Just googled it and didn't find my answer. Why do I see many more deer on their feet during a normal to light rain event reguardless of time of day....net says they'll stand up to shake off but seems they r out all over when they usually wouldn't be. Just wondering y it's above normal for times of day they'd be bedded...
Deer movement in the rain?
- Thread starter Bowkills
- Start date
just seems I see them a lot more than normal with the rains went they aren't usually on their feet.
Maxxis31
Junior Member
First hunt of 2015’ i was introducing my old man to the property I hunt. I told him I was going to put the rain in my face and stalk in to this bucks bed and kill him. I did the stalk, it was a different buck and not the one I was after. I couldn’t bring myself to spend my buck tag on the first hunt and not kill the ONE I was after. Dad didn’t believe me, so I drove up the road and the buck was still out feeding 30 yards in front of the tree I snuck into. The same tree I told him I was going to. He called me all kinds of names! Lol. I ended up eating my tag that year and have never trophy hunted since. Lesson learned! Meat eater
Maxxis31
Junior Member
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Someone posted a study on here a while back that had some pretty interesting data on buck movement in wind and rain. I'll see if I can't find it but the basic principal was mature bucks moved more in a light rain than they did on nice days. And there was an uptick in movement when winds reached a sustained 7mph and that movement increased up to like 17mph. It wasn't until 18+ mph winds did they drop off with movement. And they barely moved at all when winds were below 3mph. These were wild GPS collared bucks.
My thoughts on this is that it messes with their ability to hear and also smell (to some extent). What I don't understand, is that they move very naturally, not skiddish and on high alert like they do on windy days.
I've had some really good encounters during a light rain.
I've had some really good encounters during a light rain.
I was under the impression that light rain masked smell and sound, so they preferred to atleast be up to see.
I see quite a few deer up and moving in the ooen ag fields on high wind days. Same principle, they can atleast see danger
I see quite a few deer up and moving in the ooen ag fields on high wind days. Same principle, they can atleast see danger
Hunter II
Junior Member
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https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/projects/deer/news/2018/blown-away
Everyone should subscribe to this blog. A lot of great information being put out by Penn State.
Everyone should subscribe to this blog. A lot of great information being put out by Penn State.
Bigcountry40
Member
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Where we live its always windy
, in Northwest Ohio the deer hunting was so fragile as it is, I never really messed around with if it was blowing hard or raining much.
Bigcountry40
Member
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I always try to hunt or fish right before a big storm is coming in and have had great success seeing lots of deer and catching fish.
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I never see any deer in the rain.... But then again, I never go out in the rain... Main purpose of being outside hunting is to enjoy myself... Getting wet and cold is not my idea of enjoyment...
cspot
Member
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
I’ve noticed deer tend to move more in a light rain...also lots of movement right after a big storm ends. As far as wind, anything over 15 mph really hampers good deer movement...anything over 20 mph, I won’t waste my time and will find something else to do.