Elk in the rain

[mertzga]

It looks like we may run into some rainy days next week while pursuing elk with my bow in Idaho. Have you harvested elk in the rain? I won’t shoot something if the rain will wash away blood. What strategy do you employ in rainy weather? Are elk affected?


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[saddlesore]

I tend to stay in the tent or camper. A little drizzle and the elk will be moving. A good down pour and they hole up.

[Elkduds]

Welcome to the forum. You might introduce yourself on the New Guys thread, glad to have you with us. I have found hunting to be quite good as soon as extended rain ends, especially if I am watching bedding cover w feed right next to it.

[WapitiTalk1]

Hunting in the rain? Well, I've never done that... spending the better part of the last 30 some years on the west side of WA State . Hunting in the rain can be VERY good. It helps keeps your scent down, quiets the woods, and for the most part cools down an otherwise "hot as hell" September. Cooler temps can really help with keeping meat cool between packing out trips. That said, the extremely windy, blustery, down pour kind of rainy weather is not a good thing; that kind of mess may keep my hunts limited for sure.

[Indian Summer]

What Elkduds said. Same goes for snow. Once it stops hunting is great. I can’t sit in a tent but if it’s a really gully washer I’ll rest my body and hit it hard after the downpour. If it’s a half day rain I’ll go out but not cover much ground and stay as dry as I can anticipating a good second half of the day.

[Lefty]

Im not a fan of hunting in the rain: I have set up a ground blind and sat on trails; or sleep in the pickup or tent

[Swede]

Welcome to the forum Mertzga. I have lived, hunted and worked in the forests of Oregon and Washington nearly all my life. It is hard for me to be dogmatic about elk or other big game behavior as it relates to rain. I don't like hunting in the rain, but the elk are still there.
Here is what I think I know about elk and deer behavior during rain storms: It is cooler and elk don't need to move around to stay in the shade or to go as often for water very much. They can feed comfortably all day and night. They seem harder to get to respond to a call.
I prefer to still hunt during an extended rain storm. Or maybe I would go have a cup of coffee and chat with Saddlesore at that time.