Hunting in the rain?

Intheshop

Banned
Just curious,do any of you all,"like" hunting in the rain?

I do....to the point of enjoying it.With certain reservations.Would prefer not bow hunting because of the feather fletch laying down.Would also not wanting to expose carefully crafted premium wood to that level of moisture,be it bows or a rifle stock,but...

Handguns and/or composite stocked SS rifles is sort of an area where they excell.

It's raining today,and like a farmer getting antsy about spring planting,am feeling the tug to be out wandering around,bumming in the search for not only varmints(it's Summertime),but the solitude offered up because,uhhh....nobody ever seems to out in the rain?

So,if you do....any precautions or special efforts regarding waterproofing that you could share?

BW
 

Ian

Notorious member
Like housecats, I have a particular aversion to being wet. I don't swim unless it's to avoid drowning, and take showers in under two minutes. So I'm no help.
 

Eutectic

Active Member
Sorry Intheshop....... I don't!..... It's my pet peeve about hunting ducks. No matter when I did I got wet!

I would much, much, rather hunt in the snow.... Then too, when cold enough that there is no slop from melt.

Pete
 

Ian

Notorious member
Pete, I found out the hard way what Nylon pants and gaiters are for. That dry powder doesn't stay dry for long on cotton britches legs.
 

Intheshop

Banned
One my absolutely fondest memories was hunting with the youngest in a driving,wet snowy afternoon in the deep shadows of the Blue Ridge.

He was 12,and a veteran of a cpl seasons of "damage permit" culling,Deer.He still 15 or so years later,loves busting his older bros about how I was "forcing"(haha) him to autopsy wound channels,and do tracking chores,even though the animals were in sight of the,hit.

On this particular afternoon,he with his CZ 223,me with a tackdriving 243....the only protection from the elements was a child sized,camo sleeping bag.We spent a cpl hours like wet rats,sitting on a hillside.

It's said,that we forget the bluebird days afield....instead,it's those miserable conditions we survive that "stick",to which I agree.

BW
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
I don't care for the rain to start out in but if I'm on the hunt so long as it isn't bone soaking or running down my neck I don't mind it . I can't stand those wet, heavy 40° snows .

Being dressed for it helps .
 

Intheshop

Banned
"Pig boots"....it's what folks in construction world call those,American made Lacrosse rubber boots,which are the derigour in concrete world....which,BTW,ATF was found to be the ONLY cleaner/conditioner to be worth discussing .

Now,for the "cool kids"....it's Muck brand in the hunting fields?No victim BS here but,I generally have more pressing matters to spend $$ on but....gonna definitely snag some.

BW
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
things don't move around in the rain here too much.
now a light warm water drizzle will pull animals out and they seem to enjoy it, but our rain here doesn't seem to have that quality ever.
usually before and afterward is a good time to be out there waiting.

I think it was about 5 years back me and Littlegirl was working the back of a draw when we bumped a few deer out of a little holly thicket and I picked up on the tracks of a pretty heavy buck cutting across my side of the hill.
we followed them back and around the end of the bowl and over the top into another draw when the snow started falling for real.
we kept trying to circle ahead and watch for him while the other one followed the tracks, but eventually the snow fall got real serious and we decided to pull out of the area especially since neither one of had been back in there before.

we went to cut back out and missed the draw we entered in [the foot prints were completely wiped out at this point] and dropped over the ridge and out down another draw which lead further and further away from the truck.
but once your in your in so we followed it down and eventually popped out on the main road through the canyon.
only about 10 minutes before dark and about 6 miles away from the truck on the other side of the summit.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Caution....insider trading info,and you did NOT hear it from me(Martha?)...

Somebody please come up with an unscented ATF for those Mucks.Just sayin...doh.
 

Eutectic

Active Member
Ian is right about body heat and snow getting in and melting into absorbing clothes and under garments...this makes melting happy:D and you not so..:(

When we are used to snow you can still mess up..... I bought a Suzuki 4-wheeler from an ol' friend that has POWER! I put a 54" blade on it last winter.... and learned how to plow! After I got decent at it I looked forward to the next storm! (This definitely was over by spring!) I found out I could push 6" of snow on the straight-aways even in 3rd gear! This one is manual.... But..... Just when you're having a gay old time the snow starts boiling over the blade and right into YOU! This was really fun too until you started freezing to death!:eek: So I plow with nylon outer ski clothes now!

