Deer Hunting on a Rainy Day

Even though rainy days are great when going after some water fowler, when it comes to the whitetail, the debate is still out there and the answer is quite in the middle. Let’s take a closer look to the whole problem so you can decide for yourself if it’s going to worth to get after whitetails when it’s raining.

Some myths on the matter 

Many hunters think that it’s not worth to hunt deer as it’s way too much trouble. Truth be told, it’s never easy to catch a deer and a rainy day sure doesn’t make it easier at all. Hunting is about putting some effort into it and you only need to be more attentive to the elements when it rains. Just because you don’t really like rain, doesn’t mean that it’s going to make a big difference to a deer’s routine. Rain doesn’t happen that often and deer don’t change completely their routine. There’s one exception, though- the torrential downpours. In this situation, deer may want to hide a lot more and better, but you do the same. The truth is that hunting in the rain is anything but easy or cozy, but it’s nothing you can’t surpass if you’re determined enough.

What’s deer activity on a rainy day?

 A whitetail may change its routine a little bit on a rainy day. As any deer depends a lot on its smell and hearing, a rainy deer may have a big influence on both. It’s going to be a lot more difficult to a deer to smell and hear on a rainy day, which isn’t a pleasant thing for any deer. On a rainy day, a deer is going to compensate with its third sense- sight. It’s going to heighten its visual awareness by going mostly to zone with increased fields of vision. You may easily find them feeding in hidden meadows, power line right-of-ways and field edges. Bedding may also change on a rainy day, but only if there’s a heavy rain we talk about. In a situation like this, deer are going to look for more protective nighttime cover. They are going to move toward the leeward side of geographic chance in the landscape that you may easily find with toms high-definition mapping software.

How to hunt deer on a rainy day?

Let’s take a look at the strategies you may try, depending on the type of rain.

 • Light rain/drizzle

You shouldn’t change your hunting methods on a rain like this, as it doesn’t affect deer either. Maybe the deer may eat later and its movements may also be extended, but it’s something you can take advantage of.

 • Moderate rain

A bit of creativity isn’t going to hurt and you may go with still-hunting. Look for the cornfields and reverting pastures, pine stands, and clear-cuts. You may also be successful with spot-and-stalk.

 • Heavy rain 

Most hunters out there simply wait for the heavy rain to go away as any animal looks for a good shelter. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start your hunting in the drying out period following a rain since animals resume their regular activities.