How I hunt the wind
 

Guys, as you may or may not know, I do not use any scent killing products. I believe that no matter what you do, the nose of a whitetail is going to smell you if the wind is in their favor. I keep my clothes clean and only use them for hunting. No restaurants, gas stations or bars will see my hunting outfits. That being said, here is how I "hunt the wind".

I print out Ariel photos of my hunting spots and tape them to a piece of cardboard and mark all of my stand locations. On the bottom corner somewhere, I number the stand locations (ex. 1-10) and write the degrees of huntable wind direction for each stand. I visit an aviation weather web site that lists the wind direction for my area in degrees. Degrees being the degrees of a compass.

For example, Stand #1. 260 to 285 degrees. (WSW to WNW).

By using the exact degrees of wind direction instead of the more vague WSW to WNW wind directions, I am able to be more precise on the exact huntable wind directions for a given stand.

When I get up in the morning or before a hunt in the evening, I check the web site and study the forcasted wind direction for the time I'll be hunting. Then I check my "map" and pick a stand that will work for the predicted wind.

There are a lot of factors that come into play when doing this, such as...... what if the wind switches? I will leave that stand and go to another that will work or, if it's too late, go home. One thing is for sure........ if you let the wind betray your presence, you will not get the deer to come by you. You will also alert the deer to the fact that you are there and possibly cause them to go on high alert in the future or even worse, to avoid the area altogether. It is not worth the risk of hunting a wind that is wrong for a stand.

Another possibility is that you may be able to hunt a wind that is seemingly wrong for a stand if the wind is blowing OVERthe deerto a place of no concern. I have a couple of stands like this.

One last thing. I always take precautions to get to and from my stands undetected. This means visually, audibly and by scent. There are no shortcuts when it comes to fooling a whitetails senses.

Hunt by degrees! What degree are you willing to go to to get the buck you're after! [:-]

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Great advice, thank you Greg.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

That's great advice Greg, if you're hunting private land where youdon't have to worry aboutother hunters messing up your plan.;)

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Greg - do you account for wind direction when planning your entrance/exit routes from your stand, or just your actual time in the stand itself? Also, if you don't use any scent killing products at all, how do you minimize the amount of scent you leave behind traveling to/from your stands, and while being in them as well?

I know we've discussed several times that you hunt certain stands on numerous occasions throughout the season. To me, it seems like there would be a pretty definable scent trail to/from these locations as well as around them if you're not using any scent killing products at all while hunting them. I picture it as drawing a line on a piece of paper every time you walk in and out from these spots. After enough of these trips that line gets pretty thick.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Great advice but what if you hunt a stand that allows the deer to come from any direction.

My favorite stand, one that has produced very well for me is in the center of a funnel. Deer can and do come and go from every and any direction. The perdominant wind is from the west which is most favorable however, the last 3 bucks I've taken from this stand have come from the east but I arrowed them west of me (upwind). The stand is on the edge of a woodlot, overlooking agricultural fields and foodplots. The woodlot is connected to another woodlot (bedding area) by a hedge row. The deer seldom walk the hedgerow but walk the crp field that holds the foodplot. When in the stand you face west, upwind. Like I said tho, the deer do come from the east/southeast (downwind) many, many times. Although the wind from the west is favorable, it's constantly swirling and if you waited for a perfect wind, you'd never really hunt the stand and it'd be hit or miss at best.

I like Greg make sure my hunting close are as free from scent as possible but that also means I use Scent Killer (it cost pennies as far as I'm concerned and if it takes gasoline scent off my hands, it'll take scent out of clothes.) Any edge when the wind changes even if it's 1 % is good enough for me. I will never be scent free, I can only hope I reduce my scent enough not to alarm the deer out of the area. I honestly think that's the case as well. I've had deer downwind suddenly scent me but not blow and go. Not necessarily mature bucks but any deer around me is a good thing. Without what I feel are my scent practices, a blow and go is never a good thing regardless of the age class of animal downwind from me.

Hunting the wind is the number one priority, and if you have those stands that allow no other scent practices, kudos to you, that wouldn't fly so much in my favorite stands. Other stands, I could get away with not worrying about my personal scents because they have dominant wind patterns that rarely change but in my honey hole, it's being anal about scent control or you couldn't hunt it.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Good stuff there Greg!!:) I couldn't agree more on what you said.

The land you hunt is it fairly flat? Reason I ask is the woods I hunt Is fairly hilly and most of the time what the wind is doing in one spot will not be doing in another. It really makes it tough and frustrating but thats hunting I guess.;)

Its kinda funny now with all the scent control products and clothes hunters think they don't have to hunt the wind nearly as much anymore. No dought it will cost them a big mature buck at sometime or another. It could be as simple as a doe picking up your scent and heading into a different direction, game over then being most likely the next buck that comes through will most likely take her same trail and not the one she was intended to take.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

The land I hunt is very broken - a lot of bottoms and bluffs. I could hunt only the high ground but that would be eliminating some of the best areas I hunt. If I knew the wind perfectly I wouldnt use scent elimination either I think, but the mist common wind where I hunt is variable. It swirls and eddies over all those elevation changes (sometimes up to 200'). I hunt the wind in a similar way to Greg, but use an all out scent elimination strategy because I can be 100% certain part of the time on many of my stands, the wind will be 'wrong'.


