Figured with the 2017 season right around the corner this might get some wheels turning or light bulbs going off.
Below are some details and the story of my 2016 WI Bow Kill.
- Public land
- Early season
- Winter scouted
- Bed hunt
- 1st time in for the year
- Second sit of the season
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The short answer is it depends on many factors. Keep in mind each hunt/setup is different...
Having a detailed understanding of how the specific terrain you are hunting is impacted by various conditions, and how the deer respond to those conditional changes, can certainly be a deal breaker.
In regard to a post-rain hunt, a few questions you might ask yourself which may/should impact your setup;
1) Has it been getting progressively colder throughout the day or days prior?
2) How warm has it been in the hours or even days preceding the rain (cooling 60 degree soil vs. 40 degree soil)?
3) Is the sun shining after the rain?
4) Is there a nearby water feature (swamp, marsh, creek, etc.) that would impact - push/pull the thermals?
5) Slope in relation to terrain and aquatic features.
6) Wind/speed/direction in relation to terrain and aquatic features.
7) Has it been raining while the air temp is dropping throughout the day?
8) Probably others I am missing...
Story:
The day I killed my 2016 archery buck was following 3 days of heavy rain. Intermittent cooling rain throughout the day, combined with an ~15 degree F temperature drop, lead to falling thermals from at least the time I got in to the stand until my buck hit the ground at approximately 6:50 PM. Watched the milkweed fall against the wind, once dropping below the wind tunnel, from the time I got set up... The factors that contributed to the falling thermals;
- 3 days of prior cloudy/rainy days (cooling the soil to a consistent temperature)
- Cloudy day of hunt (almost no additional solar radiation hitting/warming soil; Note: only ~10% solar radiation penetrates through clouds on 100% cloudy days)
- Significantly cooler day of hunt (again ~15 degrees F temperature change in less than 12 hours)
- Cool rainfall (cooling surface soil temps throughout the day)
-- IN SUMMARY: previous cloud cover, current cloud cover, cool rainfall, soil temp change, and air temp change trumped solar radiation that day
Everything was nearly perfect for both the buck and I. The buck bedded with the wind in his face (just how that bed sets up with that specific wind - took me a couple of years to figure this spot out...), falling thermals and thick cover at his back, slightly more open in front of him (subtle transition from post-successional logging). My wind would have been blowing directly at him if not for the terrain feature used to redirect my scent. Additionally, falling thermals are needed with the specific wind I was hunting to make the terrain feature work; if thermals are rising, even with the same wind (in the same spot), they go up and over the terrain feature and fall in/near the bedding and I don't see any deer (thanks to a milkweed epiphany I had in 2015). A meticulous, calculated, access route is also essential to the success of this setup, especially with the falling thermals.
Back to the hunt; the buck could see, and hear, the intended food source from his bed but could not see my stand (although I was set up right over the food, the aforementioned terrain feature prevented me from being seen from his vantage point). Three days of constant heavy rain kept him, or any other deer off this seasonal food source while high winds from the previous days deposited a large amount of the seasonal sustenance on the forest floor. At 6:45PM he walked from his bed (found in the winter of 2014-2015) ~80-100 yards, with the wind in his face, falling thermals covering his rear, to the point where I shot him - 8 yards from the tree.
With the right conditions thermals can certainly fall following an afternoon, or all day, rain...
Joe
Field Pictures:
