Red dot users how do you deal with hunting in rain or heavy misting conditions

This year I turkey hunted A LOT in the rain and heavy fog AND heavy misting conditions and had issues with my scope fogging up, but only in when I hunted in heavy fog conditions which I am practiced at dealing with as I keep paper towels in a dedicated pocket in my turkey vest.

I have a red dot on my Benelli Supernova but if there is anything above even a 40% chance of precipitation or fog I do not hunt with it as rain or mist renders my red dot unusable, I instead hunt with my 870 topped with a Leupold VariX-II 2-7x33 shotgun scope that has BC flip up scope caps that keep the lenses safe from rain but not fog.

Was wondering what do you guys who only have one turkey shotgun that is topped with a red dot due about hunting in the rain or heavy fogging conditions?

We don't have that problem in Arizona! However I am interested in hearing the responses in this forum. I put a Trijicon on my brothers 20 ga for a youth hunt a month ago. Definitely Interested.

I prefer enclosed/tube red dots. Then no different than a scope in the rain. Better to use some type of cover, but not unusable like open emitters. Many tube red dots have flip up covers for sale.

No problem for me….since I learned long ago to stay inside if it is raining.

However, if it does START raining I just wipe the drops off with my fingers and I can see the red dot with no issue.

Do you need to use a scope/sight on your shotgun for an eye/vision issue? If not, just use the bead.

If I use a shotgun, I shoot both eyes open like I would at a duck. Decades ago I had a scope on my 10 gauge and it added weight, and another variable for a moving bird, and was something else that could fail. I did not miss with it, but opted to remove the scope, go to a much lighter gun and just call the birds in close. Now a 410 with TSS or bow will handle most of my needs, but I still carry a 12 gauge on some hunts.

Sealesniper said:

Do you need to use a scope/sight on your shotgun for an eye/vision issue? If not, just use the bead.

If I use a shotgun, I shoot both eyes open like I would at a duck. Decades ago I had a scope on my 10 gauge and it added weight, and another variable for a moving bird, and was something else that could fail. I did not miss with it, but opted to remove the scope, go to a much lighter gun and just call the birds in close. Now a 410 with TSS or bow will handle most of my needs, but I still carry a 12 gauge on some hunts.

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I WAS and absolute awesome shot with iron sights for the first 29 of my 35 years of turkey hunting. From almost day one used a Remington 870 Express with a 21" long barrel featuring Remingtons excellent iron sights and Remchoke with a Remington factory XF turkey choke. Then I wanted to go to a 12ga 3.5" gun and it came with a 24" vent rib barrel that I installed a set of all steel TruGlo Magnum Gobble Dot adjustable sights on the vent rib and they were DEADY effective. Understand the factory barrel on my 870 ESM shot so far down and to the right with any turkey load it was either use a sighting system or buy another barrel.

Then six years ago age and genetics kicked in and my dads gift to me of nearsightedness and my astigmatism got worse and iron sights became unusable and when I missed two Toms in the same day I knew I had to change something. And yes I did double check my iron sights hadn't somehow shifted.
Had a Leupold VariX-II sitting around unused and the installation of a saddle mount and VOILA problem solved.
Then I experienced red dot sights and absolutely LOVED how well they worked, but found out not so much in the rain.
I guess God wasn't going to gift me the trifecta of awesome hearing sense of smell AND awesome eyesight. My hearing and sense of smell are so good they have to be seen to be believed.

I use burris fast fire 4 with the bolt on rain cover over the front. This protects moisture from entering the side facing the shooter. Moisture there can distort the reticle.

For the first 50 years I turkey hunted I used the bead on a shotgun missed one bird....2 years ago with the TSS shot picked up a Mossberg 500 410 Turkey Gun it has a Williams LRS sight and mount on it....its the best sight and mount I have ever seen nice and low just like it should be....shot a 25 lb. turkey this year with a 11 1/2 beard and 1 5/8" spurs.....
Rain I just cover the sight with a camo piece of cloth like a tent.....if its raining real hard and steady I'll just call it a day....birds will not be moving much and its to noisy in the woods....

DartonJager said:

This year I turkey hunted A LOT in the rain and heavy fog AND heavy misting conditions and had issues with my scope fogging up, but only in when I hunted in heavy fog conditions which I am practiced at dealing with as I keep paper towels in a dedicated pocket in my turkey vest.

I have a red dot on my Benelli Supernova but if there is anything above even a 40% chance of precipitation or fog I do not hunt with it as rain or mist renders my red dot unusable, I instead hunt with my 870 topped with a Leupold VariX-II 2-7x33 shotgun scope that has BC flip up scope caps that keep the lenses safe from rain but not fog.

Was wondering what do you guys who only have one turkey shotgun that is topped with a red dot due about hunting in the rain or heavy fogging conditions?

Click to expand...

Stay home and watch Netflix!

I've carried an rmr atop a 375 that gets carried in all manner of coastal alaska weather. It's not emitted 2x, both times from that horrid grey ash from the katmai blow back in the last 13'. Even then I could still kill a milk jug just using the box as a rough sighting guide. Dunno how many I'm up to, as my eyes age the rmr is helping me cling to my open sight youth.

Hear me out, one of the guys I hunt with has a little fixed power scope & pistol grip on his shotgun & he's lethal with that thing. I've never seen him miss a bird with it, and he tags out every season.

Red dot for me. With a neoprene cover from optics plantet

Gday
Tagging in to learn a little more
Just put one on my 500 Jeffery as eyesight is not what it used to be
Cheers

I just bought (2) Vortex Spark II red dots which are tubular red dots with flip up scope covers. My previous Trijicon was more of a reflex type that I'll move over to a 22 pistol. I think that should fix rain and snow mix conditions I might see.