Deer hunting in the rain

[Martin S.]

It is supposed to rain opening weekend.  All weekend, a few days before, and a few days after.  We need the rain bad, so I can't complain.

I was going to hunt with a flintlock, but now I am considering using a percussion rifle instead.

I know about cow's knees, but don't have one.  I guess I could make one, but it is supposed to be drizzling all day, and high humidity, so I think the humidity might ruin the powder in my pan as well.

Also, will a wet flint on a wet frizzen make a spark?  It is going to get wet when I take the cow's knee off, if I see a deer coming.

I have killed deer with cap locks before, several times, but never a flintlock.  I want to kill one with a flintlock, to prove to myself that I can.  I see lots of people have done that on this site, and I want to be part of that group.  I don't want to lose a chance at a deer, when I need meat for the freezer and limited days to hunt.  When I retire, I'll have more days to hunt, but not while I am still working.

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

[recurve]

hunt from a popup blind till rain stops

[Austin]

I just use my coat tail or rain suit to cover my lock. Check your primer occasionally and replace as necessary. Pick your touch hole if you need to. If its raining to hard, go to the truck!

[Bob Gerard]

Yes, a wet frizzen and wet flint will still spark well.
I have sat in a tree stand in the rain deer hunting and it was a pretty nice experience. It wasn’t a hard rain at all, just light and sporadic. I kept the muzzle down, the lock under my armpit and reprimed every ten minutes or so. No deer showed up, and I discharged my gun at the end of the morning.
I was also in a club shoot on a very rainy morning. We loaded under a pop- up but walked aimed and fired in the rain. I remember messing up a good group when I caught myself chuckling as I watched the rain drops splattering on my barrel flats as I pulled my trigger 🤣

[Dave Marsh]

I use an oiled canvas slip on cover.  It covers the whole barrel and the lock.  Slips on easy and is very easy to use. It's sold by Curt Lyles who is a blacksmith, but I could not find his website.  He's on LinkedIn and Instagram but I don't play with those sites. He is a member here so you could probably PM him. Good luck.   

[smylee grouch]

You can make some pan grease to help seal out any rain but blood trails tend to wash away in the rain.

[Hungry Horse]

 My boss before I retired called rainy days during deer season prime time for what he called “ deer season diarrhea “. He knew I would take all the dirty jobs to buy a little forgiveness for disappearing on a rainy day when the bucks were out. Any rainproof cover that doesn’t make noise works. In fact I have even resorted to spraying the side and sleeve of an old sweatshirt with silicone to turn the water, and then just kept the lock area under my arm.

Hungry Horse

[Martin S.]

hunt from a popup blind till rain stops

Good idea.  I have one, but had not considered using it.  Thanks.

[Martin S.]

I just use my coat tail or rain suit to cover my lock. Check your primer occasionally and replace as necessary. Pick your touch hole if you need to. If its raining to hard, go to the truck!

Thanks Austin.  It is supposed to be light rain, but your advice to go to the truck was worth a laugh!!!

[Martin S.]

Yes, a wet frizzen and wet flint will still spark well.
I have sat in a tree stand in the rain deer hunting and it was a pretty nice experience. It wasn’t a hard rain at all, just light and sporadic. I kept the muzzle down, the lock under my armpit and reprimed every ten minutes or so. No deer showed up, and I discharged my gun at the end of the morning.
I was also in a club shoot on a very rainy morning. We loaded under a pop- up but walked aimed and fired in the rain. I remember messing up a good group when I caught myself chuckling as I watched the rain drops splattering on my barrel flats as I pulled my trigger 🤣

Thanks, Bob.  I love your horns, and it was nice to meet you at CLA. I do enjoy hunting in the rain, even more so in a light snow, but no chance of that in Texas, and I can't hunt up north this year.

[Martin S.]

I use an oiled canvas slip on cover.  It covers the whole barrel and the lock.  Slips on easy and is very easy to use. It's sold by Curt Lyles who is a blacksmith, but I could not find his website.  He's on LinkedIn and Instagram but I don't play with those sites. He is a member here so you could probably PM him. Good luck.

Thanks, Dave.  Do you have a pic?  Is it easy to slide off prior to the shot?

[Martin S.]

