Wind, rain,and bow hunting

[six-point]

Do you guys hunt in these conditions? When I got up this morning, the wind was at 15 gusting to 25 mph. While I think the rain has stopped, I decided to stay in the house and hunt another day.

[bowhuntinoh]

same here these high winds might throw me out of my stand im thinking be safe so i can hunt another day

[RURIK]

Nope, wont chance losing a blood trail in the rain....

[Bird33]

Sure, I love to hunt in the wind and rain from the ground. It also keeps other guys at home so I have the forest to myself. I can move around quietly and often see lots of deer. If it's a hard rain or forcasted to rain heavily I might not shoot anything though, since I don't want to chance loosing my deer. But most of the time it's just a drizzle and not enough to cover up a blood trail. I am definitely more selective in my shot choice on a rainy/windy day.

[BuckSlayer]

I always hunt on a windy day. I love it. I think it helps hide movement and noise. Rain however is pretty tough on the blood trail. Its hard enough to find tiny specks of blood when its dry much less when its a downpour. All I can say is you better hit the heart or spine ;)

[trkyslyr]

Hunting in the rain has always appealed to me for a few reasons. Limited hunters in the woods, the rain hides any noises for still hunting, and nothing gets their belly grumbling like being cold and wet. Wind however, is another story, I have kept a hunting journal for quite some time, and it has become very apparant that the deer move less when it is windy. Not that I have seen no deer on windy days, just a significant difference. It is also very hard to hear approaching deer when it is windy. I probobly would have hunted today, simply because the bucks are moving right now looking for that first receptive doe. With that said, there has been many a morning when I looked out the window @ the weather @ 5:30 am, and went right back to bed. Hope you get a big one.

[deerhunt45]

i have myself convinced you can't see any deer from the bed or the couch ;)

i was in my ground blind at 7 am. saw 4 deer from about 8:30 till around 10. the last two were bucks and one was a definite shooter and the other a maybe. unfortunately they were 100 yards across the clearing and upwind. all i could do was glass them. the wind really kicked into high gusts about 11:00 so i packed it in. i don't mind a little rain but too many bad things can happen in high winds like this. hope it lays a little overnight so i can get in a treestand in the morning. good luck.

45 :coolgleamA:

[jbrown]

i like to hunt with a drizzle or light rain... seems like i always see more deer when its like this. windy days i dont care for much. there too much at risk, whether it be falling out of the tree or the effect on arrow flight. i will hunt when its 15-20, but not in these 30 and 40 mph gusts.

[Maudib]

I've heard on many occasions that "meduim winds" say 15-20 mph can curtail deer movement because they feel uncomfortable, but when it get's even higher... say 25-35... that the animals are antsy, and do not feel secure with sitting still and move MORE than normal.

Safety has to be an issue in a tree (as well as being able to make a steady, humane shot) but ground blind hunting might be O.K.

Still one would be sitting there thinking... "What AM I doing out here?" :)

Especially with the 50 mph gusts they are calling for.

My call? Exercise this time for other needs... and focus on tomorrow which is supposed to be "lighter winds' and a break in the weather.

The next few days should prove very productive indeed for many.

[Q2XL]

took the day off with the winds and all. will be back at it tommorrow mornin for sure.

[OLDHAT]

Today I was going to start a vaction that could go on for 3 or 4 weeks (it's nice owning your own business) or until I tag a buck. Instead I didn't want to start with a nasty day today so I stayed at home. However, I thought it was going to rain with this wind, if I would have known that the rain wasn't going to be here, then I would have probably went today.

Oh, the next time I post outside of today may be a few days or a few weeks from now, good luck fellas!

Oldhat

[Arrow 1]

Besides limiting deer movement, I have had too many close calls with the wind blowing trees down and branches falling from trees. I am talking winds over 30.

[OhioHunter88]

I didnt hunt this mornin but, went out tonight and stayed for about 45 minutes and i got a few brains and climbed down....Man it was windy...

[BandanaMan]

The second week of the archery season I shot a doe on a windy afternoon.

I usually hunt the mornings, seeing that it was windy I took my dog for a walk in the city park woods near my house. As I entered the park woods, deer were jumping everywhere. So I went home, gathered my gear, and went hunting, shot the doe!

I climbed a strong sturdy tree anticipating a carnival ride in the wind. The tree move some, but wasn't real bad.

Fortunately the wind died a little as the doe approached, I got the shot off OK.

As a rule I don't like to hunt the windy days, yesterday was really bad in central OHIO.

Rain keeps me at home, blood tracking is next to impossible in the rain!

[New Guy]

I'll try to still hunt if it's not really howling out...15-25 mph or so...If it's blowing any harder than that I'll stay in...I've seen lots of large branches and some small (and some not so small) trees come crashing down in high winds...and I really don't want to have one land anywhere near me...as far as rain goes, goretex is a wonderful invention and I'll hunt unless it's really pouring or if there is thunder...I'll stay out of the trees if it's raining pretty steady but if it's light or intermittant I'll stick to my tree stand...just my opinion...New Guy

[MagnumMudMan]

My dumb@ss went out Saturday morning in that blowing stuff. We hunted in wood county, which is flat and fairly open. I only made it until about 10 am in the stand. Once the rain came in and then the strong winds, I had enough. I got the chills and that was it for the day. I should have just waited until Sunday when the wind settled down. I don't mind a little wind, but when the trees get to swaying that bad, it gets to you in a little bit in the stand.

[bowhunter1023]

I can't stand to hunt in the wind. I have almost fallen out of my stand twice this year. I like to stand when I hunt and when the wind gets to rocking those trees, it really throws me off balance and I have to sit down.

I will hunt in a drizzle. Especially this time of year. I have seen alot of movement on misty days in the past. I love to stalk in the rain, or right after a rain. I don't normally hunt over scrapes, but if I know the rain is going to stop around prime movement times, I will set up about 40 yards down wind of a scrape. Bucks love to freshen up those scrape after a rain, and as we all know they will circle down wind of the scrape before approaching. I shot a doe 2 years ago doing that, and a buck the year before doing the same.