Wind & Buck Movement

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Troutking
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Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby Troutking » Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:36 pm

This may be a question that seems simple or basic to some of you sage hunters but I'll ask anyway. Sunday night I killed an 8 point coming off of a ridge that I was hunting. This is fairly hilly terrain for my neck of the woods. I set up in my spot with my LW & sticks based on how I felt the deer would be bedding with the W/NW wind that was blowing. He came from his bed and was steadily walking at approx the 25% from the top elevation with the wind to his back. It seems when I am hunting ridges bucks travel with the wind to the back or quartering with the wind. My question is the following: Will they usually prefer to travel with the wind to their back or do they tend to travel like this out of necessity. The necessity being that they are bedded on the leeward side of the ridge because of the wind and in order to drop down to a desired food source they move the quickest and most efficient way which is down wind. I never seem to see the deer moving into the wind on the ridge. Maybe I am splitting hairs but curious what your thoughts are. Any insight would be appreciated.


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Stanley
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:41 pm

I would say 90% of the bucks I have killed were walking with the wind to their back. Simply put, you can't hunt them with the wind blowing towards them.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby dan » Thu Oct 18, 2012 4:29 am

Stanley wrote:I would say 90% of the bucks I have killed were walking with the wind to their back. Simply put, you can't hunt them with the blowing towards them.

Right...
And they travel a lot more with the wind to there back, than in there face. All prey animals do. This is because they are always feeding, and when feeding they watch in front of them, and smell behind. Watch them the next time you see them in a field, wind to back, watching in front as they feed. Point A, to point B, I see little regard to wind direction unless its rut.
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby headgear » Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:29 am

I see closer to 50/50 where I hunt, might be a wolf thing as the deer might have a better reason to know what is in front of them.
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby Rutnstrut » Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:52 am

Look at it this way, if deer ONLY traveled into the wind they would all end up stuck in a corner somewhere;)
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:54 am

Rutnstrut wrote:Look at it this way, if deer ONLY traveled into the wind they would all end up stuck in a corner somewhere;)


Lol...... that's true....

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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby Badger » Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:56 am

Rutnstrut wrote:Look at it this way, if deer ONLY traveled into the wind they would all end up stuck in a corner somewhere;)


I hope it's my corner.. :lol: :lol:
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby wibowhntr » Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:00 am

Chris...any pics of the buck?
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby wmihunter » Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:15 am

So got a question then...in the marsh my understanding is they prefer to head into the wind out if their beds-at least they move earlier in this scenario. Why is it different in hill country?

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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:38 am

I think some of the statements above were situational, accurate and well intended- however they are easily misconstrued as a "blanket statement" for buck travel and wind utilization. For example, I've shot a lot of bucks that weren't travelling downwind...

Avoid the generalizations and focus on the situation at hand- is it a feeding area? A bedding area or the transition route between the two? Is the rut in full play which can really change up buck travel and wind utilization?

When you see a buck moving downwind on a ridge, or a buck coming down a hill near dark with thermals climbing down his back, or a heavy pressure swamp buck travelling the edge of a point with the wind coming from the open woods of the point and the super-dense cover of the swamp protecting his downwind side (a transition line) while he uses his vision for protection straight ahead...

Make note of it and ask yourself why. These patterns often repeat themselves.
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby dan » Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:25 am

wibowhntr wrote:Chris...any pics of the buck?

Look in the member buck line up... on page #3
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15066
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby dan » Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:27 am

Rutnstrut wrote:Look at it this way, if deer ONLY traveled into the wind they would all end up stuck in a corner somewhere;)

Exactly... Stuck in a corner or all swimming across the ocean.
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby dan » Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:33 am

wmihunter wrote:So got a question then...in the marsh my understanding is they prefer to head into the wind out if their beds-at least they move earlier in this scenario. Why is it different in hill country?

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They move earlier when they feel secure... Be it that they can smell ahead of them, be it that they have not seen any pressure, or be it they can see where they are going, and have been watching it from the bed... That don't change in hill country.
Not all deer come to the Beast to learn how to act though, and every situation is different... Thats a "general rule" they still move in daylight wind to back... And when feeding, that seems more likely than wind to face. Travel from bed to food generally has no bearing on wind direction, more just going from point A, to point B.
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby headgear » Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:33 pm

Singing Bridge wrote:I think some of the statements above were situational, accurate and well intended- however they are easily misconstrued as a "blanket statement" for buck travel and wind utilization. For example, I've shot a lot of bucks that weren't travelling downwind...

Avoid the generalizations and focus on the situation at hand- is it a feeding area? A bedding area or the transition route between the two? Is the rut in full play which can really change up buck travel and wind utilization?

When you see a buck moving downwind on a ridge, or a buck coming down a hill near dark with thermals climbing down his back, or a heavy pressure swamp buck travelling the edge of a point with the wind coming from the open woods of the point and the super-dense cover of the swamp protecting his downwind side (a transition line) while he uses his vision for protection straight ahead...

Make note of it and ask yourself why. These patterns often repeat themselves.


Good post SB. Hopefully no one took my post as I think the deer move into the wind half the time. Its just that half the mature bucks I see or shoot are moving into or quartering into the wind. I mentioned wolves but moving in daylight on public land probably has something to do with it. Any bucks not traveling without any regaurd for safety get shot when they are yearlings.
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Re: Wind & Buck Movement

Unread postby Troutking » Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:53 pm

wibowhntr wrote:Chris...any pics of the buck?


Like Dan said it is in the photo thread. I haven't mentioned much about it because honestly it was a disappointment. My first experience with ground shrinkage or more accurately not judging the deer properly on the hoof with the lower light and limited time. I put in a ton of time this year scouting and was looking for a different class of animal. That being said, I appreciate the fact that I killed an animal and don't take that lightly. However, it just wasn't the caliber of animal I'm looking for. Striving to be a better hunter like many of you on this forum. I'm pressing on and looking for a good buck kill during gun season with my bow. Like other mistakes I have made I learned from this and will be the better for it!
The less you have the more you got so don't you cry for more--Widespread Panic


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