Blacktail rain tips?

[Jeremy]

Just curious if anybody has any good tips for hunting in the rain. This is only my 3rd season hunting deer. Spent about 4 hours wandering through the woods on sunday morning and only saw 1 doe. Are deer more or less active when its raining? And do they try to find thicker cover to get out of it? Thanks for the info.

[Bootstrap Bill]

Usually weather is the best motivator of game animals unless the weather is to severe then they tend to be not as active. But in your case you are hunting blacktails which are hard to hunt because of the area they live in and they are very good at hiding in their habitat, so don't give up and feel lucky to have seen a doe because I'm sure lots of hunters didn't see even that.

[sturgophile]

In some 45 years of hunting, mostly in western Oregon and Washington, I've found that rain doesn't matter as much to the deer as it does to the hunters. Cooler wet weather may hold the deer in open areas longer during the day as they extend their feeding activity because body heat gain from sunlight is lower. In dry sunny conditions, even with air temperatures near freezing, open country deer will usually seek shade before mid-morning. Brush country deer may be active later into the day as the brush is generally cooler, and cover is always just a jump away. Just be willing to vary your hunting tactics as conditions in your hunt area change throughout the day and season. Being on a stand early and late in the day, and still-hunting the brush or timber in the middle is a good plan to start with.

High winds are likely to cause the deer to hole up, (maybe because it decreases their ability to detect predators?). Hunting right after a big storm has often been productive for me. Probably because I'm so used to it, I'd rather hunt in damp weather, because the woods are quiter to move around in. The wet also keeps a few of the fair-weather sports at home or on the roads too, making the woods less crowded. Not to say a spot of sunshine to occasionally warm my old bones isn't welcome.

Welcome to the hunting tradition and best of luck.

[Hunt'nFish]

Rain and blacktails..wow very good question.

Personally I don't see many out in open area's during the rain. But I have had success hunting the larger timber. This is there bedding area for obvious reasons.. it's sheltered. I like to walk old closed logging roads i mature timber. Many times you'll see them just off the edge feeding on viney maple and other browse. Unlike hunting clear cuts, this is productive ALL DAY LONG! But the key is to walk quietly. A pair of BearStalker over your boots really helps. I don't bother but I walk so slow each step is a careful silent action. The last one I shot at 15yrds and I had literally walked up on him and a doe. Yes they had their minds elsewhere. :grin: (hint: keep your scope on low power and scope caps off). Another time I shot a doe w/ my pistol at 25yds becasue she ran right in on top of me and I couldn't unsling my rifle w/o getting busted.

Cuts are good just after it's been raining hard all night long... or even for several days. They want to get out of the mature timber because water is still falling off the limbs in the old growth and the cuts are dry now. They also like to warm themselves if the sun comes out. Fequently I watched them bed down right in the open and soak up the sun all day long. Very hard to see them when they don't move and are bedded among the weeds and small brush. They literally disappear. When I have a day like this and I can't find anything in the cuts I just flop and take a nap myself. Often after I wake up I find something if I glass hard enough.
This brings me to glass. Spotting w/ your scope doesn't work for blacktails. You really need to literally have to be scanning constantly to find a bedded blacktail. You can't hold up a rifle all day. Get some good bino's. Forget the cheap crap, go with $200 bino's with quality optics and high contrast. Constrast is king when it comes to picking out a reddish/brown blacktail from the weeds.
Hope this helps,
Hunt'nFish
(Formally Walleye Tracker)


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Mike Knifong Gunsmithing
Beaverton, OR
ultramag338@yahoo.com

[Hunt'nFish]

sturgophile,
I see we posted almost at the same time w/ almost the same info. Nice to see another having the same observations.
Saturday should have been productive for folks but I was out walleye fishing w/ a friend.
Hunt'nFish

[blacktail519]

I have found that if it's raining, the deer are out and about. I have killed probably 85% of my blacktail bucks in the rain, In or around the clearcuts. I would would bet That 75% of those were killed in the afternoon hours. Rain is a blessing for us Blacktail chasers. But like previously mentioned, if it is severely storming (Thunder and lightning) they tend to hole up. But as soon as there is a break from the svere storm, You definately want to be out there, because they will be. Good luck

[GreatWhiteHunter]

Next to calling in rutting bulls, nothing gets my blood pumping like hunting blacktail bucks in the timber. Best success for me is when its coming down in buckets, and sideways! Hunt timbered ridge backs, and GO SLOW...as in 5 steps, stop, look, listen. Use binoculars even when it seems like you can see everything - sometimes bucks will just materialize from nowhere. Watch your backtrail, they'll try to let you walk past, then sneak out behind you. If you see a doe, sit down and watch her for as long as she lets you...if papa is in the area, she'll often let you know about it with glances in the same direction. Wear good gear, and spend all day at it. When its really coming down, they'll hunker up, but its key to spot them in their beds.

Also, as already said, pay close attention to upcoming fronts - the bucks will get active right before a storm hits.

Good luck.

-GWH

[Damien]

I think blacktail hunting and rain can only help your chances for a couple different reasons. One you will find less pressure in the woods because only us die hards are out there when it is nasty good.! Two the rain quites the woods down a bunch and masks the sound that we make as we still hunt. Three deer seemed to be more active longer. Dido on the gear. You have to have good gear like dry boots and protective clothing. I prefer wool pants and jacket over rain gear just for the noise factor. Also go slow it is much better to cover good ground slowly then be spooking deer out and not even know it.