ORIGINAL: GMMAT
I make my decision in the morning and stick with it for the day.I base my decision on the wind direction from the weather report. There are so many hills and valleys on the property, we never know which way the wind will blow during the day so I place my stands where deer can come from several locations.
Agreed....and that's ALL I've been saying in this thread.
I view this as flawed thinking. If the weather report says one thing and you get to your stand and find that the wind is not right for your stand, why on earth would you sit there anyway and alert the deer to your presence and stand location?? Makes no sense. If the wind is perfect for your stand and you can get to it undetected, you can get away with hunting it several times in a row. If you educate them to your presence, you will not have any luck trying for any deer much less a mature buck.
I prepare at least 8 stands for all wind directions and always have a back up plan. If plan B is no good, I'll go home and not hunt rather than alert the deer to my presence.
Alerting deer to your presence is the last thing that you would want to do. You might as well leave your bow at home and just go out for a leisurely stroll.