Brad Harvey: Bad weather and deer hunting are tough mix

Unbelievable. That’s the first word that comes to mind in regards to the start of the 2015 deer season.

After months of hot, dry weather, Mother Nature decided to drown us all at the start of my favorite time of year.

At some point, a deer hunter has to decide to either brave it out, or stay home and live vicariously through the hunters on television.

If you’re one of those who has hunted in the rain or you’re reaching the point that you’re ready to give it a try, it helps if you know a little bit about how deer react to weather.

Deer are a lot like us. They don’t like it when it’s bad out there.

Rain and wind make them nervous, because they dull their senses to the point that each move they make is a roll of the dice in regards to their safety and survival.

Their hearing is hampered by the sounds of rain or wind, their vision is on overload because of all of the movement, such as leaves or branches falling, and their ability to smell is either knocked down completely by the falling water or the stiff breeze is causing them to pick up scents from 2 miles away.

So is it even worth it to try? Sometimes.

When it’s raining, deer typically bed down in an attempt to wait out the showers.

Depending upon the terrain where you hunt, you’ll either find them hunkered down in any available thick, dense cover or, if there is none, they’ll get as low as they can in an open meadow or field so that their visibility of the surroundings is good.

If the rain fairly light to moderate, stay in your stand.

Just like with us, light showers don’t impact them as much and, when the rut is in full swing, it’s doubtful you’ll even notice a difference in their activity.

But, it isn’t worth it to stick around in heavy rains.

A real downpour is going to shut them off completely and all you’ll do is make yourself miserable and maybe even sick.

I’ve known quite a few hunters who will avoid windy days completely but, if wind is all you’re dealing with, these critters can become downright predictable. It’s all about knowing your hunting land.

Strong winds usually do shut down all movement, but the animals can be found hiding around anything that gives them a buffer. This may come in the form of thick hedgerows or hillsides that offer a sort of wall on the leeward slope.

If you’re hunting a piece of ground that you’re not too familiar with, get a good topographical map and it will give you some good spots to consider for every wind direction should it start to blow hard.

Also, remember that hunting in inclement weather means concerns about safety are even more important.

Steps and ladders that lead up into your stand are guaranteed to be slick so the old rule of keeping three points of contact at all times is extremely important. You shouldn’t rush up a tree even in perfect weather and you certainly don’t want to try it when it’s nasty out.

If your stand is hung in a small tree, you can bet that tree is going to be moving pretty good when the wind is up.

Check your safety harness regularly while you’re up there including the connection from the harness to the tree. It’s pretty easy for those straps to move as the tree bends back and forth.

Finally, remember to dress appropriately. Even if the air temperature is 70 degrees, your body temperature will drop when you’re soaking wet and the slightest breeze can make it that much worse.

Just a slight case of hypothermia gives you the shivers and that makes getting down from the tree that much more dangerous.

I know we’ve needed this rain badly, but the hunter in me can’t help but hope that better weather days are on the horizon.

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Brad Harvey: Bad weather and deer hunting are tough mix."