How do you hunt the wind?

[nybuckboy]

Do you choose your stand location so the wind Is directly in your face or do you tend to choose it blowing across your face ? OR don’t you care and just hunt the stand you feel like ?

[Robhuntandfish]

I start by setting stands up based on wind direction if possible.  

But it doesn't need to be in your face but the wind needs to be sending ypur scent the best possible way that you won't get busted.  And away from the "kill zone" or area you think deer are coming from.

If there is a trail or bedding area or area you think is most likely for deer to come out for you to get an available shot then you want to be sure the wind isn't blowing your scent into it.  

I actually have a stand where the wind against my back is ok because I expect deer to come out to my hard left.  

A good app to use is huntstand.  Download the weather for the day and it will show a scent cone where your scent is most likely to be going. 

[grampy]

I prefer to have the wind in my face when possible. I choose stands for the predominant NW wind where I hunt. But the best spots will have set ups for more than one wind direction. I will hunt a crosswind too. But only if down wind is not where I expect deer to come from.

There is "nothing" you can do, or buy, to make yourself scent free from  a deer's nose!! Trust me!! The best advantage a hunter can use, is to always play the wind to "your" advantage.

[Bionic]

I struggle with this....where I hunt the wind constantly changes directions, I don’t see wind primarily in one direction, none of it makes sense to me, unless I am misunderstanding it all.

 

i hunt a very low deer density area, and it is sort of a big woods settings, deer do not have patterns here from what I see on cameras.  I feel as if I do not have any other option, but to set stands according to what trail cams have shown me in the past, for best probability.

[NonTypical]

I always want the wind in my favor. If it’s not, I won’t hunt it. But often with mature bucks, you need to have them think it’s in their favor. So sometimes a crosswind is best. When that’s the case, you’ll almost be on the verge of getting busted. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by NonTypical

[DirtTime]

I want the wind in my face if possible. If not I want it blowing away from the direction scouting has shown me the deer are traveling. Scouting after a rain is a solid way to see what direction the tracks are going for the majority.

 

I try to set up brush blinds where I hunt in different locations to play the wind, but some areas I hunt the wind changes as often then Bills changed QB's for a decade, every few minutes.

 

I have two areas that are small, so if the wind isn't right I flat out will not hunt them because there's just not enough land to set up more then a few blinds.

[Robhuntandfish]

If your hunting areas with a lot of hills or mountains winds often will swirl. A mountain or hill can act like a boulder in a stream.  Causing an eddy to occur due to the wind being blocked some.  Change in temps will also cause this with heavier air dropping into a valley.  

Sometimes in these areas it might be best to hunt on days when there is a def prevailing wind that day so that you can play it better.  But areas of swirling wind are def harder to play the wind.  The more scent control the better.  Hunting from a sealed blind, using ozone to kill scent on ypur clothes are some options. 

[land 1]

i got a stand i pretty much gave up on its kinda in a low spot with hill on two side always swirls no matter how the wind is only time you can hunt it is dead calm in evening and thermals are pulling your wind down into creek bottom

[BowmanMike]

16 minutes ago, Bionic said:

I struggle with this....where I hunt the wind constantly changes directions, I don’t see wind primarily in one direction, none of it makes sense to me, unless I am misunderstanding it all.

 

i hunt a very low deer density area, and it is sort of a big woods settings, deer do not have patterns here from what I see on cameras.  I feel as if I do not have any other option, but to set stands according to what trail cams have shown me in the past, for best probability.

Big hills create their own wind directions..Picture water flowing over everything and you get swirls,eddies etc. Just below the top,generally 1/3 of the way up or higher is a wind tunnel that draws air from below and above,that's where bucks like to travel. 

Carry milkweed and drop.it all the time to try to figure stuff out. It is hard.

[BowmanMike]

4 minutes ago, land 1 said:

i got a stand i pretty much gave up on its kinda in a low spot with hill on two side always swirls no matter how the wind is only time you can hunt it is dead calm in evening and thermals are pulling your wind down into creek bottom

Super calm mornings would be a good time to hunt that too. I have a little creek drainage i hunt and the wind follows the creek 90% of the time,no matter what.

[nybuckboy]

41 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

I start by setting stands up based on wind direction if possible.  

But it doesn't need to be in your face but the wind needs to be sending ypur scent the best possible way that you won't get busted.  And away from the "kill zone" or area you think deer are coming from.

If there is a trail or bedding area or area you think is most likely for deer to come out for you to get an available shot then you want to be sure the wind isn't blowing your scent into it.  

I actually have a stand where the wind against my back is ok because I expect deer to come out to my hard left.  

A good app to use is huntstand.  Download the weather for the day and it will show a scent cone where your scent is most likely to be going. 

I do use hunt stand. 

[NYBowhunter]

Never ever hunted the wind, wind always swirl and change at a minutes notice on my mountain, most my spots the deer  appear on all four sides of my stands.  

[wolc123]

In morning hunts on flat lands, I dont worry much about the winds, if i am hunting from a stand that is 6 or more feet above ground level.  Thermal currents will carry my scent up and over the deer.  The biggest  concern is getting to the stand without tipping them off.  Sometimes, depending on wind direction, I will take an extra long route to avoid my scent drifting across areas that might hold deer.  

In the the larger mountain area I hunt, in the northern zone, it is tougher because there is always going to be deer up higher than I am.   I often use my truck, to get down wind of where I think they are, rather than walk in.   Not much scent gets out of the closed cab, as I cruise down those dirt roads. There are miles of private dirt roads throughout the area I hunt up there. An open ATV dont work as well for that.  I try to keep the wind in my face after getting out of the truck, as I still-hunt between the "hot-spots".

