In Need Of Your Opinion!!

[Fish- N- Hunt]

I am really wanting to get out bowhunting tonight. I am in the west metro area and the forcast says showers, do you think the deer will be moving if it is raining? I have hunted the rain before with no success, but if I go tonight will I be just wasting my time? I am just looking for some of your opinions on what you might do. Thanks for any input.

Thanks

Fish- N- Hunt

[Ole1855]

My absolute favorite time to hunt is when there's a mist to light rain. The deer seem to move earlier in the afternoon when there's some weather going on. On the other hand, if it's a down pour, I haven't had good luck then.

One thing to keep in mind, if there's much rain, tracking a hit deer can be tricky at best.

Ole

[Stratosman]

Light to moderate rain will not impact deer movement, heavy rain and thunderstorms, along with being unpleasant to hunt in, will keep deer in thier beds. I have shot deer in the rain before. The big problem with hunting in the rain, especially bowhunting, is the difficulty in following a blood trail. Look at it like this, you make a marginal shot, now everything you have learned is telling you to wait a few hours or till morning before tracking the deer. But by then the blood trail will be washed away. So you will have no choice but to track the deer right away in hopes that you made a good enough shot to kill it shortly, and if you jump it, it's probably over.

I don't let light rain stop me, but be extra careful of your shot.

[bigbucks]

Agreed on the above comments, I'm going tonight, although the forecast for my area, at least the one I'm chosing to believe is for the rain to be after dark. I do really think the deer will move tonight, my fear is they may be out before I am. Go early if you can.

[Captain B.R.K]

For you guys that go in the EVENINGS- What time do you get out in the stand?

I work until 5:00pm and wondering if getting to the stand around 6:00pm is to late?

Thanks!

[Stratosman]

That depends, if hunting a field edge in the early seaon, I start seeing deer lots of times starting two hours before dark, but if you got in you stand at 6:00 and your in the woods, you're less likely to spook deer because of thier limited visibility, that would still give you an hour and a half to hunt wich is enough time in my opinion. If the that's all you have, it's gonna hafta work!

[bigbucks]

I usually like to be on stand no later than 2 hours before dark. If you can't get there until less than that, then it should be a stand you can get to without having to walk across an open field where deer might see you. If you can sneak along behind a fenceline, standing corn, something like that, you should be alright. On rainy overcast days they move earlier generally. I was on stand last night & saw the first two deer at 6:05.

[Fish- N- Hunt]

Thanks for all the help. I did go out last night and saw deer and they were early. I got out in my stand at 6:00 (late I know) but had deer coming out know more than 10 minutes of being in my stand. Saw 5 does and almost took one of them.

I typically early season try to sit for about two hours morning and evening, but when the rut is around as long as I can sit. For all who went out last night, did you notice a huge difference in mosquito population. They were horrible, the run must have influenced them to come out again because they weren't bad before.

Fish- N- Hunt