I should add entry and exit are by far the most important parts of my hunt.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Again...

In addition to this, I also take several different paths to and from my stands to prevent this "line" from occuring. I also DO NOT touch anything with my bare skin. I prepare my trails to and from my stands by pruning a clear path.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

The land I have to hunt is in what we call the hill country and when you get in the fingers that I hunt SWIRLING is a big issue. I too would not be able to hunt if wind direction was the only factor to take into consideration as it changes constantly in thses fingers. Don't get me wrong there is usually a prodominate wind direction but once it hits the hills it starts swirling in the worst kind of way, The area I hunt is on the northwest side of a hill that runs southwest to northeast, once the wind(prodominately out of the southwest during bowseason)tops the hill it starts going crazy through the fingers I hunt. I still hunt the wind but I also check it while on stand, I also have the same problem with deer coming from any direction even though I try to put myself in a situation that they would have a hard time coming from behind me.
I wash my cloths in scent free soap and I use scent killer sprays.....I admit it I am a user!!!!!
If it can help me even in the least, I use it and it seems to work better than nothing at all when the wind is not predictable....

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

I rarely hunt a stand where deer can come from any direction. I try to find places where the can come from 2 - 3 directions. Otherwise it is too easy to get busted.


I never sit in the center of a funnel. It is usually too easy to get busted and ruin the whole funnel. I sit in the mouths of the funnels at either end, depending on the wind.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

As Steve mentioned it is important to know the wind direction AT YOUR STAND. I like to pay attention to what the wind does at my stand compared to the actual wind direction. A west wind may look good on a map but due to the terrain affecting the wind a northwest might be needed to hunt the stand. I think you can only figure this out by hunting the stand and finding out.
Then note your findings for future hunts. A few places where I have really noticed this are field corners and swamp edges.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Schultzy, this means that you have totake your homework one step further. After sitting your stands a time or two, you should be able to figure out exactly which winds will work. Write it down.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Some of my private land is shared with other hunters. I will not deviate from hunting the right wind because of this.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

I have learned that this is critical. I try not to touch stuff even if i'm scouting.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Cool! You do hunting the same places year after year though, right?

You could say you've been forced to hunt the wind because you don't use a scent killer.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

That's the ticket! It's called doing your homework! I learned this from a great article written by Bill Winke many years ago.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

No dought thats what a guy should do. For the most part I do know what the wind will be doing but there's them times it just swirls in every direction. At times like this I just won't hunt it, no sense in screwing it up for future hunts.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Uh, no. I hunt several different places every year. Some are the same, others are new.

I have been forced to hunt the wind because the deer's nose demands it! :eek:

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Quote of the day!! Your wall speaks for itself.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

A couple times in the stand doesnt mean you have it figured out for future wind directions. I would take it a step further. I have stands that the terrain, maps, everything else says I can only hunt with a NW wind. Over time I have learned that a SE wind is what I truely need for this stand because of the deep ravines and high ridges and whatever that wind does in these areas.

My best advice although its not feasible for all of us, but if you can during the non hunting season, visit you stand sites during all different types of wind directions (especially for those up us with steep hills and deep ravines) to see what wind you truely need for that stand site. Why wait until hunting season and try it out a couple times and learn it then? Do your homework before school starts, not the next day at lunch.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Guy's,
There's a lot of good information being discussed here, however, the main jist of my post was to show that it is important to break down the range of wind in degrees that are huntable. Doing so adds another level of precision to help you accomplish your goals. Another tool to help avoid making mistakes.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Good post MN.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

I understand what you saying but you'd never be able to hunt this particular parcel at all then.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

I also believe in "doing what you gotta do".

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

I've learned that sometimes the best stand to hunt in a bad wind is no stand at all. Stay home if the wind isn't favorable whether your using scent eliminating products or not.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Rob, How wide is your funnel? Could you maybe block part of it off with limbs or brush to guide the deer to where you could hunt from an edge?