Other things I do to help fool their nose is use some cover scent (evercalm), and an attractant (hot apple cider).  I dont know if it is a coincidence, that I was able to kill 3.5 year old bucks on each of the last 3 years since I started using the evercalm.  I wipe a little on the soles of my boots before walking to the stand, then wipe a little on a rail or tree when I get in it. 

One of those bucks actually came in from down wind 2 weeks in a row, in the morning, as I was sipping hot cider from my thermos.  He won the day that I  had my crossbow and was not able to get a shot, but lost the following week when I had my slug gun.

 

 

   

Edited October 11, 2020 by wolc123

[Zag]

1 hour ago, BowmanMike said:

Big hills create their own wind directions..Picture water flowing over everything and you get swirls,eddies etc. Just below the top,generally 1/3 of the way up or higher is a wind tunnel that draws air from below and above,that's where bucks like to travel. 

Carry milkweed and drop.it all the time to try to figure stuff out. It is hard.

 

42 minutes ago, NYBowhunter said:

Never ever hunted the wind, wind always swirl and change at a minutes notice on my mountain, most my spots the deer  appear on all four sides of my stands.  

Our land is also partly level and partly hillside. It seems to blow in every direction half the time. I read a book where they suggested making wind maps on your property, and that always baffled me as an impossible task when the winds are darn near unpredictable. 

[Northcountryman]

1 hour ago, NYBowhunter said:

Never ever hunted the wind, wind always swirl and change at a minutes notice on my mountain, most my spots the deer  appear on all four sides of my stands.  

Same here , although  I’d like to start paying attention more to the wind , just don’t have the time and luxury currently , to make it a priority . Eventually , I would like to set stands in multiple places providing choice based on wind directions for during that particular hunt 

[cbyzerman]

I will not hunt a certain stand if wind is not in my favor. 9 x out of 10 on a cold front the wind is blowing north in my area. I have the perfect stand for when cold front is blowing south but only problem Is it never syncs up with wind and weather, hunted that stand only like 4x in last 5 years but killed 2 big mature bucks. 

[BowmanMike]

Funny timing,i got screwed by the wind today. All morning the wind was go to my right in front of me or to the right behind me. Both ok. When a doe came from my left and in front I got ready to shoot and she hung up,nose in the air. 

I thought no way she smelled me,but she turned around. I dropped milkweed after and it was going right to where she turned. The wind switched without me noticing. I was dropping milkweed all morning too. 

Sometimes you win,sometimes you loose.

[Nomad]

Meanwhile the deer are all telling each other , “if you see milkweed floating by or on the ground , run ! “

[biggamefish]

18 hours ago, grampy said:

I prefer to have the wind in my face when possible. I choose stands for the predominant NW wind where I hunt. But the best spots will have set ups for more than one wind direction. I will hunt a crosswind too. But only if down wind is not where I expect deer to come from.

There is "nothing" you can do, or buy, to make yourself scent free from  a deer's nose!! Trust me!! The best advantage a hunter can use, is to always play the wind to "your" advantage.

Throw in some thermals with the wind and then the fun really begins. Things can seem one way then 20 minutes alter its the complete opposite.  The fun of the hill towns!!!

[Foggy Mountain]

Keep the wind from blowing your scent to the deer either while they’re coming, when they get here,  where they’re headed. Something many think doesn’t matter but it alerts them to your presence. Makes em spookier tomorrow. As you enter or exit taking into account thermals. 
You need to take all this into account and I’d  be willing to leave if the wind shifts bad for any of these scenarios. 
Before I’d go anywhere I’d check the wind.  Now figure what spots are available to you wind wise. Pick one of them I used to use a compass, topo maps and the forecast. Scoutlook makes it actually easy but it’s not foolproof

[Northcountryman]

23 hours ago, BowmanMike said:

Funny timing,i got screwed by the wind today. All morning the wind was go to my right in front of me or to the right behind me. Both ok. When a doe came from my left and in front I got ready to shoot and she hung up,nose in the air. 

I thought no way she smelled me,but she turned around. I dropped milkweed after and it was going right to where she turned. The wind switched without me noticing. I was dropping milkweed all morning too. 

Sometimes you win,sometimes you loose.

So, where you get all this milkweed , anyway ? Lol 

[BowmanMike]

3 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

So, where you get all this milkweed , anyway ? Lol 

There is a lot in each pod. I pull the fluff out,i dont drop the pod. I grabbed a bunch of them this year,they should last a few seasons even at the rate i use it.

[airedale]

When hunting Deer or Varmints what the wind is doing as far as strength and direction always determines my strategy for that days hunt be it still hunting or stands which for me is sitting or standing with my back to a tree. I want it in my face if at all possible, a crosswind at minimum.

Al

[wolc123]

5 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

So, where you get all this milkweed , anyway ? Lol 

I noticed some growing at home in WNY last weekend.  I am heading up to the Adirondacks Friday for early ML week thru opening weekend of gun.  I think I will pick a few pods to put in my pack.  Sometimes the wind gets swirling in those mountains.

[Swamp_bucks]

I try to hunt crosswinds alot.  However hunting very hilly areas it doesn't really matter I try to setup so most of my scent blows into areas I least expect deer to show use thermals on low wind days.  However opening day of gun last year i had deer show up from every single direction none busted me so it's a crap shoot some times.