Pete
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
most all her story's are about me..:D
she probably has some good ones about the summer she spent helping some friends revamp a camp sight they inherited.
they had a pile of rainbow children moving through the camp at the time and they would 'work for food'
emphasis on the 'for food' part.

but the story about her kicking the dudes bongo drums down the hill into the river then shooting holes in it is a pretty good one.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Dang,ok that's pretty funny...

About as funny....one of the property's I "manage"....the owner buys a Kawasaki Mule.Think $$$(him) vs hillbilly (me).He doesn't really know "why" he bought it,other than?

Soon as I see this thing,it's a side x side,almost an ATV...it's just begging for a top on the supplied roll bar.So I grab a pce of plywood,chomp a cple slots in it.Run a ratchet strap through them holes and strap the biminy top on it.And yes,it works in the rain....up to the degree that we start flying down the woods paths....uhh,a top,ain't a windshield.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
things don't move around in the rain here too much. Goes for me too but fly fishing socks and felt soled (can't use them fishing anymore) canvas boots work when dove hunting in wet grass after a fog. My experience with boots & mud is you spend most of your time pulling the boot from the mud while standing on one leg with the gun in the other hand. A rope on the boot is helpful also. I do remember years ago a buddy & I were going crappie fishing at the silted in end of the lake, using those rubber knee boots. Never did get to the deep water to fish. Wore us out so we just went back and had some Sangria.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Popper,I'll never make it to Alaska or Africa
...give the money to the kids?

But,watching my boy Fred (Bear) on classic,what amts to home video,hunting trips with hip waders on utube...strafing the costal banks of Alaska serves as inspiration.

Old school camo jacket,felt hat...hip waders."Where exactly did that bear go"?
 

Chris

Well-Known Member
I really like to hunt in the rain, take time off work if it will rain. Not driving straight down rain but anything gentle. I might break down and wear goretex rain pants but usually it is light wool and rubber boots.

I'll carry a rifle with peeps if expecting a wet day. Other rifles, I can remove the scope in the woods and go to irons.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Chris,scopes and their....oh how you say?Care..was in a way ,one of my concerns WRT to the OP.

Short story....years ago,a bud and I were strafing(putting it mildly) ,by sportbike,a rd East of Harlottsville Va( name changed to protect...my license,doh).He's in the lead because I'm not feeling the sense of urgency...

Anyhow,I hit this bridge at warp nine in late Winter....as soon as my bike hits the bridge it becomes obvious,there's zero traction.Ice,wet,too much speed,all play into the situation.Think about that,what exactly is the "proper" response?

Same thing as a scoped rig whilst hunting in inclimate weather,what you thought was/is proper, quickly changes.

We need to practice for these sorts of conditions.The more folks rely on optics,in the hunting fields,the more understanding of the inadequacy of said comes into focus.

The action pistol guys get it....just sayin.And serious apology to any car guys.
 

Chris

Well-Known Member
I imagine hunters have different needs depending on their country and weather preferences. Here the woods are thick and shots are typically close, though once the leaves are off and snow on the ground you may see a few hundred yards in areas of open hardwood.

I generally either carry a peep sighted rifle in rain or yank the scope if I can't keep it clear. Warne, Talley, Leupold, etc. make QD rings that work well. Another choice is the old Weaver tip off mounts: you throw the rifle up and the scope is filled with snow or obscured by rain, just tip the scope to one side and use the irons. I have several Marlins set up that way.

The weather here is generally unfriendly to optics, so I usually have a way to punt rather than lose hunting/shooting opportunity. I'd be interested to see how others handle this problem.
 

Intheshop

Banned
I love the 1-4x20 "shotgun" scopes mounted on Weaver mounts.

Partially the "classic'ness" of the mounts,but the quickness that the above scope gets on target,eventually wins out.
 

Chris

Well-Known Member
I love the 1-4x20 "shotgun" scopes mounted on Weaver mounts.

Partially the "classic'ness" of the mounts,but the quickness that the above scope gets on target,eventually wins out.

Yeah, those are nice. I developed a liking for Leupold 2.5X Compacts, same idee, got a few spares even. I can shoot them with both eyes open, which I like.

Here's another way to beat rain, maybe you have seen it: cut a strip of innertube to fit over the scope, but make a horizontal slit where it goes over each end of the scope. Slip the tube on and spread the slits just slightly. You can see to shoot through the slit, albeit in a limited fashion, if there is need for a quick shot. Otherwise just yank the innertube band off and let fly. The slits let very little rain through.