Tomorrow morning is the opener here in AR. The high is 72, calling for scattered thunderstorms and 40% chance of rain til noon with 10-15 mph winds and gusts 20+. It goes up to 80% rain and thunderstorms in the evning. I have a couple birds located on public land and they like to strut in clearing just over a 1.25 mile from the closest road. Camera showed they'd get there between 12-2 and one bird may come 2 or 3 days in a row then next it'd be a different bird. I have tomorrow scheduled off work, should I just save that day for a better time to hunt and go to work? Or go take my chances of getting rained on lol. I've never tried to hunt them when it was raining or storming.
Also I wanted to add that to get to this spot it's an hour and 20 minute drive for me one way. If it was only 10 or 15 minutes I wouldn't hesitate going at all
I'd hunt unless you are actually taking about "Dangerous" weather I hunt, we have killed birds in heavy winds and downpours. Turkeys have to live in it everyday, I have my bad weather bird tactics and you don't have a chance if you're not out there.
Bad Weather Birds!!
MK M GOBL
I'd go as long as it wasn't dangerous. Thunder makes em gobble sometimes. They still have to conduct their daily business.
I will always go,but admit that there was a day last week that it was 40* 20+ wind and raining sideways..............I went back in the house and made a pot of coffee and waited it it stopped.
Go
I agree with go! Rainy days can mean success. If it's raining hard, bust out the blind and try and setup on the edge of a field with decoys. Bring a thermos of coffee, sit back and enjoy! Rain or shine, I'm out there when the season comes! Best of luck!
Oh definitely stay home.....wet turkeys stink when you have to carry them out :funnyturkey:
Now if you were in my neck of the woods I would volunteer to keep an eye on that field for ya that day! :TooFunny:
Well i ended up going and it was very uneventful. Seen about 2 dozen trucks on the way to my spot and finally got in and never heard or seen a turkey. I stayed on that mountain and around that plot and 2 others where these turkeys have been frequenting til 1:00 and nothing. But that's just how it goes sometimes. I only heard 1 shot this morning, so I'm guessing there wasn't many gobbling up there. It was windy as all get out and rained off and on but not enough to get ya wet. The forcast was wrong on that lol
If season is open...I am going...regardless of weather..birds fly down in the morning, birds fly up in the evening, just like they do all year long.
Be aware...that white oak trees are a prime lightning target, because they have the deepest roots around.
As my dad used to say.........Fish don't come out when it's raining.
I don't think turkey do either. Probably they just stay inside nice and dry.
Now seriously, if it's not dangerous, you have a chance of getting a bird if you go.
If you stay home, 100% chance you won't get one.
Be like me, go out, enjoy what you can, then wish you would have stayed home. But, if you stay home, you will always be wondering "what if I had been there"?
:fud: :OGani:
It ain't my favorite but I hunt whenever I can. One of my most memorable hunts involved sitting in a thunderstorm with water literally ran down my legs as two toms gobbled at every clap of thunder.
Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk
Here is the best answer I think I can give you. Yesterday was hard rain and storms off and on and I worked a bird 1 1/2 hrs. It rained all night and let up just before daylight but was windy. I went for a hunt before church and only heard two birds, but one of them ended up at the end of my gun barrel.
22lbs
11.5" beard
1 3/8 " spurs
The big boys dance in the rain.
Rain yes...be careful about T-storm
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
If I had off I'd prob try n go. Thunder very often gets em gobbling. I'd stay close n the second it ended I'd be in. Light rain I'd go too, not in a downpour. Again I'd wait til it finished.
Now if I could work n the weather wasn't cooperating as in this morn, I'd work n take off tomo morn
GO, I killed a silent gobbler the day after WI opener in a downpour and thunder like crazy. Don't think he was roosted too far away as he was dead by 630am. A day in the woods is better than work, rain or shine.
You can't kill one from your couch! :funnyturkey:
I've had some really good hunts hunting in light rain. Imo a bad day hunting beats a good day at work and your not going to fill your tag sitting at home. Like others said severe weather a different story....
