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Bowhunting in the rain?

shamus275 said:
Back on topic, I killed two giant bucks last season in a torrential downpour and watched them fall within 50yds.
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What time of year? I thought the common opinion was they bed down in hard rain but “common knowledge” is not always right!

Have you often gotten sightings in down pours? Seems like it is something you have used on purpose.
 
HuntNorthEast said:
I always stalk bedding areas in the rain! Insanely productive...
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You going in to spot and stalk or are you looking to do a soft bump and then shoot? Tell me more about how you go about it, terrain, tactics etc. I’m a northeast guy too.
 
Wounding loss goes way up with bowhunting in heavy rain. I like cool, overcast days with light rain but I can't stand downpours. I like hunting to be fun, that's not fun. I liked Wildabeast's recommendation to scout during those times and then be ready to set up especially during the late pre-rut as scrapes are being checked daily. Bucks feel the urge to freshen their scrapes after rains. That's a great time to be hanging downwind of one in your saddle.
 
Patriot said:
You going in to spot and stalk or are you looking to do a soft bump and then shoot? Tell me more about how you go about it, terrain, tactics etc. I’m a northeast guy too.
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With a bow I will do it in swamp grass areas that I can use for cover and slip through quietly. Look for ears and try to get to 40 yards. If I can I'll either wait it out or stir some grass when I am ready so that they stand up for a shot. I've killed 2 does doing this but not a buck, yet...

With a gun I prefer creeping up on ridge beds. Come in on the cross wind. I've found that when they are bedded they will be laying with the wind at their back and watching the open areas, BUT, I have seen deer that walk nose to the wind, lay down, still nose to the wind, and watch their back-track. In this instance, that is where the cross wind kills em every time!

Take your time, move slow, and know the area. Do your research years prior while tracking in snow (if you got it). See what the deer like to do, how they navigate the land using terrain, and where they lay at what points in the season. Your stalking success will improve ten fold.

Like my grandfather use to say when he was still alive,"If you think you're going slow enough, but you aren't seeing deer, go slower!" I repeat this to myself every single time I am still-hunting or stalking up on beds and it changes the outcome dramatically.

Happy hunting! T-minus 14 hrs 15 mins.
HuntNorthEast1.png
 
HuntNorthEast said:
With a bow I will do it in swamp grass areas that I can use for cover and slip through quietly. Look for ears and try to get to 40 yards. If I can I'll either wait it out or stir some grass when I am ready so that they stand up for a shot. I've killed 2 does doing this but not a buck, yet...

With a gun I prefer creeping up on ridge beds. Come in on the cross wind. I've found that when they are bedded they will be laying with the wind at their back and watching the open areas, BUT, I have seen deer that walk nose to the wind, lay down, still nose to the wind, and watch their back-track. In this instance, that is where the cross wind kills em every time!

Take your time, move slow, and know the area. Do your research years prior while tracking in snow (if you got it). See what the deer like to do, how they navigate the land using terrain, and where they lay at what points in the season. Your stalking success will improve ten fold.

Like my grandfather use to say when he was still alive,"If you think you're going slow enough, but you aren't seeing deer, go slower!" I repeat this to myself every single time I am still-hunting or stalking up on beds and it changes the outcome dramatically.

