Where is everybody hunting that the wind only comes from one direction?

In the last 14 years of hunting, I have never had a stand where the wind did not swirl.

I believe the biggest gimmic in hunting are those "wind indicators".I can never believe my eyes when I walk into Bass Pro and see hunters paying money for those items. You can make them so easily yourself and save a boat load of money.

On my bow isa piece of dental floss with a small feather tied on the end.

I used to use the windicator powder stuff, but I lost it. Kinda by accident, I found another pretty good indicator. I washed my camo and used a scent free fabric sheet in the dryer, then emptied everything into a big ziploc bag. Well, the spent dryer sheet was there when I took my jacket out of the bag in the field, and for kicks I tore a few fibers off the edge. Those fibers drift with the wind and you can see them for quite a while. They show the thermals well. The powder stuff kinda throws a glob in the air and settles too quick to show the thermals.

Once I'm on stand, I don't generally move. I do check the wind going to my stand and will usually pick my stand location or at leastthe route to my stand based on the wind.

I have a clothesline with a piece of dental floss and a marabou feather on the end. This gives me the prevailing wind. I use a small bottle with baking soda and talc for thermals.

If I get on stand and the wind is going straight to where the deer should come from I didn't do my job before I got there, and that rarely happens. I do try to have back up stands at my spots that are relatively close that I could move to if there was a major shift. I won't sit there if the wind is blowing directly where the deer come from. I value my limited hunting time as much as anyone, but it doesn't do any good to blow them out and educate them by stubbornly sitting in a bad wind. Even in the suburban environments where I hunt deer within archery range will peg you down wind every time and I'm very careful about controlling my scent.

Help me understand this post. First you say it is a huge gimmic then you suggest making them yourself and "save a boat load of money".

A bottle of powder windicator is like 3 or 4 bucks......

In my opinion if someone believes the use of a windicator is a gimmic I would suggest they do not know how to properly read what the powder is telling them.

My powder shows me the up and down drafts as well as any swirling, these are things my string cannot do.

MDBuck,

Well, I like the powder deal, I think it was all of $1.99 and I will use it for 2 seasons (and then refill it for more).
So that is less than a dollar a season. In the bowhunting equipment world, I think it is the cheapest thing I own.

I used to use leaves or whatever else I had stuck to my pants or stand that was light, just to confirm if my wet index finger was telling me the truth.

Also MDBuck, where I hunt the wind often does blow only one way, it may shift from wind out of the North to wind out of the Northwest, but it doesn't usually completely shift unless the weather changes. The area I hunt is also fairly flat.

In answer to GMMAT, I have gotten down from a stand only twice due to wind. Once the wind was marginal and I wanted to hunt a hot stand, but when I got up (not a climber), I realized it was all wrong (shouldn't have gone in the first place). Another time the wind shifted dramatically and since I had gotten on my stand early, I walked to a better stand about 10 minutes away. But generally I stick to my guns since I'm leaving scent anyway, most places I hunt the deer could come from a couple directions, or the wind is a crosswind.

I use the powder stuff.....Love it. Do I move if the wind is wrong? If it stays that way consistently, yes. Funny thing w/ swirling winds though......The wind is perfect one minute, completely wrong the next, and perfect 2 minutes later. I use them not so much for determining whether to leave a stand or not, but so I know EXACTLY where my scent is blowing on a given wind. I hunt a lot of ridge tops, and the wind is more stable there than down low.

I'll get in a set, and think to myself OK, I need a North wind to hunt this spot......When in reality, a north wind is bad, I really need a NE wind.....But due to lay of the land and such, the only way to know that for certain is to check the wind on stand. I then use that knowledge for future hunts.

I also agree that just because the wind is perfect where I am sitting, 15 yards behind me it swirls off of a hillside or something and blows compeletly the wrong direction. I've used that knowledge and sat in stand w/ the wind blowing the wrong direction because I know 15 yards downwind of me it changes direction, perfectly the direction I need. It really is interesting to watch what the currents are doing downwind of you.....

I use a windicator more for scoutingandtaking notes on morning, mid day and evening thermal currents for potential stand locations, than I ever do for actual fixed set ups. I still take one when on stand to keep tabs n how my stand sight winds work from visit to visit and make changes if I need too. I realize the winds are gonna swirl in almost every spot here in the mountainsand will always change in the early morning and late evening with thermals here unless they are overridden by the occasional front blowing in. That being said on fixed set ups where you cant move, I rely more on being as clean as I can offering as little of an intrusion in regards to human odor as possible.. Kinda like you smell the skunk that just walked by or one that passed bya daybefore.. we would react differently to those different odor levels......whitetails smell our different levels of human odor and react accordingly too...some are more tolerant than others...usually the youngsters..

elk or bear on the ground, a windicator is great because youhave the advantage toadjust with the ever changing wind currents you will find in mountainous country.

theres about 100 windmills within eyesight that face into the wind... pretty easy to keep track lol

I use the powder in a bottle works good

You guys are great, i ask a simple question and get a wealth of information Im a 20 + year hunter and im still learning alot, these forums rock for that purpose and i thank all ya for that!! Did i learn from some of your answers?? Dam right!!