Saturday is the first day I can hunt here and the chances of rain are 100%, I know you can hunt turkey's in the rain and that a lot of people have good results with it but what are some good tips and tactics for hunting the rainy conditions?
Head to the fields.
exactly, what he said go to a field and hunker down cause sitting in the rain sucks even in gore-tex
the only time i hunt out of a blind is when it is raining. i'll strap a popup to the wheeler and take it along to the woods if the forecast calls for rain
i set up on a field, put out a couple dekes and wait it out
called in and shot a nice tom that way during a t-storm a couple years ago
I hate to get my vest soaked and calls wet for them to have to dry out. My fix is grab a mouth call or two and maybe a friction that you can slip in a Ziploc bag. Go to the nearest greenfield that birds frequent, pop up a blind, set out a few decoys, call occasionally and be glad you are not getting soaked!!
Field or well known open strut zone. Gonna be raining here in the AM and I am heading to a field.
shoulda added ...
i have what i call my "wet bag" - a small sling over the shoulder tote with plastic pot glass and crystal calls, a couple strikers and an older box call thats been wet before but still sounds good. i put everything inside a zip bag inside the cloth bag
also grab my mouth call pouch and a tube call
i leave my vest and custom calls in the truck when it looks like rain ;)
I can't give any advice as I have no desire to possess a wet gobbler. Now two hours after a rain after he has had an opportunity to dry out and preen is a different matter.
Rain's probably my favorite time to hunt them. They generally get out in the open on either fields, roads etc. so it makes them more visible.
I dont change how I hunt all that much - I'm usually moving along fairly slowly trying to see or hear one then go from there. The benefit of this way of hunting in or after a rain is that I can move more quietly in the rain and it generally narrows down the areas for me to key in on (open areas vs. woods).
Just take a couple calls, put the rest of your necessities in a ziploc bag and get out there. Killed ...many... longbeards in the rain. Stop and call more often than you normally would and keep your eyes peeled. You'll see more birds than you would on a pretty day. If you are lucky and the rain stops while you are out there, :happy0064: even better.
I agree with those who say hit a field, set up a blind and wait em out.
try the fields
What everyone else said, Hit the fields.
I don't usually like blinds, but I have one just of this reason. I dislike being wet more than I hate hunting from a blind. Set up in a field and wait.
What they all said.
RAIN DONT STOP ME ITS ONLY WATER .THE GUYS I HUNT WITH WILL TELL YOU SAME THING
I never pass up a chance to hunt in the rain. before during and after. its been very good to me. with that being said. I use friction calls 98 percent of the time. ill leave them in the truck. take a few mouth calls and take one of my older vest and head out. ive never liked hunting out of a blind so I don't use one. but if you have one and like hunting out of it. take it put it up and go to town on them.
Hit the fields if you have any, if not, open timber can be productive also. Sometimes in heavy rains the birds may roost. But you wanna be there when it eases up or stops.
Has anyone said anything about hunting a field :z-winnersmiley:
Sit a field, rainy days equal a bow turkey hunt for me too, hell why not???
I love turkey hunting in a light rain. The turkeys are used to it and will up on bugs and seeds out of the loose soil in the fields. Don't get discouraged if you don't see them right away. They tend to stay on the limb a little longer if it has rained all night. That has been my experience anyway.
Open areas if you know of any. I don't use blinds if I don't have to. In light rain I sit with a rain suit and use water proof calls. If it calls for steady rain I will use a blind if I decide to go out.
The field worked out for me yesterday. It started raining around 0730 but with rain in the forecast I but on my Columbia shell. It is good for about 4 hours before it starts to get damp. I also have a umbrella that screws on to a tree. I have used this thing for years. I ALWAYS have it in my turkey vest or deer hunting backpack. After a couple sits in the woods and a smaller field I got to the field I really wanted to be at. At 10:55 I had my foot on his head.
X2 on the Field