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Shultzy, that is exactly what I do. It makes no sense trying to hunt an animal that you are forcasting your presense to. Wait for a better day.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Thats a very good post Greg, I kind of do the same thing except, I look at the local doppler for my area, then think about were to hunt as I drive to the woods. I also go through a scent regiment, which includescentkillers. Knowledge of how scent particles work is priceless while trapping and deer hunting. Scent particles are left behind as you walk trough the woods, themore time you spend in an area, the more particles you leave behind. With scent killers, scent lock, ect. The level of scent particles you leave behindaremuch more tolerable to wildlife and fade away quicker. Deer have been forced to tolerate a certain amount of human oder, he may think he is at a safe distance while your drawing backfrom 30 yards away.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

No you couldn't block it. To my east, upwind is my food plot in amoungst a crp field that is roughly 80 yards wide. Beyond that, corn or beans depending on the year. Behind me is the main woodlot(downwind) but I'm in the corner. Years (25) of watching and patterning these deer have me in the tree I'm in and placed my plot where it's placed. The hedge row that joins the two woodlots (the other being small and the beddding area which I also have a stand up against which would be the far end of the funnel and I hunt it when the winds right BUT, the deer come from 360 degrees around you). The entire funnel (small woodlots, corn/beans, hedgerow emcompasses 100's of yards in reality. The deer focus/funnel down the CRP that my stand overlooks BUT, again the deer can and do come/go from any directions at any given time. The predominant wind direction comes from west/ southwest and blows my scent through the corner of the woodlot and out over a back corn/bean field from which the deer could come from. Mostly they come from/to the bedding area to my right/ N/W.

I think this stand comes down to what Greg said.

The 3.5 year old I put in the 04 contest came from that back cornfield. I heard him walking in the woodlot behind me, directly down wind. I called him into the crp field and shot him. I've had them come from the, from my left, from my right, from downwind and upwind. They wonder through that exact area thusly why the stand hangs where it does. Scent control is a must for this stand IMO.

I'll try to get an aerial up to show the example.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

I also hunt hill's, hollows and bluffs. In some situation, the wind is much more predictable. One particular spot I hunt, The wind can come from a wide range of degrees from SW to W and always dose the same thing when it comes up the hollow or around the bluff.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Great post Greg. When I was a beginning hunter I bought in to the "forget the wind" crap that is marketed by the scent elimination companies. After a while I saw the light and figured out that there is nothing that can fool a deer’s nose if they are down wind of you. Now I absolutely will not hunt a stand if the wind is not right for it. Since following that rule I have enjoyed more success and seen more mature bucks. I quit wearing my scentlock suit a few years ago but still wash my clothes and bathe in scent eliminator type soaps.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

If you love to hunt like I do, staying at home is not an option, you'll have a stand for any and every situation;)

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Sort of wind related : stand site contamination.
I always try to play the wind. I always do my best not to contaminate my stand sites. I try not to over hunt stands for that reason. But there is one type of stand that I would hunt every day. During the rut, stand sites that are located to cut off traveling bucks in search of hot does, I will hunt my good spots as often as the wind will let me. Even if its 10 day in a row. I believe a lot of the bucks traveling thru these spots don't normally travel thru every day. They will probably not be aware of my past visits. Because of the type of stand I don't think you can burn it out.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Very good. Another reason that I have 10 stand sites. If I need more, I'll move one of them.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Good post magic, I have a saddle that connects to large tracts of landthat is like this, I onlysee bucks from this stand.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

I have stands like this andI hunt them multiple times in a row if the wind will let me.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

"I have stands like this andI hunt them multiple times in a row if the wind will let me."

I keep seeing this from you Greg and it really inspires me to sit on stand sites for multiple days in a row if I know of a good buck or two is in the area. Too many times I have abandon areas after a day or two of no sightings. There are very few areas where I hunt where I find large buck sign. I have found probably two locations( in all the areas I hunt) on tops of ridges with long fingers that have absolutely monster rubs. If I see them appear again this year I am going to take your advice and be in those stand areas from sun-up to sundown for multiple days in a row if necessary. The rubs I see in one particular area are only on large cedar trees and run the entire length of a 300 yard stretch or so right into a thick bedding area. They are rubs so big I can hardly believe it when I see them each year. I just have never been able to see this buck ( or two). Thanks for the advice, it really helps me out.

Brett

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Virginiashadow,
I have found that once the deer season has been in effect for a while, the deer seem to move around their area in a cyclic pattern. Where they were a few days ago may not produce any sightings for a couple of days or so, until they get back to that area. This is especially true of bucks. If they have checked an areas does out and have found nothing of interest, they'll move on. They will be back to check on this spot again. I have a lot of time off to hunt deer and I keep tabs on the does. They are soley responsible for all of the buck activity in a given area. If I see does out feeding with no bucks checking them out, I move to another spot and check on a different doe family unit. I go from one to the other until I find what I'm looking for, just like the bucks! [:-]

Sooner or later, the cycle will start all over again. It's simple, you just have to be there! [8D]

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

Where could we find a website that does such a thing?

Very smart! Thanks.

RE: How I hunt the wind
 

This is the one that I use. Just type in your location (Ihate that word ;)) and go!

http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi?Submit=Go&sta=KRAC&state=WI