Over the four-day period of September 13-16, 2018, the Southeast Regional Championship — a sporting clays tournament — was projected to host over 700 shooters from across the country. The event, held at the Forest City Gun Club on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, actually drew just under 600 of those who had pre-registered for the shoot. Thus, more than 100 individuals canceled their trip because hurricane Florence was busy making landfall at Wilmington, North Carolina — less than 270 miles to the north — and was projected to turn in a southerly direction, bringing higher than normal winds and rain, heavy at times, to the area. Most of those brave souls who did attend traveled from all across the country and as far away as California and Washington states. So what does all of this have to do with you — the “average Joe” hunter in Northcentral Pennsylvania?

The point is that those who want to win when shooting at a sporting clays tournament will attend and participate regardless of the weather forecasts. Similarly, if you are serious about your hunting and are really focused on putting your tag on a trophy buck, a respectable long-bearded turkey or a Pennsylvania black bear, then rainy weather and blustery conditions should not hold you back. In fact, lousy weather conditions may actually up your odds of success.

First of all, today’s hunters are not as rugged and dedicated as they once were. Years ago, there was a greater need to put venison or other game on the table by those who headed into the woods to secure food for the family. Today, there is an increasing number of hunters who will hold out for “nicer” weather and avoid the soaking rains and gusty winds. With fewer hunters in the woods when the weather gets nasty, the game you pursue may very well be less spooky because they are not being pressured by a greater number of hunters.

Secondly, deer, bear, turkeys and all other game cannot just check into a nearby motel to get out of the weather! No matter what the conditions are, wildlife is always out there in the woods, somewhere. You may have to employ different hunting tactics, but there is a good chance that if you brave nasty weather you just may be rewarded with success.
Over the years, I have observed that on clear days, deer will generally feed throughout the night, sometimes showing themselves during the early dawning hours of sunrise before they head to their bedding area or when entering the fields during the dwindling moments of daylight, just around sunset. On rainy days, however, deer tend to move into the fields throughout daylight hours and feed longer. They may show up at any time.

While turkeys may stay on their roost longer and squirrels and rabbits may tend to hold up during foul weather, deer and bear tend to be up and on the move — feeding in the open fields on grasses and clovers or traveling through the woods in search of acorns. Bears are eating continually in an attempt to put on layers of fat for the upcoming winter months. Deer are doing the same, but the bucks are also layering fat so that during the rut they can expend more energy breeding receptive does.

Rainy days are not very receptive to sitting in a treestand or a ground blind. Instead, moving slowly through the woods is your best approach. Cover as much ground as possible, but do it slowly. Spend more time scanning the horizon and patches of ground cover and less time moving quickly from one area to another. In the early hours after daybreak, you will be looking for deer in their bedding area or turkeys still on their roosts. Throughout the day, pay more attention to feeding areas — food plots, corn or soybean fields. Pay particular attention to areas of red or white oaks, where wildlife will be scouring the ground for acorns.

If you are hunting with a buddy, try leap-frogging, where one of you circles around to a spot with good visibility out ahead of the other, and then the second hunter walks slowly, taking lots of time to scan and observe the area ahead as he moves toward the waiting hunter. It is a similar pattern that multiple hunters use in a deer drive but can be very effective with just two people in foul weather conditions.

Don’t let the rain or blustery weather hold you back. You may just find that inclement weather presents the perfect conditions to take that “trophy of a lifetime.”