Many hunters prefer to stay indoors when it is raining because they feel it’s going to be wet and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, if you’re a bowhunter, hunting while it’s raining maybe a brilliant choice for you. In this article, we’ll share 10 bow hunting in the rain tips for beginners and experts.
Contents
- 1 Bowhunting in the rain tips for beginners and experts
- 1.1 Go Hunting
- 1.2 Take Only the Essentials
- 1.3 Wear Appropriate Clothing
- 1.4 Know the Deer’s Hotspots during Rainy Days
- 1.5 Pick Your Shots
- 1.6 Wait Out Heavy Rains
- 1.7 Use Drying Out Periods After Heavy Rains To Your Advantage
- 1.8 Avoid Long-range Shot
- 1.9 Trail your target the smart way
- 1.10 Minimize movement
- 2 Conclusion
Bowhunting in the rain tips for beginners and experts
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Go Hunting
From experience, we have learned that unless there’s a storm or a heavy downpour that persists for hours, animals would still go out about their normal activities as though it were a bright day. That means you have to leave for the hunting ground if you are looking to increase your chances of hitting a huge sum.
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Take Only the Essentials
Treading while it’s raining can be a little tedious. What’s best is that you avoid extra items that may make your movement a little sluggish. Bringing your electronic devices along in the rain is not a good idea but you might still have to bring your cell phone along in case of an emergency. Ensure it is packed properly.
Simply put, remember to bring only the necessary items – your flashlights, a bow, a pocket knife and also a GPS unit if you are not familiar with the terrain.
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Wear Appropriate Clothing
Since you’ll be hunting in the rain, you are expected to get wet along the line. With that, I’ll advise that you pick clothes that will keep your body warm even when you are wet.
Your usual camouflage shirt and pants, gloves, a jacket, a hat, and a mask to protect your face from too much moisture will suffice. You can ask well put on rain gear; make sure the type you are wearing is quiet so you do not scare off your target even before you aim at it.
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Know the Deer’s Hotspots during Rainy Days
It has been found that most deer want to avoid their hooves from getting caked with mud just as we don’t like treading on muddy trails. Instead, they will most definitely stay on rocky fields, and places that are no muddy.
Knowing this, all you simply have to do is to study where they’ll likely be gathering. (Nearby areas that are not muddy).
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Pick Your Shots
While bow hunting in the rain may be a good choice, it can be tedious as well if you can’t nail a shot after so many attempts. Try not to be too excited when you sight a flock of deer feeding around your hunting area. Better still, pick your target and take your time to have a clear shot that will nail the vital part of your target.
Note: just as deer won’t be able to easily perceive your scent because it’s raining, you’ll also find it hard to trail an injured deer as the rain will easily wash away any trace of blood.
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Wait Out Heavy Rains
It has been said earlier that drizzles may not hinder deer’s normal routine, but heavy rains definitely will. Don’t be adamant if you can notice that the weather condition is pretty unfavourable. Heavy downpour may make you susceptible to more accidents and it is always very hard to set up a rescue when no one can follow you in the muddy hunting places.
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Use Drying Out Periods After Heavy Rains To Your Advantage
It’s easy to assume that deer will be hungry after staying in their hideout for a long time. With that, they’ll resort to staying in areas where there is enough food. Focus on these spots and cover for the time you missed when you stayed indoors during a heavy downpour.
Conversely, you can set up in places where you assume the deer would have made their shelter during heavy rainfall. If that’s the case, you have to arrive at the spot immediately after the rainfall while they are preparing to move out.
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Avoid Long-range Shot
This might not seem important to experts, but I tell you, there’s a high tendency that you’ll most likely miss your long-range shots when it’s raining. To be on a safer side, you can take short-range shots since the animals can perceive your scent when it’s raining.
This way, you can have a clean shot and hit the most vital parts of the animal. Hitting the most vital part of the animals kills them in no time, and you won’t have to go through the stress of looking for their lying body.
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Trail your target the smart way
Trailing your target comes easy when you have a detailed knowledge of what you are hunting. This way, you’ll begin to think like your target. What I’m trying to say in essence is that you should walk the path your target would most likely take.
For instance, deer always tread in the direction of water when they are wounded. Besides, they detest running in uphill or rough terrain when they are not in good shape.
With these two-pointers, you can easily spot your deer. What’s important is that you study whatever target you intend hunting.
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Minimize movement
Although these animals have a reduced sense of hearing when it’s raining, a slight snap-sound into their hearings can scare them off. Apart from the kind of camouflage clothing you are putting on, your movement can as well them. In a nutshell, try as much as possible to set up in a strategic position so that you can avoid moving up and down.
Conclusion
I hope you are now well equipped on how to have successful hunting with the above- discussed 10 bow hunting in the rain tips for beginners and experts.
The importance of proper preparation before setting out to hunt in the rain cannot be overemphasized. Nevertheless, your safety is what must come first. As you are getting prepared to hunt in the rain, be sure to think of your safety so that you do not get screwed up in the process.