BE CAUTIOUS
Your final stalk isn't the only time during your rain hunt that you can't afford to get careless. Rain might bring you a few advantages, but a host of uncommon issues also accompanies it.

"I hunt in places in the high desert where the roads turn to slimy clay when it's raining," Zennie said. "If you went down there when it was dry, don't count on getting out when it's raining."

Putting chains on your tires in this situation will only serve as a place for the mud to collect on your tires. If you don't know the area you're hunting well, make sure you pay attention to the kind of soil that makes up the road you take to camp. If there's a chance that it could turn to sludge, you had better give the buck his day and break camp.

Being mindful that the road traveled doesn't only apply to driving. While it's raining, it's more important than ever to be aware of where you are, and where your pursuit is taking you. And keep in mind that pouring rain and running water can loosen rocks and soil under your feet and make hiking on them as precarious as walking along a road of marbles.

"Don't be so focused on your hunt that you forget to use your survival mindset," survival expert Greg Davenport said. "Always bring a map and a compass, and have an emergency heading that will take you to a well-traveled road."

When it's raining, the normal nearsightedness that accompanies the thrill of the hunt can be intensified because the rain can obscure the time of day, distant landmarks and your ability to accurately judge distances. Davenport has been a survival instructor for more than 20 years, including an instructor for the U.S. Air Force. He has written many survival books and made numerous television appearances to help educate people on the importance of being prepared when they're in the wilderness. He said that it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the hunt, which is why hunters should start preparing long before the chase starts.

"A hunting trip begins before you leave the house," he said. "Don't just be focused on how you're going to get that deer home. Focus on making sure you come back home. That happens by preparing."

Obviously, the biggest consideration that you have to prepare for when hunting in the rain is staying dry. Don't skimp on raingear. Gore-Tex material from head to toe is as essential as your weapon on any hunt.

"More people die of hypothermia at temperatures above freezing," Davenport said. "You lose body heat at a much more rapid rate when your clothes are wet. And when you start slipping into a hypothermic state, our ability to meet your survival needs becomes increasingly more difficult."

If you feel your clothes starting to get wet, leave the deer where he is and get back to camp. He might be there tomorrow, or he might not. But at least you'll know that you will be.

All things considered, however, the notion that hunting mulies in the rain is something better avoided doesn't maintain much basis in truth. By using the advantages rain provides, and being cautious to avoid the pitfalls it creates, there's no reason why rain has to ruin a perfectly good hunt.

As for Phil and I, we brought two bucks out of the rain that day, and with mouths to feed and an otherwise empty freezer, "legal-sized" had a nice ring to it. That deer did much more than feed my family. It affirmed to me what I have always held as an irrefutable fact -- any day is a great day to hunt.