Q - experienced deer hunters

[bboswell]

I see next several days scheduled for continuous rain. I wanted to hunt around the Grand Lake/Spavinaw Creek area in some of the heavily wooded and rugged terrain.

Is it worth the effort of trying to hunt? I would think the first day of rain might have deer hunkered down but was hoping by day two they were hungry and might be on the move again.

My other hope, I have never been successful trying to stalk hunt, but was hoping the rain might provide enough sound buffer that I might try.

Am I wasting my time, and if not, any advice to follow that might up my chances for success?

Am I better of setting a stand or is spot and stalk worth consideration?

Thanks.



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[dennishoddy]

I see next several days scheduled for continuous rain. I wanted to hunt around the Grand Lake/Spavinaw Creek area in some of the heavily wooded and rugged terrain.

Is it worth the effort of trying to hunt? I would think the first day of rain might have deer hunkered down but was hoping by day two they were hungry and might be on the move again.

My other hope, I have never been successful trying to stalk hunt, but was hoping the rain might provide enough sound buffer that I might try.

Am I wasting my time, and if not, any advice to follow that might up my chances for success?

Am I better of setting a stand or is spot and stalk worth consideration?

Thanks.



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The third biggest buck I've killed was during a driving rain storm. All I could see was his outline it was raining so hard. So to answer your question, yes they move when it rains. They don't move as much though. The upcoming weather calls for below freezing temps. Animals have to eat to survive, so when it gets real cold, they have to eat more to survive.
The exception to the rule I've seen is snow. Mother nature tells them that they will be more visible or something, and not able to blend into their surroundings, so they will move very little for a day or two before moving to food sources. In Okla, our snows rarely last more than a couple of days, so when its melting is a great time to get out. If it stays on for a week or so, they head back to their normal patterns. They have to eat.

Stalking during a rain storm can be productive. Buddy of mine has pretty good success doing that. The deer will be bedded down more than likely, so you'll be looking for a head, an ear twitching, a patch of white, or something, not the outline of a deer standing. Move from tree to tree. Look hard for 30 seconds, and move to another. You might not cover a lot of ground but if your where there is a lot of deer sign, you stand a good chance of seeing one. If there is no deer sign, your wasting your time.
Knowing your area by scouting is key to stalking deer, or hunting them from a stand.
Don't waste your money on scent elimination products. There is nothing a human can put on the market that will outsmart the nose of a deer. Nothing.
Play the wind. If the wind shifts to your back get out of the area. always keep the wind in your face.

Hope this helped. If I can be of more help, ask away. Deer hunting is my #1 passion.

 

[bboswell]

Thanks Dennis. I'm going to give it a go. Two areas in particular are used consistently for bedding where I will hunt. So I may work the outsides and I don't want to go thru middle. And I have 2-3 other areas that I think would be good hides for bucks that are very difficult to approach normally and I've seen a number of borderline shooters last couple years in the area so will give it a try. If I am successful it will be a major task to drag to a trail but isn't the struggle half the fun?


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[dennishoddy]

Good luck! There are items on the market back pack size that will help getting one out with a long drag.