle. My buddy and I had a game cart and noticed the wind picking up and the weather getting nasty. Found out later a tornado had passed just 10 miles north of us while we were getting that deer out. Being killed by falling and flying trees is not part of my hunting plans.

[PigHunter]

I have hunted in the rain but of course don't prefer it. A poncho with water shedding wide-brimmed hat is adequate in light rain and I see the merits of just using a handgun for closer ranges. I've killed a couple of deer with a rifle while wearing military surplus ponchos. Just make sure you still have adequate orange showing. I have one orange boonie hat that's made with Gore-Tex to shed rain and have worn an orange vest over top of my camo poncho.

Sometimes I'll throw a camo tarp over a pop-up blind to keep the rain out and other times I'll just stretch the camo tarp over a more open blind area for ambush style of hunting. A camo military surplus poncho can work as a tarp too (see photo below).

Still hunting in the rain has the disadvantage of reduced visibility and hearing, everything is moving from being hit by raindrops. But the advantage is you can move with more stealth and less smell. I've had a doe walk 20 yards away during rain as I stood still in my poncho, muzzleloader held underneath. She never knew I was there.

Several years ago I was hunting in the rain, temps in the low 40's. It was cold but fortunately I was dressed for it. However, my buddy wasn't and after working a ridge we met at the bottom to discuss lunch plans. To my surprise, he was shivering and his lips had started turning blue. The cold was taking a toll on him even though his poncho kept him dry. I suggested we stop the hunt and walk out, going to a restaurant instead of having sandwiches in the woods. Fortunately he agreed and we ended the day with his safety (and dignity) intact. Lesson learned - you need to be careful hunting in rain, duh!

Another time, but warmer, I shot a nice 9-point buck about two miles from the vehicle. My buddy and I had a game cart and noticed the wind picking up and the weather getting nasty. Found out later a tornado had passed just 10 miles north of us while we were getting that deer out. Being killed by falling and flying trees is not part of my hunting plans.

By the way, I use para-cord with ball and loop bungees to stretch tarps in the woods. The bungees hold the tarp tight but gives flexibility against wind gusts.

[PigHunter]

Depends.
A hard, pouring rain, no.
Those nasty, misty, drizzly little showers with dark overcast, I love!
Well, I used to anyway.
Achy joints and battered bones keep me by the fire unless I can get to my box blind.
Only shoot pigs, monster bucks or in self defense on those days.

Can't beat a box blind on those kind of days, unless you're hunting from your covered back porch!

[MattM37]

As the Oklahoman said, I like the drizzly days and can do without the hard rain. Hunted small game in a drizzle this morning -- and with all the rain we've had recently, the trails through the thickets had turned into little streamlets. Felt like I should've worn my hip boots. Muddy, mucky morning, but no wind and not too chilly. At the moment, we're getting our first real snow shower. I doubt any will accumulate but it's definitely more substantial than what we'd call flurries.

[Milldawg]

I have limited days per year to hunt. So rain doesn't stop me.

[Treestand]

On my ladder stands i use a U.S.A.poncho, if the rain is heavy i'll make my way to my box blind, wipe down my rifle & take a Nap. Deer don't move in heavy Fl, rain, deer bed down under the live oak trees.

[FirstBubba]

Depends.
A hard, pouring rain, no.
Those nasty, misty, drizzly little showers with dark overcast, I love!
Well, I used to anyway.
Achy joints and battered bones keep me by the fire unless I can get to my box blind.
Only shoot pigs, monster bucks or in self defense on those days.

LOL! No pighunter, it drives the Rotty insane!

[bowhunter75richard]

Since I am strickly a bow hunter, I do not hunt in the rain. Sometimes blood trails are hard enough to follow in dry conditions, I don’t need rain washing them out and making it even more difficult to not lose an animal. Besides I shoot feathers on wood arrows and rain does not allow feathers to stabalize well when matted from moisture. If I want to get wet, I’ll just stay home and take a shower !

[Gary Devine]

Jimbo, get a Jumbo.

I set up a jumbo tree umbrella for an overhead roof for my tree stand.
I only have 6 days in December to hunt black bears, so "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom".

[Gary Devine]

Since I am strickly a bow hunter, I do not hunt in the rain. Sometimes blood trails are hard enough to follow in dry conditions, I don’t need rain washing them out and making it even more difficult to not lose an animal. Besides I shoot feathers on wood arrows and rain does not allow feathers to stabalize well when matted from moisture. If I want to get wet, I’ll just stay home and take a shower !

Good point there Rich. There no waiting a half an hour for the animal to die when it's raining. Need to seek out immediately.
Take only slam dunk shots in the rain, with your bow or shotgun slug for bear. +1

[PigHunter]

Since I am strickly a bow hunter, I do not hunt in the rain. Sometimes blood trails are hard enough to follow in dry conditions, I don’t need rain washing them out and making it even more difficult to not lose an animal. Besides I shoot feathers on wood arrows and rain does not allow feathers to stabalize well when matted from moisture. If I want to get wet, I’ll just stay home and take a shower !

I agree with you Richard. I won't use my crossbow in the rain because of possible wash-out of the blood trail.

[99explorer]

I like to hunt from a pop-up blind, which is great if it starts to rain while I am in my stand, but even so, I don't go out if it's raining in the morning.

[JM]

I'll hunt in pouring down rain and blinding snow, but the second there is lighting I'm out of there. I'm lucky enough to hunt on private property with a working washer+dryer, so getting wet is no more than going back to the house for a snack while the clothes dry.