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CHAPTER 7
SOLVE THE DIFFICULT PROBLEMS OF BOWHUNTING

BBowhunters can find all types of excuses for not hunting, for why hunting is difficult and for what keeps them from being successful. Let's look at some bowhunting situations with Bob Foulkrod, who is recognized as a master bowhunter, discuss how to deal with these problems, and see if we can improve our chances for taking whitetails.

BOWHUNTING IN THE RAIN

According to Foulkrod, "When the rain is pouring down, most bowhunters can come up with all kinds of excuses for not hunting, including ...

... 'I won't be able to climb the tree in the rain,'
... 'I won't be able to see the deer,'
... 'My fingers will slip on the string,'
... 'I won't be able to track a deer if I do arrow one,' and/or
... 'Raingear is too noisy to permit me to stand and take a shot if I do see a deer,' etc.

"Probably the number one excuse for not hunting in the rain is the hunter thinks the deer aren't going to move, but this assumption is just not true. I believe the hunters who use this for an excuse must think deer go inside and lie up near a fire when the rains come. However, whitetails are accustomed to the elements and do move and feed during a rain.

"Where I hunt in the East, most of our shots are from 10 to 20 yards. Naturally one of the most critical keys to success is having quiet raingear. Since raingear is noisy, if you don your raingear, wait for a deer to come in range, and then stand and take a shot, more than likely the suit that keeps you dry will be responsible for running off and spooking your deer.

"I wear my rainsuit and then either put on cotton clothing or some type of polar fleece clothing on top of my rainsuit. Although my outside clothing will get wet, I'll stay dry with the outside clothing muffling the raingear. The other option bowmen have is not to wear any raingear at all and get thoroughly soaked but remain quiet.