Who uses windicators?
 

Just curious what everyone uses to keep tabs on the wind while on stand.
I use a piece of thread tied on the end of my stabilizer. I have used the powder in the squirt bottle. what is everyone using?? Just to get a new topic (UP IN THE AIR[8D]):D

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

Been using the powder in a bottle myself. Works well even in low light conditions.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

Serious question here......

Once you're on stand....what difference does it make. Are you gonna get down and leave if it shifts?

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I use those little fiberglass puffs out of the dip-can thingy... It workds great. I can't imagine not knowing where my scent is going. In the open woods or field edge, you can watch the puff for a hundred yards. I will take note of the wind stream and then make a decision about the shot based on the direction of the deer and when they will cross that line. It helps my confidence at the very least.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

6 inches of dental floss on the end of the stabilizer.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

Seriously answered. :)yes i have, if i have a good option stand. not always, but yes sometimes! Shifting is gonna happen, but when a front is headed in, weird things happen like tottaly different wind directions. like i said (sometimes) but most of the time no.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

um.....a leaf

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

Reason I ask......

If the wind's blowing hard enough to affect my shot.....I can pretty much tell which direction it's coming from :eek:. If I've done everything I can to play the wind to my advantage......and it somehow shifts while Im on stand.

Sorry....I'm not leaving.....and I honestly don't know anyone else who would. Some of you guys might.......but I work 5 days a week.....and cherish my hunting time, immensely. I like to play it to my advantage.....but once I'm on stand.....I'm not going to leave because the wind shifted.

Kudos to you guys that are that hardcore.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I love this answer, hats off to you Arjuna :)

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I have used the powder stuff in a bottle but once I'm in my stand , I'll kook at the leaves that are on the branch nearby.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

Yes, I use them. Floaters, I believe they are called. Besides knowing the direction of the wind, they are valuable for knowing the thermals.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

Dan

I use the powder windicators as well as string tied to my stabilizer for tracking the currents.

If it is feasible yes, I would get down and move to a more appropriate setup for the conditions.

It isn't about if the wind is blowing hard enough to affect my shot but what the back drafts, thermals and swirlingcurrents are doing. Here at home the land is extremely flat and it is rather easy to pick a setup based on wind conditions, where I hunt a couple hours south it is very hilly old strip mine country. The swirls can ruin a perfect setup in the blink of an eye. You can have the wind in your face and have a deer snorting at you "upwind". The powder windicator really shows you what the currents are doing beyond the predominate winds direction.
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RE: Who uses windicators?
 

Powder bottle here. When it gets empty I refill with baking soda. I have gotten down more than once due to a wind shift. Particularly on a prime stand.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

A dried out milk weed pod has a million little seeds in it and every one is attached to a little white puffy strip. These things sail forever and are easy to see, and are free. Also, cat tail tops that are old and dried out work great. Again, all are free and readily available.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I use 6 in of green yarn on my stabilizer.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I was addressing someone's else's concern RE: the wind affecting arrow flight.

So do you really get up and leave if the wind shifts? I just won't do it. Kudos to you guys who play the wind that much. First buck I took last year (no monster by any stretch).....I thought I had the wind played JUST RIGHT.

THIRTY deer came from downwind of me.....180 degrees from where I thought they'd be coming from. Go figure.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I hunt a lot of bedding setups, if the wind was to shift from me to the bedding area I would move without hesitation, really no other choice.

If I was in a transition area with "criss cross" trafficI would hold tight and trust my scent regime to work for me.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

A powder bottle with baking soda or corn starch in it. I have never gotten down from a stand,but I am closer to a point where I would,especially so if I knew there was an exceptional animal in the area.Two seasons ago I was so pumped up about hunting a particular spot that I threw caution to the wind (Pun intended) and hunted what I believed was my best spot the first or second day of the season.(I should have been more patient).I am obsessive like many of you about scent reduction and control,the only time that I have knowingly been busted in the last several years have been in gusty or swirling winds.Our winds are fickle any way,I am in a mountainous area.Well It was windy as heck,the type of wind that drives your scent down to the ground with each gust.I had a doe beneath me at about 7 or 8 yards and every time a gust would come up she would get all jittery,she would take a jump and then settle down and go back to feeding,she knew something wasn't right but she couldn't pin point me.As this was happenning I look out through the woods and I see the buck that I was there after,a beautiful deer for our area,his attention was glued to the doe,he was about 50 yards out and wouldn't come in any closer,I am sure as a result of her behavior.
I never saw that buck again,and I don't believe he ever winded me.I to value my hunting time,I think most of us would be better served to have less frequent outings but under more perfect conditions.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I havea piece of thread tied onto the end of a turkey fan feather (one of the really small ones) and the other end of the thread tied onto the end of a clothes-pin. The clothes-pin will clip onto a tree branch or limb and the feather will catch air and blow whichever way the wind is going.

It's cheap and it works.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I'm with you there.

I think that leaving scent going in, then getting down at a time when deer are fairly apt to be moving around to leave (and laying more scent in the process) is going to do MUCH more damage than just having the wind switch. Wind swirls around all the time. Take a good reading on it before you commit to a stand.

