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Thread: Hunting in rainy conditions?
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17-10-2018, 22:47 #1
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Hunting in rainy conditions?
Any experience with hunting in rainy, very wet conditions?
Two ideas have been recurring:
1) Animals cannot smell when it rains?
2) Animals cannot hear when it rains?
This might be a non-theme because SA hunting is mostly during dry months.
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17-10-2018, 23:04 #2
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
Hunting in the rain is not as romantic as it sounds. Expensive firearms and equipment get soaking wet and if you manage to shoot an animal the recovery of the carcass is a mess. In the bushveld we usually have lightning which is very dangerous to the hunter. All in all I don't think it's worth it.
It will be interesting to hear what the more experienced rain hunters have to say about the questions you asked. I have only shot two warthog in the rain before. Usually when the rain starts I rush to the nearest tree for shelter.
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18-10-2018, 07:03 #3
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
I've been caught in the rain while out hunting. Turned my rifle barrel down and continued to hunt. No animals unfortunately, but thought about water in the barrel. Water droplets in the barrel could pose a significant risk when firing a shot.
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18-10-2018, 08:05 #4
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
Ive in all my years so far hunting only been in field once while it was raining.
Was not hard rain. But a drizzle and couple bigger drops. But not what I would call CPT rain.
My Remington is Stainless and had Synthetic stock. So felt fine.
Also all my rifles after cleaning I stick a little round dot label on the crown.
I always carry these dots in my range bag and hunting bag.
After a shot. I stick a new one on crown.
Reason is. Especially when you hunt. You never know when dust or sand blows into barrel.
So dot sticker keeps it out. And when you shoot. That sticker is long gone before the bullet exist the barrel.
As the air being pushed out barrel before bullet exist had pushed it off.
I would not take a woodstock rifle into a rainy situation.
Unless you have decent woodoil on it to resist water.
As wet stocks might pull a little skew or expand here and there and cause issues when it pushes against barrel.
I would not b overly worried about a drop of water down barrel when pulling a shot.
As the air in front of bullet should push it out.
Oil in barrel is however a big issue when firing a shot if left in barrel.
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18-10-2018, 08:19 #5
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
In my area it is a no go as the recovery of the carcass becomes impossible with a vehicle. I have shot many bush pigs on rainy nights and it is not fun. Mud and water in everything. Only advantage is that you are able to move more silently. Bush buck also become very difficult to see under rainy conditions,
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18-10-2018, 08:30 #6
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
I've done it a couple of times (by force of circumstance, not by choice) and wasn't fun. It was winter and in the Cape, so miserable as anything, and to compound it we were working at night.
I wear glasses and all it takes is a couple of drops of water on them to spoil one's vision. Droplets on the scope have less of an effect but still interfere. I guess using spotlights doesn't help either with all the light reflection that goes on.
Water seems to get in everywhere on the rifle. Afterwards you take it out the stock and clean & dry it properly and repeat the next day. You think you've done a good job but a week or 2 goes past and you notice that there's rust showing on the scope mount screws or somewhere else......... I'm sure it also finds it's way inside the suppressor but don't know what the effect of that is.
These days if it starts raining we just run for cover.
I've also done a bit of wingshooting in the rain using a shotgun. Not as unpleasant as the above experiences but I still wouldn't do it by choice.
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18-10-2018, 08:35 #7
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
About 3 years ago I ended up hunting Impala in the rain. Started pouring down while in the veld.
I found new respect for the SniperAfrica parka jacket I had on as it somehow kept me dry and warm. As for my rifle well lets just say I was very glad I went with a synthetic stock.
As for the hunt nothing really changed. I continued as per normal and ended up getting a nice Impala Ram. It seemed as they were a little less aware than normal so the hear part might be true.
But all in all its not worth it and sure as hell not lekker to hunt in rainy conditions.
As soon as I got back to the camp I disassembled the rifle dried and oiled it as my barrel is not stainless. No issues or stains observed.
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18-10-2018, 09:14 #8
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18-10-2018, 10:11 #9
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
Was caught out in a heavy downpour a few months back up near Daggaboersnek. Was up the top of a mountain just before sunlight hunting for kudu. The trek down was very unpleasant and slow as it was very slippery. Not enjoyable. The amount of rain made it very noisy, which i assume impacts animals ability to distinguish noises and direction.
I find a light misty rain is ok to hunt in, but not my favorite. It might be just coincidence but a lot of the animals I have shot in those conditions were lying down under a bush.
I am not sure if an animals smell is impeded during rain with scent molecules being disrupted in the rain in the air. It seems plausible. I would also then guess that their smell is better shortly after the rain has cleared. Alternatively I am wrong and their sense of smell is improved, and without trying to sound too gross, kind of like the way a fart seems to smells worse in the shower?
Interesting questions nonetheless.
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18-10-2018, 10:52 #10
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Re: Hunting in rainy conditions?
Anybody that have hunted enough times would have been caught out by rain in the veld.
I suspect the type of terrain and target animals would be more important to success than the rain itself.
For example in the mountains when after ribbok or such, the hunting is done visually, but soft rain "motreën" does not impede the hunting at all, it just makes you wet.
When hunting the thickets, for kudu or such, my hearing is every bit as important as theirs, so while people argue the rain impedes on their ability to hear, remember you are in the same boat. Also, if the rain is heavy they do what they always do, go stand in a bush/tree, so not even spotting movement from an elevated position is a usable tool. On several occasions we have followed tracks, after an hour of good rain fresh tracks are gone, BUT, after a good rain the bushveld magazine is much easier to read, that is kinda fun.
As for water and firearms, I have seen videos of rifles shooting under water. I don't have any proof on the following but I believe if you have droplets in your barrel they will be forced out with the first gasses long before the bullet reaches them. Rifles don't just rust, for example all my rifles carry some kind of coating(usually eezox or ballistol) that have been applied during the last cleaning. I bet I can leave my rifle to dry by itself after it got wet during rain and nothing will happen to it, that is the advantage of cleaning a rifle after every use.
My advice on hunting in the rain, coming from a Karoo man, is don't.
If it rains before you want to go out then just go sit on porch and watch it. If you are caught out in the veld go find some shelter and sit and watch it. You get these rain jackets that folds up to fist size that you can pack for emergencies. You will most probably find that animals hunker down until it stops, you do the same, and afterwards hunting is much easier.
Anybody with experience knows there is nothing better than taking a walk in the veld after rain during hot months, the scents rises up from the ground as if sent to your nose itself, some scents like kruiebos are almost magnified.
However, during winter months the scenario can be the other way around, cold and miserable goes together rather well.
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