How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to back?

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Stanley
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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby Stanley » Sun Oct 27, 2013 2:19 pm

Czabs wrote:I'm going to draw a map later on and see what you guys think of some examples...Stanley or Dan if you could draw up a quick map of examples that would be nice...


I killed a buck from this location. The sequential order was; Glassed from the black spot by the road. Saw a couple of bucks using the blue travel route. Used an observation stand yellow circle next time the wind permitted. One buck used the blue travel route. The wind was from the west both times. I now am pretty sure I have a pattern going that will net me a buck. "Buck going from bed to corn". I waited for the next SW wind and slid in for the kill (orange a/white stand site). The red line is my travel route All three times I observed/hunted the wind was virtually to the bucks backs. This was a low impact type of hunt (I am most comfortable using this style). Notice I did not disturb the bedding/travel route/food source, area any of the times I was there, snuck in snuck out.



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The buck I killed from this spot.
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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Sun Oct 27, 2013 3:02 pm

Thanks for the illustration Stan, that always helps.

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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby Timmy » Sun Oct 27, 2013 3:09 pm

Jackson Marsh wrote:Thanks for the illustration Stan, that always helps.

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Yes great illustration. Very helpful

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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby wibow » Sun Oct 27, 2013 3:53 pm

Excellent!

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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby PK_ » Mon Oct 28, 2013 1:32 pm

If I were to put it into a percentile it would be well over 90%.

13 of my last 16 bucks have been shot moving with wind to their back. 2 crosswind, in thermal tunnel. 1 nose to wind, using funnel.

Those numbers pretty well reflect all deer movement I see regarding wind direction.
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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby whitetail4ever » Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:15 pm

dan wrote:Most of the bucks I see are traveling wind to back... But, then again thats what I am set up for so I don't get busted... If they always traveled with the wind to face they would never make it back to there beds, or to preferred food, and would eventually [glow=red]anp up in china due to the lack of east winds around here[/glow]...


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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby magicman54494 » Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:48 pm

dan wrote:Most of the bucks I see are traveling wind to back... But, then again thats what I am set up for so I don't get busted... If they always traveled with the wind to face they would never make it back to there beds, or to preferred food, and would eventually anp up in china due to the lack of east winds around here...


but couldn't the same be said if they always travel with the wind at their back? if you're setting up close to their bedding area and you have the wind in your favor you're going to see all the deer moving with the wind at your back. you are also basing this data on 100 yards of the deers maybe two mile movement that night. how can they get back to their bed if they left with the wind at their back and the wind doesn't change overnight?

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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby Timmy » Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:03 pm

So if a buck had the option, would you say they would like to walk with the wind, rather than against it? It seems to me that you should set up on a bed based on the wind that would be needed for a buck to use the bed, and not worry so much about whether hes walking with or against the wind?

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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby dan » Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:43 pm

magicman54494 wrote:
dan wrote:Most of the bucks I see are traveling wind to back... But, then again thats what I am set up for so I don't get busted... If they always traveled with the wind to face they would never make it back to there beds, or to preferred food, and would eventually anp up in china due to the lack of east winds around here...


but couldn't the same be said if they always travel with the wind at their back? if you're setting up close to their bedding area and you have the wind in your favor you're going to see all the deer moving with the wind at your back. you are also basing this data on 100 yards of the deers maybe two mile movement that night. how can they get back to their bed if they left with the wind at their back and the wind doesn't change overnight?

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I never said they "always" travel with wind to back... My statement was they fdon't "always" do anything... You have to set up for what the buck you are hunting is doing. And little of there movement from bed in the evening is predictable solely based on wind direction.
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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby dan » Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:46 pm

Timmy wrote:So if a buck had the option, would you say they would like to walk with the wind, rather than against it? It seems to me that you should set up on a bed based on the wind that would be needed for a buck to use the bed, and not worry so much about whether hes walking with or against the wind?

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I think in feeding mode they "prefer" wind to back. In rut mode cross wind.
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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby Autumn Ninja » Tue Oct 29, 2013 10:13 am

I can say that almost every deer I've ever seen or killed (many) from Sep. to Jan. (buck and doe) where using a variation of cross wind.

This has nothing to do with behavior or tendency though, I set up that way by design.

As for wind "to tail " or "to nose" variations...they fall about 50/50 from what I've seen.

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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby ragecaged22 » Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:45 am

The buck i'm hunting here in big woods of NW PA (Allegheny National Forest) seems to TRAVEL with wind in his face or crosscutting. I was scouting on labor day this year right after a big thunderstorm and the wind was outta the north and he was headed uphill with the north wind blowing almost straight to his nose...and possibly was getting some thermal downcurrent since he was traveling uphill from the river. Then on OCT 13th, I had an encounter with a stud 4yo 7 pointer around 8 am and i think he was returning to a big clearcut to bed in but the wind was crosscutting his face. In fact, all the deer i've seen so far this year had the wind crosscutting them in the face.

I am going to really start paying attention about the theory of them with the winds to their back...it makes sense but for some reason I've never seen it here in big woods. I kinda hope my big boy survives this upcoming gun season so I can do some heavy scouting this spring and find all the beds, mark them on my gps, and figure out which points or ridges he beds on and for which winds so I am better prepared to kill him next year opening day. Hopefully I kill him this year haha well i'm gonna give her anyways.


RUT REPORT THUS FAR: I've been shining quite a bit, taken lots of long wheeler rides on sundays as well as scouting, and still haven't seen one mature buck with a doe..I'm sure theres a hogger somewhere with a doe that came in early with this last cold front but as far as I've seen its been nothing but 2yo's and youngsters sniffing around/chasing the does... Woods are lit up with scrapes...big rubs glowing orange everywhere....FRI morning i seen 7 diff bucks (no shooters all youngsters) but all were nose to ground or messin with does...

I hope the main event doesnt break loose till around Nov 10th when i take some time off from college to hunt haha

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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby Czabs » Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:08 pm

Stanley thanks for the illustration. 8-)
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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:12 pm

Czabs wrote:Stanley thanks for the illustration. 8-)


BTW Czabs, Great topic!!!!
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Re: How often do you actually see deer travel with wind to b

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:34 am

I am confused on this one..... :?

Leaving a bed I guess the buck is going to go where "the plan" is for the day.....wind could be at his back, cross wind or face? Dan, when you came up and scouted by me and we found the beds.....most were set ups for wind to cross or wind in deers face when we picked out trees.....We where picking beds and what winds they would utilize such bed and how they would exit. (most to a food source) Then where best stand locations would be.

Traveling thru the woods it's a 50-50 crap shoot. See this a lot tracking. I have been following big buck tracks for many years......years past to find ambush baiting spots, just recently to actually run one down and kill it.

This is more times than not, when coming to food source, I know you guys hate baiting, but it's cross wind or wind to nose. Bear do the same thing. I have seen this countless times. This is for crop fields, bait, acorns and/or cuts.

Very rarely will I see a deer/bear enter a feeding area with the wind at their back......if wind is not already in face with direction of travel they will semi circle. I have seen this in big woods, farm country and mix terrain when I use to hunt central WI. I am truely baffled on this one?


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