Happy hunting! T-minus 14 hrs 15 mins.
View attachment 34175
Click to expand...
I know it goes against the ambush method of hunting deer but when I first started bowhunting I didn't have the money to buy a treestand after getting outfitted for my bow and arrows etc at 14 years old. So I cut my bowhunting teeth on still hunting for deer. I was blessed to have an enduro run through my families farm ( and several other farms and landowners properties) in September and they would have like over 150 to 250 bikes go through the area providing what? A great and quiet walking trail through some great bedding areas. Everyone says sit during the rut and I do that now more than not but back when I was poor and eager, I would get completely cammied up, I used burnt cork for "face paint" and my Great Aunt had died and she left me a pair of opera glasses (which were like only 1x or 2x mini binoculars). I waited until the wind was blowing in my face on the north-south trail and when I got to an area where I knew they liked to bed or I could even smell them, the hunting was fun and fast. There was nothing better walking through there after it rained all night and then a cold front would come in and the snow flakes would start, the bucks would run like crazy right on by paying me no attention. I missed so many deer but man that was a blast. Earlier in the season because you kept the wind to your face, if you missed the first time they would spook but there was a road about 150 yards to the east and an open pipeline and then more open fields to the west and they liked to just loop down into heavier cover. So I would back off about 75 yards or so and loop down to the east and go slow and they would run right into me again (mostly does during the early season though). So yeah, boy that took me back.
 
Set up a large beach umbrella near your tree.
The deer will all come congregate under it to stay dry. Then you will have your pick of the litter... :D
 
If I feel the need to hunt in the rain it will be in the ground blind. I don't mind a drizzle but if it becomes more I will get down. I have set through enough downpours for this lifetime. ;)
 
Patriot said:
What time of year? I thought the common opinion was they bed down in hard rain but “common knowledge” is not always right!

Have you often gotten sightings in down pours? Seems like it is something you have used on purpose.
Click to expand...
3rd week of October when I killed those two bucks but I could have also killed a big 8pt on opening day (Oct 1st) when it also poured rain.

In my neck of the woods, (Northern MI) I have seen quite a bit of movement right after and right before a good rain so if there’s rain in the forecast it isn’t going to stop me from hitting the woods. Plus it keeps the rest of you sugarcoated Joes on the couch and that’s one less Hunter I have to compete with.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Im surprised that it took 18 posts for someone to mention luminol aka Bloodglow, aka Bluestar.
The stuff is amazing. Rain cannot wash away the hemoglobin in blood which is what luminol detects. Hemoglobin remains for a long period of time even after inches of rain. In fact luminol works better if the blood has been rain on.
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Does peroxide work like this or does it need actual blood to work?
 
Recurveaholic said:
Does peroxide work like this or does it need actual blood to work?
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Luminol is used in police forensic work. It locates blood and will show even microscopic drops not visible to the naked eye. We've tested the stuff with hand-laid blood trails (which were itself not visible) and had over a half inch of rain fall on the trail, and the luminol detected the blood 24 hours later. Which is not really even an accurate indicator on just how long blood can be detected by luminol which can detect blood for years under certain conditions.

Luminol is 2 tablets that are dissolved in water, or actually, windshield washer fluid works best (stable pH and it won't freeze while spraying it). Mix it in a spray bottle and mist the suspected area of blood. Its only used at night...in pitch black dark, NO LIGHTS. The stuff glows blue for a minute or 2 when it contacts blood...even after a heavy rain. So, no it is not similar to peroxide. Its not a gimmick either. Police use the stuff.
 
NikoTheBowHunter said:
As a Wisconsinite I'm hoping for a wet cold one tomorrow. Would be nice to be able to wear my fleece and rain gear on opening day vs sweating my arss off in the hot humid weather which normally accompanies opening day. Should set up well for deer moving after the rain. Should set up well for increased deer movement right after the rain stops.
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Exactly. The last few early seasons were pretty darn hot. Anytime it’s in the 90’s in WI during September that’s just not right. Bring on the cool rain. Doesn’t bother me one bit. Might switch up some tactics a bit depending how hard the rain is but it’s looking now like it should be done late afternoon.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Luminol is used in police forensic work. It locates blood and will show even microscopic drops not visible to the naked eye. We've tested the stuff with hand-laid blood trails (which were itself not visible) and had over a half inch of rain fall on the trail, and the luminol detected the blood 24 hours later. Which is not really even an accurate indicator on just how long blood can be detected by luminol which can detect blood for years under certain conditions.

