Do Deer Move in the Rain?

Serious question. I have a hunting buddy that has been at it a whole longer than I. He emphatically says that deer do not move when it is raining.

I think he is "all wet"... but, would like to hear others' thoughts. What does your experience suggest?

Thanks,
BT

when deer get hungry, they move. I have found in the rain it is better to hunt logging roads and pine thickets.I have taken a couple nice deer in the rain, but never during a downpour or lightning storm. I suppose because I never hunt in a down pour or sever storm...

My wife looks at me like I am a cyclops when I get giddy about the bad weather! Pulling on my gear and practically running to the truck to my hunting area. I have found that the main reason most people don't see deer in foul weather.. is they are watching football instead. It is difficult to describe how a well executed SLOW stalk works in the rain/snow/sleet/fog/wind/messy/WONDERFUL day! I'll pass on a frosty morning to hunt a rainy and windy afternoon!

Deer like other animals try to bed down and keep the ground they are bedding on dry. That way that ground and their little bellies are warm and dry with only their backs getting a little wet but the fur on their backs is designed to shed water. Thus they try not to move with a few exceptions. watch cows and homeless people. If there moving deer will be.

Deer will move during the rain.

Just my experience where I have hunted..... I have hunted large mature pines and watch deer run to the heavy pines and bed during the rain... Guess it blocks alot of the rain in there.. They can see for long distances and not much movement in the pine needles...But once the rain stops...................GAME ON, Boy I see them moving then !!!

deerreaper said:

Deer like other animals try to bed down and keep the ground they are bedding on dry. That way that ground and their little bellies are warm and dry with only their backs getting a little wet but the fur on their backs is designed to shed water. Thus they try not to move with a few exceptions. watch cows and homeless people. If there moving deer will be.

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Never heard that one before. Cows are ruminants-- they digest their food even when not eating. I see no reason for a relationship between cow and deer movements. Also, you won't see homeless people moving when it's cold-- they'll be hunkered down or in shelter. Does that mean deer don't move when it's cold?

I've hunted during the rain a few times and never seen anything. But I try to be in the woods immediately after the rain passes.

When you shoot a deer in the rain the bullet shock makes the water off thier back look like smoke. It looks pretty cool!

No the deer do not move in the rain, stay home

christy said:

I don't see squat while its raining or for a day or two after

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Move! Their movements will be limited... not eliminated. They may do nothing more than stand up and turn around in the bed. But if you go slow...... 50 yard in an hour through good bedding areas.. you'll be suprised what those binoculars will show you!

HighCotton said:

Never heard that one before. Cows are ruminants-- they digest their food even when not eating. I see no reason for a relationship between cow and deer movements. Also, you won't see homeless people moving when it's cold-- they'll be hunkered down or in shelter. Does that mean deer don't move when it's cold?

I've hunted during the rain a few times and never seen anything. But I try to be in the woods immediately after the rain passes.

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Deer are ruminants also just like cows, I have noticed a correlation between cows feeding and deer feeding myself. In my experience a light rain seems to have a calming effect on wildlife and I tend to see more game,but not when its raining hard.

Bitteroot said:

Move! Their movements will be limited... not eliminated. They may do nothing more than stand up and turn around in the bed. But if you go slow...... 50 yard in an hour through good bedding areas.. you'll be suprised what those binoculars will show you!

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Speedy Gonzales

Depends how hard its raining...if its washing the frogs out from under the house then they will be bedded down in the thick stuff..if its a light rain, drizzle etc then they will be moving......I have killed abunch of deer hunting in a light rain...its one of my favorite times to hunt.

Brad said:

Deer are ruminants also just like cows, I have noticed a correlation between cows feeding and deer feeding myself. In my experience a light rain seems to have a calming effect on wildlife and I tend to see more game,but not when its raining hard.

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Exactly right- I always look at cow movement and find it to be similar. Don't know about the homeless people, but I LOVE that expression

rain hunting

Dutch said:

Depends how hard its raining...if its washing the frogs out from under the house then they will be bedded down in the thick stuff..if its a light rain, drizzle etc then they will be moving......I have killed abunch of deer hunting in a light rain...its one of my favorite times to hunt.

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I agree with Dutch; when its light to steady rain is a great time to slow stalk especially pines, and open woods. I've shot several when everyone else is back at camp or in the house.

I've killed (shotgun)a doe in a light misty rain early one morning. She was feeding along and never saw me. But I've missed a spike another time in a light rain cause I couldn't keep my blackpowder dry enough to ignite. I was always told if it was raining hard enough to keep them from hearing well, they'll stay bedded down. But they get up to feed no matter what. And you can jump them up walking if it's raining and they are bedded down. But you'll dry out, too much fun to stay home watching the game!!!

In my experience it does not make much difference. I have always heard a light steady rain was great but I prefer a cold still morning.

I have killed some deer in the rain, one was in a downpour on a food plot. The rain cut visibility to 20-30 yards and then it slacked up and doe was in the middle of the plot feeding.

I would agree that lighter rain is better than hard rain.

I walked up on 6 does a couple of years ago that were feeding in the rain - a steady downpour. I walked up behind them and they never knew I was there. I was within 10 feet of them just standing there watching them browse for a good 10 minutes. One of them looked up, saw me and went back to browsing.

Yes, they move in the rain.

In 30 + years of deer hunting - with many a shower and downpour sat through - here are my thoughts:

- just prior to a huge afternoon thundershower (I am not talking about the passage of a cold front) deer will react crazily. The thunderheads build, the sky begins to darken and the wind picks up - I have seen deer and hogs just hustling here and there, moving about - but moving. When the rain begins in earnest - they are not seen again.
- after these same thundershowers - they will readily reappear.
- before the passage of cold fronts, the days cloud up, it is warm and the wind is not bad - great days for deer movement
- once the cold front is on top of us, it begins to rain and deer movement seems to fall off dramatically
- the front blows through, the skies clear, temps plummet - and the deer begin to move again - depending on the ferocity of the wind.

With roughly 200 deer taken in my life, only 2-3 were taken in downpours. Only 10-15 or so (I think) were taken in rain other than downpours - such as light drizzle or sprinkling rain.

I have no idea how many deer I have seen in my life from the stand - let's just call it a figure of XXXX... of that XXXX, I beleive that less than 5% of them were seen in the rain.

Now, you could make the argument that only 5% of the time spent in the deer stand was in the rain (and that may be right).

If so, your chances are the same. I do not think that is the case, however.

My .02 worth.

Yes, deer move in the rain. Killed my first deer in the rain.

yes and running dogs at night do not effect them.