I killed a nice 23.5 lb 10" beard with 1 1/4 spurs yesterday morning in a steady rain and my buddy killed another. So we killed two birds on a day most people stayed home.....so guess what my feelings are
Rain yes, thunder wait in car.
Depends on the rain: cold and windy probably stay home especially later in the season. Warm weather rain I will frequently go. My reasoning is I hunt 30 plus days and get very tired and worn down. Why risk geting sick? I can always kill a turkey in nice weather unless I am targeting an old Tom. Plus I enjoy hunting in nice weather and in the mid East the weather is nice more often than not.
Now on a guided hunt I will hunt no matter what the weather.
If its just rain definitely go. I killed my bird this year in a downpour and 35 degrees.
Are you hunting for joy and you enjoy hunting in rain or if in high winds, then by all means go. I hunt to kill when when I go but I only go when I can experience pleasure during the hunt and a wet turkey gives me no pleasure. A wet me is even less pleasant.
Always go. I am 90 % success rate on rain/stormy days and the other 10% is its nit because I didn't see them. They are out there. They feel they cant see or hear good in the woods in a rain/storm so they hit the fields a great deal in south Mississippi. The only double beard I ever killed was in a sideways rain in a hay field. He came a running to a strutter decoy I was waving. It was so fun. I was wet to the bone but you gotta pay to play.
Quote from: silvestris on June 22, 2017, 10:14:49 AM
Are you hunting for joy and you enjoy hunting in rain or if in high winds, then by all means go. I hunt to kill when when I go but I only go when I can experience pleasure during the hunt and a wet turkey gives me no pleasure. A wet me is even less pleasant.
I agree wet turkey is not fun. Smelly matted feathers and I hate to see pictures of wet turkeys. But it is true that come a steady rain you will find the turkeys in the field. Good information to have if the season is slow or coming to an end.
They will come out after a rain and once preened often present a wonderful experience.
Until it fell over a couple years ago, my ace #1 superspot to hunt gobblers was a dead oak tree that had been struck by lightning 20 years previously. It finally rotted out and fell over. It had the remnants of 100+ year old fence attached to it. You bet I was careful about staying away from that spot when there was even a hint of thunder.
However, I've got an easy refuge less than 300 yards away, my luxury box deer blind is just at the end of the pasture. I'll hunt the "Honey Hole" until the rain is set to start and then beat it to the blind and hole up there. I've taken horizontal rain, and 40MPH wind in that blind with the windows open
I've taken several gobblers from that blind, all of them during mornings that I'd have stayed home otherwise. Even if I'm facing a real toad-strangler, I'll run out to that blind and hang out, and throw a few calls in between the squalls.
Rarely use a ground blind but IF I hunt in the rain, it's in a blind on a field edge or power line edge.
All three of these birds were killed in absolute downpours. All taken on field edges and all with hens. The top pic with my old man and his bird was unfortunately the only one I was dry in as I set up the blind for him the night before when I roosted the monster. Figured his 89 year old butt would appreciate it. Lol. Killed both my birds with my wet back-and everything else against a tree.
Thats what they make raingear for. Unless it's lightening I'm out there, especially if I have a field to hunt. Come hell or highwater, I'm turkey huntin'
Quote from: austinc on April 09, 2017, 11:31:03 AM
Tomorrow morning is the opener here in AR. The high is 72, calling for scattered thunderstorms and 40% chance of rain til noon with 10-15 mph winds and gusts 20+. It goes up to 80% rain and thunderstorms in the evning. I have a couple birds located on public land and they like to strut in clearing just over a 1.25 mile from the closest road. Camera showed they'd get there between 12-2 and one bird may come 2 or 3 days in a row then next it'd be a different bird. I have tomorrow scheduled off work, should I just save that day for a better time to hunt and go to work? Or go take my chances of getting rained on lol. I've never tried to hunt them when it was raining or storming.
Go
Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk