Hunting Water after a big rain

[double lunger14]

Has anyone ever sat water the day after a big rain storm? What are youre guys thoughts on hunitng water after it rains?

[gotcoues]

Don't bother, probably will be a waste of time. I had cams on water and as soon as monsoons come the deer totally change their routine. Not sure if everyone will agree or not, but I wouldn't sit water right after a heavy rain.

[stalkincoues]

Don't bother, probably will be a waste of time. I had cams on water and as soon as monsoons come the deer totally change their routine. Not sure if everyone will agree or not, but I wouldn't sit water right after a heavy rain.

 

+1

Don't waste your time. They won't need to come to a water hole when they have water accumulated on the ground, creeks, rocks, puddles etc....

 

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

Probly good advice... also the feed has a lot of moisture right now.... Deer are not coming in regular...

[Coues Sniper]

I've sat after a rain. Pretty much a waste. Very young deer will come in out of habit, but mature deer know better. Plenty of other places to find water after a rain besides a tank. Give it a week at the very least.

[CouesBuckhunter]

Yeah hunting water after rains is a complete waste of time I had cameras set up on different tanks and the bucks i had coming in basicly disappered.

[PRDATR]

Then again, they are creatures of habit. Water can/will get absorbed quickly in most areas, especially this time of year when temps still soar during the day.

Last week I was in the Sierra Anchas and there was a thunderstorm and heavy downpour on my way back to camp in the afternoon. Lots of rain and hail for 30 minutes. Poured buckets! 15 Minutes after it stopped there was no standing water except for where the road was rutted out.

By 10:00 the next morning temps were approaching mid 80's and everything was long dry, except for the rutted areas in the road still holding water. Jackrabbits can get enough moisture from what they eat but deer are much larger and need an ample supply of water, preferrably from an area where they feel safe and have escape route they are familar with.

Food, shelter, water. Patterns usually don't change unless there is a reason. No water, food supply diminishes, pressure increases.

[AZLance]

I agree that for Deer it is a waist of time. but for elk it is a different story. They come not so much for the water but for the social hour...

[TREESTANDMAN]

I agree that it's a waste of time for deer. They are very cautious when coming into water because most of them have had arrows flung or been attacked by lions or coyotes at water. If they don't have to, they wont.

 

Mike

[bowsniper]

Yeah, don't bother. It's good to have a plan B if the rains hit.

 

Mark

[JLW]

me and my buddy were talkin about this while he says they will still come out of habbit i think it depends on how much pressure the have had. they still have to drink but almost every wash has a little hole of water for a few days especially in thick forrest where there is alot of shade.

yeah i was praying for more hot dry weather myself... but it doesn't look like that is happening.

i'm tired of blowing stalks!

 

james

[BigMoqui]

Then again, they are creatures of habit. Water can/will get absorbed quickly in most areas, especially this time of year when temps still soar during the day.

Last week I was in the Sierra Anchas and there was a thunderstorm and heavy downpour on my way back to camp in the afternoon. Lots of rain and hail for 30 minutes. Poured buckets! 15 Minutes after it stopped there was no standing water except for where the road was rutted out.

By 10:00 the next morning temps were approaching mid 80's and everything was long dry, except for the rutted areas in the road still holding water. Jackrabbits can get enough moisture from what they eat but deer are much larger and need an ample supply of water, preferrably from an area where they feel safe and have escape route they are familar with.

Food, shelter, water. Patterns usually don't change unless there is a reason. No water, food supply diminishes, pressure increases.

David Brown did a study of the western most population of coues deer in the organ pipe n.m. and found that they could go days and even weeks without water because they got most of it through metabolic water from the food they ate. So they can go a long time if range conditions are favorable. Another thing that was said was that one day it rains and the next day hot and dry without any puddles left except the road. washes scoured to bedrock with overhanging banks or vegetation keeping evaporation low will hold water pockets for weeks after the rain. These deer are survivors and I personally think they will go to great lengths not to drink at an established water tank. Basically they only do it cause they have to, if there is any other option they will take it. JMO no expert here. Maybe Jim can chime in on this one?

[stanley]

Then again, they are creatures of habit. Water can/will get absorbed quickly in most areas, especially this time of year when temps still soar during the day.

Last week I was in the Sierra Anchas and there was a thunderstorm and heavy downpour on my way back to camp in the afternoon. Lots of rain and hail for 30 minutes. Poured buckets! 15 Minutes after it stopped there was no standing water except for where the road was rutted out.

By 10:00 the next morning temps were approaching mid 80's and everything was long dry, except for the rutted areas in the road still holding water. Jackrabbits can get enough moisture from what they eat but deer are much larger and need an ample supply of water, preferrably from an area where they feel safe and have escape route they are familar with.

Food, shelter, water. Patterns usually don't change unless there is a reason. No water, food supply diminishes, pressure increases.

David Brown did a study of the western most population of coues deer in the organ pipe n.m. and found that they could go days and even weeks without water because they got most of it through metabolic water from the food they ate. So they can go a long time if range conditions are favorable. Another thing that was said was that one day it rains and the next day hot and dry without any puddles left except the road. washes scoured to bedrock with overhanging banks or vegetation keeping evaporation low will hold water pockets for weeks after the rain. These deer are survivors and I personally think they will go to great lengths not to drink at an established water tank. Basically they only do it cause they have to, if there is any other option they will take it. JMO no expert here. Maybe Jim can chime in on this one?

 

+1........

 

I learned a long time ago (while archery hunting the Kiabab.....) that deer don't need water every day. Nice green grass with a little dew on it is just fine for them!!!

 

S.

 

[BigMoqui]

Just looked at Jim Heffelfinger's book, and it was not David Brown but Henry and Sowls (1980) that did the study in organ pipe and the water they get from plants is called preformed not metabolic. Metabolic comes from the break down of food as a byproduct. By the way deer averaged 2.1 days between visits in organ pipe during the summer with pregnant does visiting up to four times a day. In the cool months they did not use permanent water at all and presumably got there water from the above mentioned sources. Awesome book Jim. I've read it every deer season since 2006. Always good to brush up on biology before the season.

[catclaw]

I had a 100" buck come in yesterday morning and it had rained 24 hours earlier. Three bucks came in within a 4 hour period. This tank was a little sandier than some of the others and there wasn't much activity on them. I think they like to get a drink in areas where they are used to it. Organ Pipe NM is not typical of much of the WT habitat- especially in Central and Eastern AZ. Just because they CAN go without. doesn't mean they won't. It sure seems to curtail their visits though. I think they just drink in seeps and pothole that are in more concealed locations when they can.