Wind direction indicators.

[erussell]

I use milk weed seeds for a wind direction indicator. They are nice and light and go far on the wind and visible for a long distance and best of all its free. I just fill a small pull string pouch with them prior to the season and put them in a pocket in my butt pack and they last for longer than the season. Anyone else use this or do you use a commercial powder type indicator?

Edited September 26, 2012 by erussell

[sweet old bill]

I use a small feather tied to the bow to show changes in wind direction as I now only use ground blinds. With hunting it is best to know wind direction at all times, so your smeel is not pushed to the deer. I did find it did not seem to be a issue when I used tree stands, but on the ground and eye ball to eye ball with a deer it sure seems to be critical.

[erussell]

Been reading alot lately about wind and how it is effected by the terrain. Pretty interesting about thermals and updrafts and dead zones and how even a thick stand of trees or even trees with leaves on them can change wind direction 50 yrds past you. I took a few seeds and tossed them into the wind of my porch. They floated down across the yrd for 25 yrds heading south. As soon as they hit the creek they took a left turn and headed east. Wind is very interesting and frustrating!!!

[sits in trees]

piece of thread tide to my stabilizer.

[phade]

Milkweed seeds are best. Amazing what they can show you over a string feather or weather forecast.

[Cabin Fever]

Milkweed seeds.

[Doc]

You absolutely can't beat milkweed seed for telling the whole story on wind directions and reactions. What really gets interesting is when the seeds get a ways out there and you get to see that initial wind direction can be very misleading. I have watched these seeds start out indicating a favorable wind only to turn around a ways out and head right for the trail I was watching.

I do carry a spool of thread and tie up about a foot of it to an overhanging limb just to serve as a quick and constant direction indicator. But when I want to know a bit more about what is happening when the wind gets a bit out there a bit, it is my trusty old milkweed seeds that I dig out of my pack.

[erussell]

Good article on wind

http://www.brothersofthebow.com/AirMovement.htm

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have a puff bottle.

[Doewhacker]

Been reading alot lately about wind and how it is effected by the terrain. Pretty interesting about thermals and updrafts and dead zones and how even a thick stand of trees or even trees with leaves on them can change wind direction 50 yrds past you. I took a few seeds and tossed them into the wind of my porch. They floated down across the yrd for 25 yrds heading south. As soon as they hit the creek they took a left turn and headed east. Wind is very interesting and frustrating!!!

My best spot has a creek 40 yards away, the wind blows my scent to the creek and then down stream, perfect.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Doewhacker

[mac]

i use long piece of dental floss( unused of course) hanging in few spots for the wind.

[fasteddie]

piece of thread tide to my stabilizer.

A few years ago , I received a product from the NAHC to test . It was a tiny spool og orange thread to tie to a bow to tell wind direction . I think it may have sold for a couple dollars . Anyway , why would someone buy that versus grabbing a piece of thread or dental floss to do the same thing ??? A little improvising is all that's needed .

[Culvercreek hunt club]

if you actually pluck the seed off the strands the strands will really travel further. they work great.

[erussell]

Yeah thats what I do. Funy story, I grabbed a pod and pulled it off the stalk and got a little sap on my fingers. I opened the pod and pulled out the seeds and they all stuck to my fingers. Im standing out there flailing my hands around trying to rub them off. Ended up walking over to the creek and washing my hands.

[Doc]

Yeah thats what I do. Funy story, I grabbed a pod and pulled it off the stalk and got a little sap on my fingers. I opened the pod and pulled out the seeds and they all stuck to my fingers. Im standing out there flailing my hands around trying to rub them off. Ended up walking over to the creek and washing my hands.

Lol .... tarred and feathered. I have had that happen to me before. That is some pretty sticky stuff that comes out of those pod hulls.

[Doc]

Good article on wind

http://www.brotherso...AirMovement.htm

That is a heck of a good article on a subject that is glossed over by most authors of deer hunting books and magazine articles. Isn't it funny how important the subject of scent and wind is to a hunter and how little most of us actually know about it? Thanks for the link.

[erussell]

Your welcome, its quite interesting. Most " experts " say to check the wind direction and thats it. But there are so many variables in that equation that it baffles my mind. You need to not only look at the wind direction but the terrain features beyond and infront of you that could be stearing your scent in a completely different direction once it passes you. The milk weed seeds really show me whats going on with the wind and has opened my eyes up to the ever perplexing problem of wind direction.

[erussell]

Another interesting excerp from a book.

TOMMY: The wind is the breath of the world. Without the wind there would be no changing of the seasons and basically the world would wither and die. For a whitetail hunter, the wind is of great importance because a deer virtually lives and dies by his nose. Understanding the wind and the role it plays in a deer's world is of vital importance.

If you have ever stood and watched the water in a clear stream tumble toward its destination, which is ultimately the sea or ocean, you can better understand the wind. As the water gushes downstream it encounters rocks, logs, islands, dikes, the bank and other obstacles in its path. Each obstacle disrupts the flow of water, causing the water to swirl, often causing a backwash or a reversing of direction of the flow. Anywhere there is a good downstream current; there will be areas where there is a backflow. Have you ever seen a bottle, Styrofoam cup or bobber floating upstream? I have many times and each time I get a better understanding of the water flow. Sometimes the water rolls from top to bottom or side to side in a whirlpool, where whatever is caught in the whirlpool stays in its revolution until something happens to disrupt the flow.

The air currents act exactly like the flow of water as it blows across the topography of the earth. At each obstacle the air currents flow over, around and otherwise reacts to the shape, size and location of the object whether it is a mountain, cliff, hill, woods line on a field or thick stand of evergreens like cedar, pine and spruce. The air also reacts to temperature changes which create thermal currents with warm thermals rising and cool thermals falling

http://www.whitetaildata.com/excerpt.html

[Lawdwaz]

You need to grab the milf (sorry, milk) weed pods when they are just opening. I checked one the other day and it wasn't ready for action.

Most of the time I just use a tiny piece of tissue or paper towl. Just pinch off a very small corner and let 'er fly.

[erussell]

Would def help with the tar and feathering.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Think Im gonna try the milkweed pods this year.

[bluecoupe]

My Grandfather taught me to use milkweed when I was young. Still use it today when standing.

[Kot2B]

I have never thought of the milkweed, thanks for the tip. I always used tissue paper, served as a double purpose wind and helping with blood trails.

[Doc]

For years, I used cigarette smoke. No where near as good as the milkweed seed, but it sure did tell quite a story about where I was about to get busted from ..... lol.

[Lawdwaz]

For years, I used cigarette smoke. No where near as good as the milkweed seed, but it sure did tell quite a story about where I was about to get busted from ..... lol.

You crazy old man! <grin>

Here is a Garcia Vega wind detector in use. Field trial.............