Do you like Rain?

[HugoBox]

How many times have I heard someone say that its raining so it should

be a good day to hunt? I think that is B.S.

Friday we saw and heard tons of ducks just before legal shooting time - more than I have in a single day in over a decade. As soon as it started raining all the action stopped and we only ended up with one duck.

Saturday saw a bunch more with no rain and no wind - we got about 10 ducks.

Sunday same amount of ducks, no rain but wind, we got 15 in about a hour.

I don't think ducks like flying in rain anymore than we like sitting in it.

What do you guys think?

Also snow is different - I love hunting in snow.

-erik

[SWMuskeye]

I actually see the opposite of your experience. More ducks in the rain, when a front is on the way, etc. However, I tend to see geese hunker down a little more with rain and fly later.

Overcast/rainy days can push the movement of birds to later in the morning, or even make a typical morning only hunt into an all-day affair.

To each his own hough I guess

[honker23]

NO NO and NO! I hate rain.

Give me sun and wind a day after or before a front from the west anyday!

[ChuckN]

NO NO and NO! I hate rain.

Give me sun and wind a day after or before a front from the west anyday!

Couldn't have said it better myself. East winds and rain is the worst case scenario IMO...

[Ray Esboldt]

Hate it! Nothing ends a hunt faster.

[wallter]

I HATE RAIN but it seems to me the birds will move more and fly lower throughout the day.

My two cents.

[SledNeck]

I like snow

[magnum mike]

I don't like getting wet if I don't have to but I like going right after a cold rain. It seems like they want to get up and dry off the wings. Since most birds have a high metabolism, they ususally want to eat also which makes them move.

[dan z]

if thiers a NW wind and it aint pouring its okay ne other wind I hate it! I would rather have a wet flurry here and thier

[1runhotshot]

Usually in the rain all you get is wet. Snow on the other hand.... Greenheads!!!!

[mnwaterfowler13]

I seem to always do better in the rain but i am always on water that might be a reason, but the better hunts of my life so far seem to be in the rain over water

[hhguide]

I love rain and snow less Hunters as you guys can see more ducks moving around. when it gets cold they cant just sit on water but they have to move around go out and eat nothing better than rain or snow for Mallards in my opinion. O yea I love it while hunting for big bucks during the Rut!

[Gordie]

I like the rain because it means no work and I get to go duck hunting.

I think the ducks hate flying in the rain but it makes them fly lower and decoy easier that bluebird days but I have done well on sunny days also.

[Fish&Fowl]

I have had quite a bit of luck hunting in the rain. It is definitely a pain when everything is soaked and muddy, but I'll take rain over sunshine any day. Only on bitter cold or really windy days do I like hunting when the sun is shining, and it always finds a way to be right in my face.

[eyepatrol]

I do not like to hunt in the rain one bit. Of all the years I've hunted, I've had little success in the rain and have seen little as well.

One exception though!!!! If the rain pushes through very early and the wind turns west/northwest (cold front blowing through), I've had days where the ducks follow in right behind the rain. Some of my best hunting days have been situations where the rain moves through and that wind turns beautifully out of the northwest and the ducks follow in suit. Especially those days where it's warmer outside when it's raining and when the wind turns, the day keeps getting colder and colder. THOSE are some awesome days!

Snow aint too bad either, but I think the fields might be better on snow days.

Otherwise, if I had a choice.....give me a good snot-freezing day with a 15mph+ northwest wind and a bluebird sky. The very best hunting days of my life have been on these types of days.

[chub]

Northwest wind, cobalt blue skies = Birds.

It's been my experience that hunting in the rain is generaly a complete and miserable waste of time.

[slabchaser]

ive never liked hunting in the rain until this year. so far on rainy days this year Ive harvested a lot of birds. and as hhguide said I love bow hunting on a late october day in the rain or snow.

[Roosterslayer05]

I love hunting in the rain, the birds fly all day. I have had some of my best hunts in the rain, but it has to be a slight drizzle. Actual rain or pouring rain will shut the birds down, but if its sprinkling on and off all day or slightly raining all day its game on. The best thing about the rain is the fact that all the fair weather hunters arnt around.

[D.Boedigheimer]

I had a lengthy conversation about this very topic with an avid duck hunter friend of mine two days ago while hunting....in the rain. We couldn't remember the last good shoot we had in the rain. Drizzle, sleet, snow, ya bring it on, but plain old rain seems to cause them to hunker down.

[dan z]

If you like hunting in the rain you would LOVE huntin with colbalt blues skies and a slight nw wind with mid 20's for a temp.

[Huntin&Fishin]

sunny blue skies, Ducks fly lower!

[tracker x-2]

Rain is my ideal weather for hunting. Not a down poor ,but a nice light rain to make it quiet walking through the woods. For duck hunting I have found that the ducks fly lower and decoy easier. My greatest ducking hunting memory is my dad and I going out in the rain and shooting our limit of mallards.

[mpester]

Box - You know what I think of hunting in the rain! My stuff is still wet after last Fridays all day medium to heavy rain. The birds that day came into the lake but they never decoyed and they would not get back up. The birds were low but they wanted no part of what we had to offer. The next two days were not rainy and the same birds really came into the decoys and we had the just about the same setup. I think I will sleep in when it rains from now on but I will be out if it is cold and snowing.

[wallter]

Sounds like just about every other debateable issue. Some guys like the rain others do not. Strange but both sides sound like they have had the experience to prove why they like rain or blue sky.

Which at face value, those staements don't make any sense but to each his own. I'm on the side of rain but will hunt under all condidtions. What else am I going to go do?