Not to mention that as I reflect on hunts that I have fallen short on, well over 50% of the time, it was because I either could not make up my mind, or changed my mind half way through. Indecision, and lack of follow through have really hurt me on some past hunts. I have learned to stick with my gut and my experience, and it dang near always pays off.

BTW, I use a travel size bottle of Johnsons Baby Powder to check the wind....just because I happened to have it once when I needed a wind checker....been with me ever since.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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.....

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I use the powder in a bottle works good

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

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!! ;)

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

When I'm out hunting, I find myself surrounded by grass and dry leaves... In such a situation, I find the 2-step approach to bemost effective:

Step 1: Pick up grass or dry leaf
Step 2: Drop said grass or leaf

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

While I think there's a lot of good information in this thread.....I think we, as hunters, sometimes over-think situations....or give these animals a little too much credit.

I believe we are the ultimate predator. I think we need to trust ourselves a little more.....and go with our gut instincts. If you think that it's a good day for a particular stand....then I don't know why you wouldn't hunt it. Maybe the wind shifts in your favor?? I follow a sound scent-elimination regime.....and go with my gut. How many times have you had deer come from the "wrong" direction?

A person I trustRE: hunting tells me all the time....that this isn't rocket science. He tells me to walk into the woods with a sound approach....and a confident demeanor. "I'm smarter than they are".....he says. Call me what you will.....I believe him.

I respect you guys who would get down and move. Once there, though.....I'll take my chances (unless, as Scott mentions, I were to be stacked up against their bedding area). The deer I hunt are admittedly (likely) more tolerant to human scent, though.....and this aids me.

GREAT conversation. Lots of approaches.....and what i like about them is....they all have merit. Good stuff.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I dont use anything forigne to my surroundings, I use cattail seeds. They float on the wind, they are nice and light and wont spook any near by deer.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I use a windicator I bought years ago. I fill it with corn starch every year since. I think the box of corn starch cost $1.32 and I haven't used it up yet.

I LOVE my windicator. I use it while walking to stand in the morning. I also use it while on stand. I feel the wind is a constant feed of information. It can make you aware of so many things going on during your hunt that impacts what is and what is not going to happen.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

i use cotton balls, sprayed with doe pee the dryed. just pull fluff and drop

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I use windicator, refill it with cornstarch. Very cheap insurance, couldn't imagine not having something with me to check on changing conditions. I also like fluffy things that float on the wind, there are all kinds of things to use.

My stands are usually set up in clusters, several stands within walking distance of each other set for different winds. If the wind changes and becomes obviously wrong, I will move. Not common, but itdoes sometimeshappen. Sometimes I just start towards a general area and as I travel I start checking the wind, and let the conditionsdetermine which stand I climb up in. Sometimes my gut overrides my brain, and at those times the windicator is especially important, because it lets me know when the deer is about to run into my scent lane. Realize though that I hunt on the plains and the wind up here is much more linear and does not back and swirl as much as it does some places.

I have heard alot of good input on this thread, these kind of topics arewhat I really like hearing about on the forums.:D

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

If I am stalking I like something I can see floating (windfloaters) Air does not go in a straight line it makes turns just like flowing water does.

If I'm on stand I don't worry about having wind indicators with me. I made a decision to hunt that stand partly on wind direction so I go hunt it;)

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

I, too, keep a string tied on the end of my stabilizer. It tells me what the wind is doing right at me, but it does not tell me the path of my scent say 50 yards away. Whether you use freebies like seedpods or those little puffy fiberglass things, they will tell you what the air around you does with the wind. I have been amazed at watching the path of ofslight but constant breeze.

I have experimented by spacing out the wind floaters over time have been amazed at the exact replication of what seems to be a random breeze.

To know that your scent will cross an exact place is VERY helpful in knowing how close to let a deer walk. If nothing else, it helps with your confidence in the same way that a range finder does.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

The wind will always change at some point. Where I hunt it swirls and can do so at any time. I, likesome others will not leave once in my stand. I think my scent trail will be far worse than just staying put. I will pick my stand and entry to it based on the predominant wind direction before I go into the woods, but once in I will hunt it.

We must remember that unless there is absolutely no wind at all, our scent is blowing somewhere, so even if the wind changes it's still there and was there when I got into my stand,it's just moving in a different direction.I use the powder to check the wind direction and the thermals but not so I can change set ups if it changes. I do it so I know what the wind is doing in relation to where I spot the deer.

I have had deer come in in every different direction, up wind, downwind and every other possible orientation. As long as I have an idea of the wind direction as close to the time I spot the deer, I will be better informed as to how to approach my shot attempt.

RE: Who uses windicators?
 

A 1 oz bottle of Powder is$4.

A string with a feather attached at bass pro is $5.

An empty powder bottle at the hardware store is $0.39 and a large box of baking soda is $1. Total price = $1.39.

Gimic = Trick or device used to attract business or attention. What is so hard to believe about this? I am not saying the product doesn't work.

All these products are gimics since you can make them for less than 50% of the cost in the stores.

I know how to use the powder, I know how to read the thermal currents. I apply a good cover scent, I pee off the stand and have never had a problem being successful in a season.