Blood trailing in the rain

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XB I GO
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Blood trailing in the rain

Post by XB I GO »

We've had a 20 degree temperature drop and rain is expected for this afternoon and tomorrow morning. The deer are moving. Has anyone actually done a blood trailing job in the rain? Will it really wash it away instantly ? Any tips to this? I haven't had a chance to ask my Dad and I was thinking about looking for a deer this afternoon.
agingcrossbower
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by agingcrossbower »

Young man you owe in to the deer not to wound one in the rain. Yes, the blood washes away and you are left with what if's.
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Deaf jeff
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by Deaf jeff »

personally i wont bowhunt in a rain for this exact reason. i keep close tabs on the radar with my phone when on stand.

with that said, deer hunting can be very productive just before/after weather changes
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Carnivorous
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by Carnivorous »

If I had all kinds of time to hunt i would pick perfect weather days! Lol

Unfortunately if I have the time off I will hunt in wet weather. This is where shot placement is critical. :)
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Bcxbow
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by Bcxbow »

I used to hunt no matter what the weather conditions were but as I’ve creeped up in age one rule I stick to now myself is to not launch an arrow at an animal if the radar shows rain arriving at my location within one hour.
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Hester0305
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by Hester0305 »

I used to bowhunt in the rain also and have killed a couple in the rain but like others have said if it rains hard enough the blood will wash away and then you'll be sort of just blind searching for your deer. I would avoid it if all possible.
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Boo
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by Boo »

Trailing in the dark during the rain is pretty frustrating and nearly impossible for me to see any blood.
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by Hillcountry »

If you are patient and wait for the correct (Sure) shot (at the boiler room) and at 20 yards or less, you should have no problem having your deer expire at a reasonable distance. You are in Texas aren’t you? I wouldn’t worry about a rainy hunt...go out, be ethical (which I believe you are) and add the hunt to your library of experiences!
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elkaholic
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by elkaholic »

Kinda depends on where you hunt and how much rain.

Deepwoods - lots of wet leaves ,branches, before a storm,not so bad but during or right after, No way. Only possible scenario a perfect heart shot at less than 20 yrds.

Open areas, corn fields etc. Desert terrain, areas where tracking isn't as hard cuz you know it was a kill shot @30 or less yrds. Know which way he ran, grounds wet enough to follow his tracks.

blood doesn't just totally dissappear instantly. You can't wait an hr after a shot to track if its raining.

Like most these guys stated ,judgement call , and not worth wounding an animal.

Upcoming hunt is only 6 days. Weather can be chances of rain and in the past it poured. Wont miss a day cuz deer don't really mind rain that much.

If you can wait, great. If limited time , hunt.

Kinda like snowing. Some guys wait for the worse days, others won't leave the house. Bloodctrails not an issue but freezing is !! Lol
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by xcaliber »

At best hunting in the rain stinx. I too used to do it all the time but as I got older, and of course now that I can go any day of the week, I avoid those days for bow hunting. If you do go, you have to make sure you only take perfect shots, no quartering, or long cowboy shots. You then have to get on that deer immediately to preserve any blood trail. If legal, a tracking dog could be of great help as well.
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by Hi5 »

Another thing to consider is whether you are hunting during an electrical storm.

If you are, remember that if you are sitting in a tree stand, you are sitting on metal. If it's a ladder stand, that metal reaches right to the ground. In either case, that's a heck of a lot like sitting right on top of a lightning rod. Another thing to keep in mind is that even though the thunder may sound to be far away, lightning can strike a long, long, ways from where the last bolt struck.

I second what xcalibur said about a dog trained to track blood. I'd rather take a chance on getting a ticket for hunting with a dog than allow a wounded animal to suffer and waste because tracking became impossible.
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by xcaliber »

Hi5 wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:45 pm
Another thing to consider is whether you are hunting during an electrical storm.

If you are, remember that if you are sitting in a tree stand, you are sitting on metal. If it's a ladder stand, that metal reaches right to the ground. In either case, that's a heck of a lot like sitting right on top of a lightning rod. Another thing to keep in mind is that even though the thunder may sound to be far away, lightning can strike a long, long, ways from where the last bolt struck.

I second what xcalibur said about a dog trained to track blood. I'd rather take a chance on getting a ticket for hunting with a dog than allow a wounded animal to suffer and waste because tracking became impossible.
Great advice! Safety First. Here in Indiana you cannot hunt with dogs, but you can use a dog to track, check your DNR regulations carefully!
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AJ01
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by AJ01 »

Blood tracking or Blood trailing dogs ARE legal in Texas. They can make a world of difference!!! :thumbup:
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by gerald strine »

Depends on how hard the rain is and how steady if i go, I like to give the deer an hour wait before tracking if it is raining I have to cut that short.
Early season I can skip the rainy days but during the rut I sit through all kinds of weather .
The first week of Nov last year it was snowing , raining, back and forth every hour but I shot a fine buck one of my most exciting hunts.
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gerald strine
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Re: Blood trailing in the rain

Post by gerald strine »

Depends on how hard the rain is and how steady if i go, I like to give the deer an hour wait before tracking if it is raining I have to cut that short.
Early season I can skip the rainy days but during the rut I sit through all kinds of weather .
The first week of Nov last year it was snowing , raining, back and forth every hour but I shot a fine buck one of my most exciting hunts.
Hunt eat sleep repeat.
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