Tips on How to Deer Hunt in the Rain

Deer hunting in the rain is not an activity that many look forward to doing. However they are missing out. Deer hunting in the rain can be very productive as the rain helps to reduce the hearing advantage that deer have and to some degree helps to reduce their keen sense of smell as well. Let's look at why this is.

First, rain reduces the deer's ability to hear predators in the woods. To begin with the rain itself as it fall through leaves and onto the ground provides a blanket of background noise to cover the approach of a hunter. The next way that rain helps is that as the ground becomes wet the ground becomes more friendly to hunters. The dried leaves on the ground become wet and are quiet when stepped on instead of the dry crunch that we hunters are so familiar with hearing under our feet.

Next let's look at the effect of rain on the deer's ability to smell. While I am not a scientist here are my thoughts on this. Ever smelled a rain? Well it would be reasonable to assume that deer can smell the rain as well and thus provide some cover to other smells in the woods. Also rain is often couple with strong wind. While many times the wind swirls making it difficult to hunt into the wind, the swirling wind also confuses the deer as to from which direction the smell is coming. So while the deer may smell you, they may be uncertain which way to move and either sit tight or move in the wrong direction (right toward you!).

Rain does provide some disadvantages to hunters as well, aside from being wet and miserable. First, one productive way to deer hunt is to simply sit in a good location and wait for the deer to come by whether in a stand or on the ground. However in the rain the deer will appear to move as if hovering as their dainty steps will make virtually no noise at all on a wet ground. I've often been on stand in the rain, looked over and saw deer standing in an opening just 30 yards or so away that I never heard the slightest noise as they came near me! Second, given the deer's huge sight advantage deer they often will see you coming and get moving in the silent woods before you see them. Deer hunting in the rain means three things: move even slower, use your binoculars even more, and be ready to shoot quickly.

A few other notes on hunting deer in the rain from my experience. A slight drizzle will usually make no difference what so ever to deer in their movements. A heavy downpour or rain with heavy winds will usually cause deer to bed down for the duration. One other point, in very strong winds deer will bed down but seem to more quickly and erratically when they do move. I don't know if it is caused by scents swirling in the winds, the noise of crashing limbs or what, but I have often been hunting in a strong storm and had deer just go running by for no apparent reason.