You can make some pan grease to help seal out any rain but blood trails tend to wash away in the rain.

Thanks, Smylee.  I try to hit the vitals, so I don't have to track too far, but mistakes happen.

[Martin S.]

My boss before I retired called rainy days during deer season prime time for what he called “ deer season diarrhea “. He knew I would take all the dirty jobs to buy a little forgiveness for disappearing on a rainy day when the bucks were out. Any rainproof cover that doesn’t make noise works. In fact I have even resorted to spraying the side and sleeve of an old sweatshirt with silicone to turn the water, and then just kept the lock area under my arm.

Hungry Horse

Thanks, Hungry Horse.  Good idea.

[smylee grouch]

When unprepared and in a pinch I have used those zip lock plastic bags.

[Dave Marsh]

I use an oiled canvas slip on cover.  It covers the whole barrel and the lock.  Slips on easy and is very easy to use. It's sold by Curt Lyles who is a blacksmith, but I could not find his website.  He's on LinkedIn and Instagram but I don't play with those sites. He is a member here so you could probably PM him. Good luck.

Thanks, Dave.  Do you have a pic?  Is it easy to slide off prior to the shot?

No picture available right now.   It slips on and off easily.  You need to contact Curt as I don't see them on his website so not even sure he makes them and sells them still.

[Dphariss]

I use a full length leather cover treated with snow seal. You lay a FL down in the snow cows knee or not and its probably gonna get wet. If the fouled pans so much as touches the snow it sucks up water like a sponge. Where I shot this deer there was no place the get it out of the snow for about 300 yards. And then one must worry about snow coming off the tree (such as it is). Further the stalk was up the back side of a slope walking on my knees in snow about 16” deep for 50-75 yards, the deer was on the “sunny upwind side”. Standing the deer could have seen me. Snow seal makes them stiff enough to slide off easy. Tight weave wool works pretty good. Can hunt all day in rain/drizzle/snow with no issues. And if I think its needed I can check the prime without exposing the lock to the weather. And its historically correct back to at least the 1770s.

[Dphariss]

hunt from a popup blind till rain stops

I tend to hunt areas where a blind is not practical. The Mountains are not a good place for a blind either. Areas are just to vast.

[smylee grouch]

Those pop up blinds are kinda handy to keep your scent and silhouette concealed but they can make it hard to see your sights in some areas.

[Daryl]

Dan's picture reminded me of this. I do not recall anyone having trouble with ignition.
All but 2 were shooting flinters. Steady dusting of fine snow.

[Scota4570]

For hunting where performance trumps HC couldn't a cover be made from a heavy duty zip-top plastic bag? IF it were a large one, say a gallon size the rifle could be fired without removing the bag. 

[Tony N]

Dan's picture reminded me of this. I do not recall anyone having trouble with ignition.
All but 2 were shooting flinters. Steady dusting of fine snow.

Daryl, this looks cold! Makes me think of a good wood stove 😉

[Pukka Bundook]

Not hunting but recall a 40-50 shot trail walk when we kept getting serious thunder showers, very heavy rain.
Out of our bunch of 6, my flint and another blokes percussion were the only two that didn't have ignition problems.
Three others had percussion locks and all drowned out.

Lock up under the arm, didn't use a cover as such.
Worst weather is a thick fog.   Used 2F for charge and prime. stays dry Much better than 4F prime.

[smylee grouch]

Under just about any circumstance, after that first shot the fouling will probably attract moisture as much as a covered lock.  I have used those zip lock bags on stand and they worked for me when pan was dry to start with.

[Daryl]

Dan's picture reminded me of this. I do not recall anyone having trouble with ignition.
All but 2 were shooting flinters. Steady dusting of fine snow.

Daryl, this looks cold! Makes me think of a good wood stove 😉

Tony, that was a New Years Day shoot and the temp was -14C. that's 6.8F. That is likely why the snow was so fine and "dusting".
We were standing on the packed down trail, you can see it's up to brad's knees. One of the shooters jumped off the trail to find the rope for this target, which was the "flying goose".
That person went up to just over their waste in the soft snow.

[Daryl]

This was the same day and roughly same location. 2 of the lads in this picture are no longer with us.
Brad and Chris in my first and second picture, and Chris on the left.
RIB boys, you are both missed.