Rainy Days and Mondays always get Toms down

[Scott M]

The Carpents hit "Rainy Days and Mondays" may end up getting the "D" season hunters down, especially on their last day of the season. Looks like it's gonna be raining through most of MN turkey land over the end of "D" and into "E"

What kind of things can hunters do in rainy situations to improve their chances of bagging ol Tom?

[Hotspotter]

I love hunting in the rain, even thunderstorms, but when weather is changing like that, I think the key is adapting to the situations/weather immediately. When the clouds break and sun comes down, esp. after a period of prolonged rain, birds are on the move....many times to field locations. I've been fooled by puffed up hens, drying out in the sun, thinking they were strutting toms from distance.

Late night thunderstorms into the morning is wonderful. Those birds can stay on roost for a long time if some boomers and dark clouds are coming through. The ground is usually softer and wetter, and with all the noise, I tend to try and get very close to the roost. The best part is that if it's a true thunderstorm that passes as quickly as it comes, the birds are usually very eager to get out of that tree and come to some yelping.

A light rain is personal favorite for field hunts. Stay away from fields that have been chisel-plowed with corn stubble and are generally very difficult to walk in. This isn't always the case, but many times, it's hard for them to walk in those too. Many times I've seen groups of birds in low alfalfa or bean stubble just picking their way through fields on a rainy day. Pastures are good too. Seeing a bird eat a fresh crawler is enough too make me puke, but they sure seem to like it.

Rain and wind is something I don't care for. If it's an area with good hills, I usually find birds in small protected ravines. Deep-ones, or on the lee-side of a big slope protected from the wind. That's if they're not still on roost in the same locations. Rain with heavy wind conditions can really make it difficult in MN with 5 day seasons.

Don't let the rain get you down. Poor weather makes for less turkeys killed in MN. That's a stat that seems to hold.....but I'm thinking it's because hunters, not turkeys, are inactive during these periods.

Joel