Gun hunting in the rain

[sleek]

How much meat will that ruin?

[Mo_coon-catcher]

You’ll definitely lose a few pounds of meat. But in my mind, a few pounds of meat loss is better than the chance of losing the entire animal if the blood trail can Get washed away.

Kyle

[bjrogg]

I guess I always go for the broiler room.
Bjrogg

[Eric Krewson]

I shot a buck just like that last year with my Hawken. I broke both shoulders and he snow plowed over the hilltop. I had a time running him down, he was never far out of sight and I could jump him up. He would jump up and go 50 yards on his back legs. I shot him two more times before I finally put him down.

[bjrogg]

I shot a buck just like that last year with my Hawken. I broke both shoulders and he snow plowed over the hilltop. I had a time running him down, he was never far out of sight and I could jump him up. He would jump up and go 50 yards on his back legs. I shot him two more times before I finally put him down.

I agree Eric. They can go a long ways on three or even two legs. Seen them run with one leg shot off almost like they weren't even hurt. Hardly slowed them down.
Bjrogg

[Will Tell]

I've always shoot them in the lung area. Big target and doesn't ruin any meat.

[WhistlingBadger]

I hunt deer with a .270.  Shots around here are usually 100-300 yards.  The only one I've ever had to track was hit very, very badly--I misjudged the distance and broke his lower leg.  Any chest/shoulder hits go do down on the spot, three jumps at the most.   I have gut-shot a couple over the years, and even they tend not to go far before they lie down.  Whole different game than archery.

Never tried a 44 mag lever; I'd guess it's shorter range but hits hard.  I can't think they'd go too far.

The bigger issue to me is keeping my scope lenses dry.  Trying to shoot through a wet scope is no fun.  Anyway, I guess you'll have had your hunt by the time you read this, so I'll just wish you good luck and happy TG!
Thomas

[sleek]

I got lucky last night and dropped the tiniest little spike you ever saw, but it wasnt raining yet. Got both lungs and blew his heart completely in two. He still managed to go 50 yards with a broke left leg from the exit.

This was my friends .308 as the 250 yard shot was too much for my lever. I may rain hunt tomorrow though.

[bjrogg]

That'll work. 
Bjrogg

[Hawkdancer]

May not fill the freezer, but he ought to taste good!
Hawkdancer

[vinemaplebows]

With archery, blood tracking is a big part of recovery,  and hunting in the rain is a terrible idea for most. But what about gun hunting? I ask because it's supposed to rain my entire Thanksgiving break and I havent got a deer yet. I'm in thick woods, 100 yards is a long shot and using a .44 mag lever and scope. I have taken only one deer with a gun before,  and she dropped inside of 20 yards, no tracking needed. Yall more experienced types have any reservations about gun hunting in weather?

If you ever hunt blacktail deer, and your guide is saying it should be a "hot" day and it's not raining, you best get another guide. I just about exclusively hunt during the rain, most hunters in the know do the same here. Always found it weird when I first started seeing whitetail hunters throwing in the towel (on TV) in the rain.

[JW_Halverson]

I have never been able to figure it out, I can drop one deer in its tracks and hit the next one in the same place and off it goes. I think it is the adrenaline thing, a calm der is more likely to go down than one that is one alert.

I am a lucky so-n-so because I have never had to learn much about blood trailing. Most all of the deer I have shot have been with a .50 cal flintlock with a 70 grain load of 2F powder. My buddy is one of those "biggerer betterer bestest" sorta guys and shoots a .54 with 120 grains of powder and every deer he shoots runs into the adjoining county, no matter how well he hits it. I wish I knew the magic answer on this one. Maybe because I have no faith in my shooting ability and I wait for easy-peasy standing shots where the deer has no idea I even got out of bed that day...

Good luck to you, Sleek. I know you have too much respect for the game to risk bad shots or losing an animal.

[sleek]

I have never been able to figure it out, I can drop one deer in its tracks and hit the next one in the same place and off it goes. I think it is the adrenaline thing, a calm der is more likely to go down than one that is one alert.

I am a lucky so-n-so because I have never had to learn much about blood trailing. Most all of the deer I have shot have been with a .50 cal flintlock with a 70 grain load of 2F powder. My buddy is one of those "biggerer betterer bestest" sorta guys and shoots a .54 with 120 grains of powder and every deer he shoots runs into the adjoining county, no matter how well he hits it. I wish I knew the magic answer on this one. Maybe because I have no faith in my shooting ability and I wait for easy-peasy standing shots where the deer has no idea I even got out of bed that day...

Good luck to you, Sleek. I know you have too much respect for the game to risk bad shots or losing an animal.

Thanks JW. That's exactly why I'm asking these fact finding questions.  Unfortunately, yesterday I found how how efficient a pack of coyotes are against a downed doe inside of 30 minutes. And today, I went to gather my skin from my buck I shot a few days ago. It was sitting outside drying, not a speck of meat on it and not a knife nick either. Pristine white skin. Left it sit in the sun and came back and it's gone. I need a night vision scope and a 223. Gonna eliminate some varmints.

All the good shooting and tracking skills in the world dont mean jack when darn yotes beat you to dinner. Around here, the sound of gunshot is their come to dinner bell.