wind?
 

I have a treestand that I have seen deer from every direction, but I only hunt it with a west or north wind. The stand is on a ridge and is about 22 ft up. The area has a lot of gulleys and ridges and in front of me is a gulley. My question is do you think I could hunt it with a south wind blowing at my back and over me without ruining spot?

Thanks

To me the key is how is it best for you to walk into that area?

If having a northerly direction will result in not disturbing as much of suspected bedding or feeding area, I'd stay out with a breeze that is taking my scent northward.

However, you make a great point about "every direction". There is a ton of truth in that statement.

I hunt a lot of times when in the course of the day the wind will shift. Often the direction will shift dramatically ifa front is coming through. Many times, I stay put and just rotate my climber around so that the wind is at my back, using the tree's truck as a back drop cover. Other times, I climb down and relocate 20 -50 yards or so. Just depends.

My feeling is that at that height, the wind should blow your scent away over the top of them and disperse it so that they won't wind you from that direction. We don't have tall trees here in South Texas and my favorite stand is in a big oak that's only about 10 feet (platform height) off the ground. I've had the wind swirl during a sit so that suddenly it was at my back and blowing straight towards my shooting lanes (in an oat patch) with as many as 15 deer in front of me and within 30 yards - not one of them picked their heads up.

That said, I would take a wind tester and test what it's actually doing to your scent. Especially since you're on a ridge. Thermal drafts can take your scent straight down (or up) and in any direction, even when the wind seems to be perfect. Ridges are notorious for creating thermal drafts. It's ALWAYS a smart idea to use a wind tester (puffer) when you're hunting out of a elevated stand.

Hope this helps