MountainHunter

I understand that whitetails tend not to move much on windy days, especially in the mountainous forest where I hunt. My question to you is: Surely they much need to eat. How long will whitetails stay bedded down because of wind before they decide to get up and get some food? It’s supposed to get windy (15+ MPH – and yes, I know, if you’re from the plains, that’s not very windy, but here in the wooded mountains of VA it is) around 7 PM Friday evening and then slowly ramp up to about 20 MPH around midnight, then down to 8 MPH around 2AM, then back up to about 20-25 MPH on through until 4 PM, then down to about 15 MPH around 5 or 6, about an hour before sunset. Not much chance of rain in the forecast. Do you think they will move at all during the daylight hours on Saturday or just stay bedded down? Or should I just still hunt and try to find them bedded down instead of putting up my stand in a tree?

I’m really hoping to get out and hunt this weekend; next weekend may be the last weekend I can hunt this year and no guarantee it will be any better. But it’s a 2.5 hour trip one way and I don’t want to waste it.

What do you think?

ek_buckmaster

I say go for it and hunt. What will it hurt? I personally prefer to always sit in a tree, even tho I know of guys that have stalked and succesfully taken deer. I'd sit near a food source in the evening seeing as that is when the wind is supposed to die down. Like they always say, "You can't kill a deer sitting on the couch!"

tdoro89

Just keep the wind in your face and walk around. Especially if its windy, its that much easier to keep tabs on the wind. This weekend is supposed to be nice too.

wallhangr

Where I hunt is not mountainous, but has some pretty steep ridges. Seem to find them bedding down and using trails towards the top of the ridges on the down-wind side on windy days.

Bradmn

I was out last weekend in WI, with winds blowing 20+. The land sits right on top of a bluff so it was really whipping up there. Sat the end of a field edge the first night and had two does come out to eat about an hour before sunset. The next morning I had 10 with in 15 yards. I would say that no matter what the wind the deer do some moving around... at least worth heading out

doetrain

Let me say that by no means am I a seasoned hunter compared to many on this forum and elsewhere but I will share what I have noticed here in Indiana on very windy days which I have hunted. My first windy day hunt was in October and the winds were out of the west like today.I hunted a bean field and the does piled into it a little after 6pm one evening,they seemed to be at ease in the open out of the thickets. My second windy day hunt was in early November it was right at freezing with the chill factor, the winds were gusting at 25 to 30 at 10:45 6 does come right at me moving out of a horse pasture,I had just lowered my bow to the ground and they caught me trying to get it back up. My third windy day hunt I was in the same spot same time of the morning but not quite as cold.A Buck and three does came across the same horse pasture and I shot the biggest doe at 12 yards,the Buck was a spiker so he got a pass. 50 percent of the hunts I've done on windy days I have seen deer moving and the one thing they seem to have in common is that the deer seem to be out in the open or on the edges of heavy cover. I am going out tonight back to the bean field I'll let you know what happens as well as Saturdays hunt in the high winds this weekend.

CVG Ohio

I went out this morning and the wind was howling from the west. The tree's were swaying. did not see anything. As I drove home I notced the cows were laying low and the horses were behind the wind brakes. I do know that the deer will need to eat and get up a bit but they wont till late I guess. The wind takes away there hearing and their eyes because everything is moving with the wind. Hope you do well tonight doetrain let us know what happened.

CVG Ohio

fordtough150

I sat out last night for three hours. Didn't see a thing, and sat in a swaying tree under dressed. Yesterday, today and tomorrow winds are/will be 20+ mph. I was going to sit this morning, but I went duck/goose hunting with my uncle instead and shot a few.

I looked at the hourly forecast for my area and the wind will be 7-10 mph from 6 am to 9 am Sunday. I plan to make it out tomorrow morning.

craitchky

It was extremely windy here in central IL, and that didn't stop the deer from moving, I saw over 30 while in stand this weekend, and my wife shot her first ever deer with a bow. Just get out there.

doetrain

I did not get out Friday as hoped but Saturday morning saw deer moving in Lanesville IN where I hunt,no shot unfortunately. At 10:00am my Nephew sent me a text message"Big Doe Down". He had 2 Bucks,very small and 4 Does under him and he droped the big Doe and she is now in the freezer. I won't say the wind makes no difference because it does. I once again saw deer around the 10:00 am time frame as well as my Nephew and he got a shot. If we had stayed home it would not have happened,so the bottom line is if it's safe to get out ,get out. Just added a pic of the Doe for you enjoyment. The winds where around 15 to 25 mph if not more all day.