Like Gregh said I make sure to havemany options, in the last two seasons I now make sure tohaveat least a triangle of options (Usually 1stand and 2 ground blinds) set up at any1location were I expect a buck to walk through,that way when I enter the area I can check the wind on the way in and slip into the set up that gives me the best odds of my scent not working towards the direction I believe the buck is bedding andwill be coming from. If the wind flutters on me I will hold tight... if it actually switches up on me and holds... I'll move if need be.Finally, will even leave a spot if the wind just wont cooperate or I simply will not enter/hunt a spot if its really swirling bad. I used to chancethe windmuch more than I do now, relying on scent minimization an what not, but then again I was killing 2.5s and 3.5s most of the time. Today, I won't,not even with all the scent lok or cleansing I go through...on the older bucks it just doesnt work they tolerate VERY little human odor especially in and around their core bedding grounds. I usually only get one/two chances at a 4 year old or olderand if I screw it up they alter their routes or movement timeon me and its back to the square one.

Enterance routes I treat the same, Starting from a good 1/2 mile to a mile out, I make sure to have many options and will only enter a bucks core bedding area "fringe" using the best route based on that hunts givenwind..Even if I have to loop 1/2- 1mile around a ridge line I'll do it, before I chance having my enterance routewind blowingright to whereI believe he's bedding. Looping way aroundgotme my buck last fall. If I wouldnt have, my wind would have blown to him for a good 10 minutes before I would have got to my stand/blind.

These days, I hunt a lot of ridge lines coupled with inside edges ie old clear cuts butting up against big timber... Much more than I hunt bottoms, hollows and draws. The winds and thermals are moreconsistenton the tops of ridges inthe mountains. When I find a buck that is using a ridge line during daylight hours I can almost always count on getting a crack at him. If my only choice to see him on the hoof during the hunting hoursis in a draw or hollow then I will hunt him there, butno doubt its much tougher imo. The draws and hollow windsswirl and bank due to structure, changing thermals and prevailing wind currents. Almost all thermals change during prime time hunting hours too!both in the morning and evening while the earth heats up then cools down. Especially in the evenings right before last light the thermals will often change in the final hour of daylight here on these mountains. [:@]

I try to be as clean as I can, minimizing my scent to the point that when a deer gets close to me and works downwind, theyoftenbehave like I am fruther away than what I really am.

I also set my stands for predominate winds.... But...How do you combat when the wind changes and swirls? When isthe wind perfect for a whole hunt?

I hunt the wind.....or at least try to.....here in IL, its way easier than it was when I was out west on my elk hunt last sept......the mtns.....sun rise/set, changes it all, seemed to swirl always on my hunt, here in IL its check the wind and go hunt that wind direction.

I have my stands set up for varying degrees of wind direction. Example, stand A will work for a wind direction of 270 to 315 degrees ( west to northwest ). Sometimes the amount of degrees is smaller, sometimes larger. If the wind switches to an unfavorable direction, I get the heck out of there and move to another stand if time permits or I just go home.

I hunt relatively flat land and the wind rarely switches or swirls, therefore it is perfect for a whole hunt most of the time. BTW, a whole hunt for me is usually 2-3 hours max. Usually the wind will stay consistant for that length of time.

I also set/use stands for the rising thermals in the mornings and descending thermals in the evening.