When I'm hunting I always have milk weed with me that I use to check the wind direction with. I hate the powdered stuff people buy or a feather on a bow to tell the direction of the wind. When I use milk weed it drifts around and tells me what its doing away from me. I can get a pretty good idea of the main wind that way. Many times I'll let the fuzz go and 20 minutes later it will be coming back at me. Sometimes its a no win situation when trying to hunt the wind but at least a person can get an idea on what the dominant wind is that day. When your hunting creeks, hilly land, etc your wind will do many different things that its not generally suppose to do, kind of like hunting in the mountains with it going in every direction.

This is something I have t get better at......which is a discipline issue (when not to hunt).

I use thermals to my advantage to get into places that aren't exactly perfect for a certain day......so I go in in the mornings in that area.....and roll the dice.

I don't have issues with swirling winds here......according to what I'm reading is the norm. Ive just got more places to hunt, now....and I can take better advantage of differing winds.

[Deleted by Admins]

Rob/PA explained this to me in the best way I've heard, yet.

He gave me this analogy.......a skunk that we know is in the area.....

When the skunk's scent is very strong....we go on high alert. We know he's in the immediate area. When we smell the faint smell of a skunk.....we are aware he's "near"....but we're less concerned.

This is what we try to achieve with our scent control as hunters. We try to fool the deer into thinking we're not an immediate threat to him. Does he still know we're "near"? Possibly....and quite probably. Does he feel we're an immediate threat? Hopefully.....if we're playing the wind to our best abilities....and practicing a sound scent control regimen......he doesn't.

We just have to stack the odds in our favor as best we can.....and....roll the dice. Everyone's comfort level with that roll is different. Every deers' is, also.

Good post Jeff!!

This has nothing really to do with your post but did you know that a skunk smell is an attractant?

As others have alluded to I have conceded defeat in the battle of eliminating my scent while hunting. However, as Jeff pointed out, I try to make it as minimal as possible so that if/when a deer gets my scent it is faint enough to not create alarm.

Since many of my spots are in a suburban environment there is human scent everywhere. So if I can minimize my scent to smell like that of a jogger over on the cross country path, or someone gardening in their yard as opposed to a human right in their living room I'm ahead of the game. Part of that is trying to keep the prevailing wind in my favor. I can't control the thermals or shifts and with the terrain I hunt it would be a futile effort to try. If they get a slight whiff of me from a shift or thermal my scent reducing efforts will hopefully keep the deer from going on alert, but if they got a snoot full because of the prevailing wind I'd likely be in trouble.

I set up enough stands so that I can hunt almost every wind direction. If the wind is not perfect for a stand I will not hunt it.

Wind direction is the #1 determining factor of where or if I'll hunt. No exceptions.

That's because you smell like a ciggarette butt.

LMAO!![8D]

You been kissin him JM?[:'(]

Dan