wholelottagobble

I guess living up here in the mountains of north carolina, if it aint windy and cold during deer season then it's only a matter of time. Anyhow, it's gonna be windy and cold the next 4 days or so and i want to hunt some. Any strategies you guys could share with this greenhorn? Fields or woods? time of day? Everything ya'll post I learn from. Thanks fellas.

KoBear

in my eight years of experience, i have found that as long as it isnt too windy, the deer move as normal and you can hunt the fields. if it is pretty windy, hunt a creek bottom or cedars or bedding areas with alotta cover. the woods cuts down on the wind. deer gotta put up with the wind all the time, so its nuthin abnormal for them. they may move as normal or they may hold up in the thick stuff and cedars.

Coastie

If it's as windy as it was here today, stay home by the fire. I went out for a couple of hours late this afternoon after it had died down a bit but did no good.

uncle matt

I believe that if the cold front is recent or moving in, then you will see more activity (movement in the late afternoon). If it's just getting colder and colder as winter is truly setting in, then there will probobly be some activity in the mornings too, but not as much as afternoons.

I would look for the pretty used lookin trails from field edges into woods where they might be bedding. I would get in the woods maybe 50 yards or so and hunker down in a natural groundblind such as the fork of a large deadfall or where a deadfall dropped into a thicket. Get a seat set up and clear back anything on ground that will make noise if you have to move around. You might want to take your clippers and trim a couple shooter lanes or atleast cut back some of the problem looking stuff.

Then, and this is the most important part, GET YOURSELF COMFORTABLE IN A NICE SLEEPING BAG! If you can remain warm and comfy, you will be better able to stay STILL. I like to use those disposable heater packs-a little duct tape to stick em to your underwears and I find myself opening up clothing frequently to let a little heat out. And them deer will probobly show up on the pretty much later during the afternoon.

If I was out there and comfortable-I would unload my gun at dusk and sit it out for a spell to see what might be ambling by dark. If you can see where these late deer are coming from, you can adjust your positioning to be in a better suited ambush point for whacking 'em during legal hours.

Good luck Gobbler. Go whack ya one and have a nice holiday season!

Uncle Matt (in IL)........eating deer sausage

rcw280

if winds are better than 20mph very little if any deer movement. but would still rather be in the woods if you can get on the down wind side of a steep hill, this can sometimes produce.

whitetails & muskies

If you are faced with limited hunting time and time in the woods is critical (always is), a windy day is the best day to still hunt / stalk. Alot of natural movment and noise in the woods to hide yours. Try to slowly work your way into the wind and stop frequently, then look for "horizontal" lines in the woods, many times that's a dead giveaway to a deers back or belly.

Split-Hoof

I agree totally with W&M on this. Windy days are perfect for still hunting or tracking. I tracked down a nice little 8 point this season by tracking him on just such a day. There was only a dusting of snow, but it was enough to track him down - the cold weather had them up and moving, and with the strong wind, he had a harder time to hear, see, or smell me. Days like you described are perfect for on-the-move hunting tactics.

DaveH

Sit on the lee side of hills protected from the wind. And the wind often dies down a little right at dusk.

FL/GA Hunter

First: never ever ever stay inside. There's no such thing as a bad day to be hunting.

When it really starts getting nasty, the deer are going to want to stay warm (and dry, if it's raining) as much as you would. They're going to find the thickest, most covered area they can to stay out of the elements, and they're not going to move. I agree with an earlier poster - if you have cedars where you are, use them. Cedars are a great place for deer to stay out of the weather. Stalk through them heading as much into the wind as possible, stay quiet and move slow, and you'll see deer. Just remember - they're going to be staying in one spot and watching, so you're gonna have to be on full alert. The wind (and rain, in certain circumstances) will work for you, though - it'll keep the noise you make down.

Tazman

When the wind is up as others said, still hunting into the wind all the low spots out of the wind works. If the wind has been blowing for several days it is time to find a honeysuckle thicket out of the wind and have a seat, the deer have to eat and will eat anything that is out of the wind.