Rain is it worth going out

[Rome]

For those of you that hunt in the rain, have you lost deer due to not being able to follow the washed away blood trail? I have never felt it was ethical to hunt in the rain, as your odds of finding the deer go WAY down. Just my experiences when I was younger and would hunt in anything. I now stay out of the woods when it's raining good. Light mist is one thing, but a steady rain, I just don't find it ethical.

[goldtip5575]

X2

[Brandon]

Not ethical to hunt in the rain?

The word ethical gets thrown around waaaay to much on internet hunting forums.

Unethical is poaching or taking a bad shot. If i have a deer 15 yards standing still and broadside in a downpour... you mean Im unethical?

No way is that not ethical. A good hit deer dies within 200 yards, I dont need a blood trail on a double lung hit... Ill watch him die from my stand!

[goldtip5575]

And with a bad hit the deer doesnt go 200yards and tip over.Dan who has shot more bucks than many of us combined has lost one this year along with other forum members.Heck the buck Dan shot was less than10 yards he said he was aiming low and still spined it.Hunt when you want to I THINK ITS UNETHICAL FOR ME to be hunting in the rain.No one said it was unethical for YOU to be hunting in the rain.

[Brandon]

Your examples of lost deer have nothing to do with rain? A bad hit deer will be lost in sun or in rain... it does not matter is my point.

A good shot is a good shot, no matter if its sunny or snowing.

[goldtip5575]

And the point is with a bad shot for whatever reason(to many to list) is still a bad shot.But if you have tracking blood recovery maybe 50/50.If the rain washes it away youre ####ing in the wind as to finding it.

[Brandon]

With that example that would directly imply that I shouldnt hunt at all if they are even calling for rain? If I shoot a buck at 9 am sunny nice great day and I back out bc of the shot for 30 min-hours... and it starts raining, would that mean it was "unethical" for me to begin the hunt at all?

I dont understand the word unethical being used for hunting a deer in the rain. No one is going in a downpour, but most guys hunt in the light rain, snow, and before a rain.

I understand your 50/50 example, but repectfully disagree.

Unethical to me is synonym for "illegal". I dont want any hunter to look down on me or anyone for hunting is less than ideal weather.

Good debate none the less.

[Rome]

If you don't want to use the term ethical, that's fine. It may not be the best word. Use whatever word you want.

I still don't think it's wise to hunt in a "rain". As said, a light mist or drizzle is fine by me, there will still be a blood trail, as it most likely won't get washed away like it would in a "rain".

To your example that you see the deer go down within 200 yards, there are many stand sites where I can't see 200 yards, so no, I can't see the deer go down. There are many stand sites where I can't see more than 30 yards in certain directions, and after the deer goes that way, I have no clue which way they'd go after being out of sight if I didn't have blood. Grid searches could possibly find the deer, but with nothing to go off of, a lot of times they are unsuccessful, even after you've searched "everywhere". There was a recent article in D&DH about a guy who shot a buck in IL with an outfitter, but they never found it, only to have the outfitter find it in the spring while working on stands...the deer was right near the stand, next to a creek, that they had searched countless times. Grid searches CAN find bucks, but blood trials LEAD to bucks.

I guess for me, I think it's more about respect for the animal. I'd rather hit him in conditions that I know I can follow a blood trail if need be, rather than shoot them in conditions where there'd be no blood trail.

Just my opinion......which if you listen to my wife, doesn't really mean much anyway.

[Brandon]

I respect your opinion, and I understand.
I cant see 200 yards either, I didnt mean that.
Thanks.

[Stanley]

Yes it is.

[dan]

I hunt in the rain, and have shot bucks in the rain... Most bucks I have shot would have been found with or without rain. Just might take a little longer with no blood trail. But deer hit well will be found in most cases... There have been a few recoverys that I know I would not of recovered if it were raining, but I am a little more anal about my shot distance in the rain.

[Brandon]

Yes it is.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10048

[Dewey]

I didn't hunt in the rain on Wednesday and took the day off since I had been hunting pretty hard for a week straight. I was talking to a friend of mine about the rain and I said you watch we will be hearing about a bunch of slob bucks shot in the rain. Sure enough that is exactly what happened. I heard of a few and I see Stanley here at The Beast scored as well. The big bucks really like to move during heavier rain when nobody is hunting.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Stanley]

Rain is a time frame that mature bucks are seldom disturbed and feel safe moving around in. It is kind of like dark to them. If you can get up the desire to hunt in the rain, it is an excellent time to knock one down. If you put a good hit on a buck in the rain it's no big deal finding him, (I mean they only go 150 yards at most). You don't need a blood trail just watch the direction he heads and go get him! I have arrowed a few in the rain over the years. I don't hunt in the rain like I did when I was younger, but still do get the itch on an occasion or two.