Pheasant in the Rain Tips

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Bird2485

New member
Any advice on finding birds while hunting in the rain? more over, any comments or info on pheasant behavior during periods of rain?

thanks
 
We hunted in the rain both Sat and Sun last weekend. Other then being wet it wasn't bad hunting at all, the birds held a little tighter and my dogs seem to smell them much better... We didn't find as many in crops as we did slew grass and smaller stands of grass. We did have real good luck in a set of ceder trees, they tucked up under them and held nice!

Remember, even hunting in the rain is better then not hunting at all!

Good Luck!:thumbsup:
 
Go back to the house or motel, have a couple of cocktails to warm up and wait for it to quit raining! :)

Seriously, I've hunted in the rain on more than one occasion and it's no fun. Hunting has never been good when hunting if the rain as it seems we have always had a difficult time finding birds. Wish I could be of more assitance.

Anyone hunting in SD the past 3 days should have some experience from hunting in the rain. And the forecast for the next 2 days isn't any better. Chance of rain and snow with a high of about 40 and winds 25-35 mph with gusts to 48.
 
Zeb, your advice does not make sense to the younger less wise crowd.
 
and around here so do milo fields and some grass depending on were it is lot better conditions than 80 degrees wouldn't you say
 
Bird2485 said:
Any advice on finding birds while hunting in the rain? more over, any comments or info on pheasant behavior during periods of rain?

thanks
Click to expand...

hunt them in the grass and shelterbelts. They do not like to get wet so they will move out of the cattails. Try the same grass that they roost in at night. They also will not run as much when it's raining
 
thanks for the tips. I am going back at it tomorrow. I found one rooster today in the rain but he bolted into the woods. I went into the woods to try and get him back into the field to flush but was nowhere to be found.

this forum is fantastic by the way. I just started hunting and dont have too many friends to show me the ropes but being able to come on here and just post up an idea or question is great.

thanks again
 
Look for them in any cover on the edges of cornfields too. The rain collects on the stalks and drips on them and as someone else mentioned, they don't like to get wet.
 
Just back to work after my SD hunt. Friday was 75* - way too hot! Saturday - Monday we had periods of light rain. Just a little breeze, a lot calmer than I am used to in past trips. Very good hunting in that type of weather. I would hunt in the light rain any day compared to the heat. Today it's extremely windy and horizontal rain back here in Wisconsin and I suspect it's bad in SD, too. I guess we had good timing.

I'm one that will take more than a little rain to keep me from hunting. I don't mind at all, especially with dry clothes and a warm shower waiting after I'm done for the day.

As someone else mentioned earlier, the birds didn't run as far and held very tightly. It made for some great shooting and good dog work, too. We found a lot of them under plum thickets, so thick neither we or the dogs can sometimes get through, but it's open underneath and the birds can move around.

I have a hunting vest and a jacket. The jacket I treat with spray waterproofing and it's repellent enough to keep me dry unless it rains hard. I also take my goretex and wore the pants on Sunday. I was the only dry one in the bunch thanks to my planning for foul weather. I say observe the conditions, dress accordingly and get out there and hunt!
 
My experience is that they do not sit in the grass as much, but will use areas with trees if it is raining moderate to heavy. With a light rain (misting) they seem to stick to the grass areas. But then the whole theory falls apart depending on How Long it has been raining. With a big drenching rain (like this last Saturday-Monday) I found they were in open areas at first, then moved to heavy cattails, but came out later in the day at the edges to feed. I guess in short they are like every other species-"they are where you find them."

With as many pheasants as we saw I think if you just hunt grass and cover areas you will eventually come across several that are hanging out. I know we got all our birds, but a couple of our guys were miserable since they forgot to pack rain gear and were used to rain in WY and UT (where it doesn't rain much).
 
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