Luminol is 2 tablets that are dissolved in water, or actually, windshield washer fluid works best (stable pH and it won't freeze while spraying it). Mix it in a spray bottle and mist the suspected area of blood. Its only used at night...in pitch black dark, NO LIGHTS. The stuff glows blue for a minute or 2 when it contacts blood...even after a heavy rain. So, no it is not similar to peroxide. Its not a gimmick either. Police use the stuff.
Click to expand...
Where can you buy the stuff?
 
HuntNorthEast said:
With a bow I will do it in swamp grass areas that I can use for cover and slip through quietly. Look for ears and try to get to 40 yards. If I can I'll either wait it out or stir some grass when I am ready so that they stand up for a shot. I've killed 2 does doing this but not a buck, yet...

With a gun I prefer creeping up on ridge beds. Come in on the cross wind. I've found that when they are bedded they will be laying with the wind at their back and watching the open areas, BUT, I have seen deer that walk nose to the wind, lay down, still nose to the wind, and watch their back-track. In this instance, that is where the cross wind kills em every time!

Take your time, move slow, and know the area. Do your research years prior while tracking in snow (if you got it). See what the deer like to do, how they navigate the land using terrain, and where they lay at what points in the season. Your stalking success will improve ten fold.

Like my grandfather use to say when he was still alive,"If you think you're going slow enough, but you aren't seeing deer, go slower!" I repeat this to myself every single time I am still-hunting or stalking up on beds and it changes the outcome dramatically.

Happy hunting! T-minus 14 hrs 15 mins.
View attachment 34175
Click to expand...

money post. Thanks bro. I stalk but my frickin ADD kicks in and I go fast. I’ll keep your Grandfather in my ear as well.
 
shamus275 said:
3rd week of October when I killed those two bucks but I could have also killed a big 8pt on opening day (Oct 1st) when it also poured rain.

In my neck of the woods, (Northern MI) I have seen quite a bit of movement right after and right before a good rain so if there’s rain in the forecast it isn’t going to stop me from hitting the woods. Plus it keeps the rest of you sugarcoated Joes on the couch and that’s one less Hunter I have to compete with.
Click to expand...
Note: I liked this even though my name is Joe . . . I'm definitely not sugar coated though. :tearsofjoy: I'm sitting unless thunder is crashing, an ark is being built or wind is toppling trees.
 
Recurveaholic said:
Where can you buy the stuff?
Click to expand...
www.bloodglow.com

Blood Glow - Blood tracking reagents for hunters and law enforcement agencies

BlueStar® for Hunters - As soon as darkness has set in, this blood revealing reagent will help you find the trail of the wounded animal, even after rain fall. BlueStar® blood tracking reagent will display blood droplets unseen by the naked eye and make them glow bright blue in low light...
www.bloodglow.com
One thing, the activator (? not sure if that's the proper term) tablet does have a shelf life. You can tell when it's expiring because it crumbles inside it's foil packet. Peroxide can be used in place of an expired activator. The other tablet is the actual luminal and it does not go bad.
The book "Blood in Motion" on the Bloodglow website is quite good, too.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
www.bloodglow.com

Blood Glow - Blood tracking reagents for hunters and law enforcement agencies

BlueStar® for Hunters - As soon as darkness has set in, this blood revealing reagent will help you find the trail of the wounded animal, even after rain fall. BlueStar® blood tracking reagent will display blood droplets unseen by the naked eye and make them glow bright blue in low light...
www.bloodglow.com
One thing, the activator (? not sure if that's the proper term) tablet does have a shelf life. You can tell when it's expiring because it crumbles inside it's foil packet. Peroxide can be used in place of an expired activator. The other tablet is the actual luminal and it does not go bad.
The book "Blood in Motion" on the Bloodglow website is quite good, too.
Click to expand...
I bought some last year and didn't need to use it, but what is the shelf life of the activator and would you then just mix it up ahead of time? My take on it was that you kind of waited until you needed it but maybe I wasn't paying attention.
 
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