There seems to be much talk of playing the wind lately so what I want to know is how many of you get these ebb & flow wind patterns? Say the predominant (and forecasted) wind direction is from the NW. What I experience VERY often, is the NW wind followed by a period of SE wind. It is very similar to how the waves crash in on the beach. Sometimes the ratio won’t be too bad, say 10:1 in favor of the forecast direction, but other times, I’ve seen it almost be even.

Anyone else deal with this?

I'll say this, Ryan.....I'm learning that it's different with each spot, sometimes.

When I left the house, yesterday....I was expecting a NW wind...anda pretty good one, at that. When I got to my building and my weather vane.....it said N. I got ready and rode to my in-laws on the atv.....looking at the trees as I drove over. NW. I live on a pretty good hill.....and all I could think was the trees were affecting how the wind reacted when it got to my vane.

I need a wind checker. Period. I need to use it, often.....even going in.

I've got a few spots that I might be hunting as intelligently as I think I am. I'm gonna use this season to learn them, better.

I hope.

I just got back from talking to a man about a job, though......and I might be REALLY busy REALLy fast. Exciting....but dissapointing, too (hunting-wise).

We'll see.

This is a GREAT topic that I'll watch with keen interest....and hope to learn something.

I dont think I've ever had a constant wind in one direction while bowhunting (first year, so not much experience, but still). Its always just all over the place for me.

interesting concept ive never heard of rybo....heck ive even had a meterology class and dont remember those terms at all im SURE they werent covered we did learn about thermals and such though....

i think that wind is a tricky thing to try to hunt by a forecast....yes, they can give you the direction the wind is blowing from....but what happens when that wind hits a hill? a valley? a ridge? a saddle?? a thick stand of pines? across an open field? etc etc etc.....that is why i believe its super difficult to hunt SOME areas based on wind forecasts....

i got a spot up the road from my school ive been hunting all my life...a couple times a season it will be DEAD calm winds here on the flat lands...i head up there and its STIFF...one day trees were blowing over...i get back to campus and there was hardly a breeze...my buddy thought i was nuts when i got home with no deer and still daylight...he didnt believe it was that windy within a half hour drive...why its windy up there is beyond me...its the top of a pretty BIG hill (beginning of what we call mountains in PA...Venango Co) and has a couple HUGE valleys...maybe it causes the wind i see up there...theres calm days...but its weird how some days its windy as heck and calm not a half hour away....

only thing we can do as hunters is learn as much as we can, and learn how the wind acts in our own hunting areas...

my honey hole drives me up a wall...its one of the highest points around....the wind seems to change directions 100x a day...what ive done for there is found a couple different trees i can climb depending on the wind....i know the direction the deer usually come from and where they bed....i try to keep my scent from blowing those directions...and gotta shoot before they hit my trail...just incase they pick it up...

The other night when I shot my doe, i thought there was a mini hurricane in the area as much as the wind was swirling...changed every 5 minutes it seemed like.

Now that you mention it though, it was mainly switching from one direction (good one we banked on) to the exact opposite....waves on beach is excellent comparison.

Wind is not cool, although id actually rather have a steady solid light wind in one direction than dead calm. Helps mask your sound, movement and scent.

Very true, i really dont like it dead calm because your afraid to breath, move, etc...

Damn rybo, your getting technical on us, I like it!

Give a guy a wind checker & a compass and he goes nuts! [8D]

I’ve always noticed this ever since I started paying attention to wind. It’s REALLY been killing me at my house the past couple outings cause I’ve been on the ground. Wind blows from the SW for 15 minutes, then blows from the NE for 1 minute…repeat. I’ve seen it at my main hunting spot for years. Its not a swirling wind, but a back & forth.