Hunting in the Rain

So close to getting this mature 9 pt. buck killed on camera in southern Iowa.

It all started with a phone call earlier this week from my good friend Myles. “Tyler, I got some big bucks on trail camera and I’ve seen them in the the bean field during day light hours. You’re going to come film me, right? Saturday is opening day for early season muzzleloader in Iowa and we will have a great chance of bagging a big buck!”

It is a 2 hour drive for me to get back home where he planned on hunting and I didn’t get back home until 11 P.M. last night, Friday night. We knew it was going to be raining in the morning so we went to the field and set up a ground blind around midnight. We woke up this morning with pouring rain. Now most people would have slept in, not wanting to mess with the rainy weather but Myles and I have had some amazing luck hunting together in the rain. So, needless to say, we went hunting.

Looking over a picked bean field with the rain drumming down on our blind we watched turkeys fly down from their roost 10 yards in front of our blind. As the fog was lifting we watched three does come over the hill walking behind the turkeys. As the does kept moving off in the distance they kept looking back and Myles and I looked at each other and both hoped there was big buck following.

Sure enough, following close behind on top of that hill was a tall, heavy 140-150 inch buck. Myles’ eyes got big and my heart started racing (the first mature, big buck of the season will get any serious hunter excited!) He walked the crest of that hill for 200 yards, never presenting a good shot.

Of course Myles and I were disappointed but there are three main reasons we did not take that shot. First and mainly it would not have been an ethical shot to shoot with that buck on top of the hill. Who knows what horrible accident could arise from a stray bullet. Two, it was a 170 yard shot which Myles is capable of doing but the closer the better. Which leads me to the third reason. What if a bad shot did occur? It was raining and that would make a good blood trail disappear in minutes.

The best news about this all is that there are bigger deer on this farm, we got great footage of an amazing 9 pt., and Myles and I stayed completely dry in our Primos Double Bull blind.

We will be taking the muzzleloader back to the blind tomorrow morning and night in hopes that one of our target buck walks out!

 

View More Work'n Class Whitetails

5 thoughts on “Hunting in the Rain

  1. Speaking of the rut, I have always followed the moon phases and lived in the stand around the second full moon after the first day of Fall. This usually occurs around the second week of November, which I’ve noticed is when the rut is in full force, but this year it is at the end of October. When are you guys planning on hunting the rut? Do you think it is going to come early this year, or do you think it will be the traditional time?

    1. I haven’t seen alot of rutting action in my area of the woods…but I will say I also follow the moon phases and am thinking that it will be around end of October to the first week of November…so from the normal i’m guessing it will be a little earlier this year.

    2. As this time of year comes around, this is always is a hot topic. What will be the best day to be in the woods hunting? There are a few things that I believe will effect the rut this fall. The first is the moon phase or the “rutting moon” that some hunters swear by and revolve their hunting season around. This is what you are talking about Jake with the second full moon after the first day of fall. I do believe with the “rutting moon” being on October 29th, that it will effect the timing of the rut and make it earlier. The other big one is the weather. A big drop in the temperature will help kick start the rut into full force. Also, having the crops out earlier this year could have an effect on your hunting location.

      When do I plan on hunting the rut? I have a simple answer to that; as much as I can get out in the woods and hunt my stands smart from now until the end of the season. Every day brings a new hunt with new opportunities and if you have the correct stand locations with the right wind, get in the stand! All day hunts can bring a whole new level of opportunities to your hunt as well. If you aren’t seeing much activity then maybe change stands and move to a new location to sit during the day. However, if there is a lot of chasing and movement occurring then sit tight because that buck of a lifetime might be that next buck coming into your calls.

      My best advice is just hunt smart. By this I mean focus on wind direction, how you walk into the stand, and don’t hunt a stand just to hunt. The rut is a crazy time of year and anything can happen. There is not one single answer that will guarantee you a monster buck every year but with these simple tips it will greatly improve your chances!

  2. Well Tyler I went back out tonight here in Southern Iowa and had a lot of deer movement. Early in the night I had four does walk into a bean field about 200 yards away, about ten minutes later they bolted off. I was just thinking in my head no way the big bucks are chasing yet. Sure enough here comes our 140-150 inch 9 pointer at a dead Sprint after them.

    Ten minutes later two more does came into the field about 180 yards away, and sure enough they ran off. I started thinking to myself that there is no way that another buck is chasing these does. Ten seconds go by and the monster 170 inch ten point that has been on my radar all fall comes sprinting after them.

    Needless to say the rut is getting very close, and I am getting closer and closer to killing a monster whitetail buck! It’s just when are they going to come within shooting range!?

    1. Patience, patience, and more patience Myles. In a few weeks they will be more vulnerable to calls and decoys and that will be key to drawing those smart old bucks into shooting range. Just don’t hunt them so hard now that they are not going to be around as much during the prime time of the rut!

Comments are closed.