Deer Hunting In Rain |

Some thoughts: Deer are largely crepuscular animals, meaning early morning and late afternoon they are up and feeding etc. Bucks are more nocturnal except during the rut.

But in heavy wind and rain, they are likely to bed early and feed in darkness because both their eyesight and hearing are compromised. With bushes swaying, and wind howling and rain pelting, I would stay in bed too.

In the case of light rain or drizzle and little wind, deer will venture to feed and rut in late October. You will have a slight advantage as your leaf crunching footsteps will not be heard. Watch the wind always. Walk into or quarter into the wind to “still hunt”.

Watch the weather for a lull. If the rain and wind subsides, be ready to hunt. I like to hunt in the afternoon when a front pushes through. This is because I can see better and, at least, be more careful as I enter the woods.

Be prepared to stay till dark. It is the first and last 1//2 hour of light when that buck may step out. Does and yearlings will be first.

I have a plan to increase my vigilance and body preparedness like standing “at the ready” in the last hour of light. Keep movement to a minimum, if you have to move, scratch your nose etc., do it in slow motion. I wear a face mask to keep the squirrels and chipmunks from detecting my face. Once detected, you may be chattered as an alarm to other wildlife. Then, if early morning, you should either move away, but then again, perhaps mimic a deer encounter with grunts and antler rattling so wildlife get the idea that it is just another rutting deer. A nearby buck may decide to come into the ruckus… so be ready. I have done this successfully and took a dandy eight pointer in southern New Hampshire

I like to use my grunt or bleat call in both morning and near dusk. If a buck is in hearing range, he may come and investigate. Deer have uncanny hearing and can pinpoint you so use the grunt or deer bleat sparingly, unless you are staging a buck fight. Then break and smash twigs and bushes to mimic a fight for a full minute. Watch and listen! You may have a buck rushing or stomping in. The more you know about what buck sign is visible such as rubs and scrapes the more you can plan and stage a fight.

Bucks do not bed with does, they bed where hidden and can smell the does from his bedding area. Be aware though that during the rut, bucks are not very far away from the does and like to bed higher on the surrounding landscape.

Really big bucks do not make very many mistakes and are only stupid during the heavy part of the rut in early November.

Watch that wind!

Good Hunting!