Up wind or down wind

[outdoorjay]

New to hunting and trying to understand how do I know if I'm up or down wind and where would I rather be at up or down wind? Can any body help me out here

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[Woodjr55]

You want the wind in your face that means your down wind. Always try to be downwind

[Elmo]

You want your target to be in the same direction as where the wind is coming from.

[bluecoupe]

If there's wind, you're always upwind and downwind from something. The key is figuring out where you *think* the deer will come from and being downwind from that.   Of course, there's a good chance the deer won't do what you think, but it's worth a shot. ;-)

[Doc]

And just when you think you have it all figured out, be prepared for that little "back-draft" that occurs just when the deer is coming into sight. Also, just because the weatherman calls for a certain wind direction, and you consult your topo map and confirm that conditions are perfect for a certain area, be aware that thermals can have the wind blowing exactly opposite from the local flat airport where weatherman is basing his forecasts .... lol. Natural temperature changes throughout the day can drive breezes up or down the hill in complete opposition to prevailing winds (usually uphill in the morning as air warms and downhill in the evening as air cools). Also, be aware that natural contours (ravines, outcroppings, and other prominent land features) can curl wind in ways that don't agree with the weatherman's forecast. Some times it just boils down to on-the-ground experience to really know what the wind does with certain prevailing forecasted wind directions.

 

There is something that I have seen the wind do in our north-south valley when the prevailing west wind is blowing. On the west hill of the valley, at the very top, a west wind will come over the crest and set up a curling turbulence such that the top 100 yards or so, the west wind will be blowing exactly opposite (east). Also I have some otherwise great spots that I simply cannot hunt because the wind never does have any consistent direction. Humps and bumps and hummocks and gullies work to have the winds always circling in those spots. And the ugly part of that is that deer love those spots.

 

Hunting new ground can be a frustrating experience because without a lot of time on the land, there can always be some ugly surprises when you first go to a stand.

[bluecoupe]

And then there's always thermals to contend with.

 

It's always a good idea to use your best judgement about wind, where you think they'll be/come from, time of day for movements, etc... but the bottom line is that deer don't know any of that stuff and will usually do things that are not expected.  The number one thing that contributes to success is being in the woods vs on your couch.

 

But at least, planning out all of this stuff gives people something to do, discuss, "argue" about, when they can't be in the woods.

Edited December 15, 2013 by SteveC

[BUCKANDAQUARTER]

You can quarter the wind as well, so it is blowing at your sides.