What do you do when it's dead calm?
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What do you do when it's dead calm?
The wind was blowing pretty good all day around here until I got home today. Based on the wind direction I had a couple of spots in mind so I headed out anyway. When I got to the first spot the wind was pretty much non-existent. I checked it in several different spots and it more or less just floated around where I was standing before dropping to the ground. Sitting there would have likely meant my scent would just pool up around me and I likely wouldn't have many or any deer get within range. I didn't even make it to the tree I planned on hunting before deciding the first spot wasn't worth a sit under less than ideal conditions so I decided to save it for a better day and try another spot not too far away. Well, when I got there it was the same situation with the wind essentially dead. Again I decided not to hunt the area and stay out of the spot to avoid burning it up under less than ideal conditions.
In the end I ended up not even hunting and instead just doing some drive around scouting on a few areas. This is not something I've elected to do much of in the past but with a better awareness of the importance of playing the wind now I just felt like it was the best thing to do for the long haul.[glow=red]I'm curious what others would do or do under dead calm conditions like this: hunt anyways, scout, stay home?[/glow] In the future I hope to have enough spots that would give me some options up high on ridges or something that would likely have at least a light but steady wind under similar conditions. I was down on flat ground tonight and the winds just weren't such that I felt comfortable sitting in any of the stands I had in mind.
I want to mention also that there wasn't much thermal activity at all tonight as the temperatures seemed to stay pretty much the same until dark.
In the end I ended up not even hunting and instead just doing some drive around scouting on a few areas. This is not something I've elected to do much of in the past but with a better awareness of the importance of playing the wind now I just felt like it was the best thing to do for the long haul.[glow=red]I'm curious what others would do or do under dead calm conditions like this: hunt anyways, scout, stay home?[/glow] In the future I hope to have enough spots that would give me some options up high on ridges or something that would likely have at least a light but steady wind under similar conditions. I was down on flat ground tonight and the winds just weren't such that I felt comfortable sitting in any of the stands I had in mind.
I want to mention also that there wasn't much thermal activity at all tonight as the temperatures seemed to stay pretty much the same until dark.
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Personally as long as the wind wasnt variable like 0-5 mph and not blowing to where the deer are likely to come from, I would have hunted. But its a long season here and taking a night off from one of your good spots because you didnt feel comfortable isnt a bad idea.. Driving around observing isnt a bad idea this time of season..
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- Stanley
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Light variable winds are just plain tough to hunt. I kind of think waiting for a better wind would be a good option.
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: What do you do when it's dead calm?
I love calm evenings... Bucks seem to move earlier and you can hear them coming. Yea, there is some disadvantages. But there is give and take on every hunt. In a lot of areas heavier wind means more swirling. If they reach my scent pool and I think its a shooter... I shoot him. Goes back to the whole "face the deer or face away" thread... I am facing him and shooting the 1st opportunity. The longer you allow a shooter to hang around the more chance he will detect something.
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Where i am from calm/variable winds are so much the norm. For years i was so discouraged by trying to understand what i was doing wrong being unable to hunt the wind correctly....then i lived in the midwest for a bit and found out it wasnt me at all. Now i do my absolute best to hunt the wind, but if it swirls it swirls...here its just part of hunting
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Unless there is a front or something moving through dawn/dusk are always like that down here. I am realizing last couple season how important thermals, whether from the sun or swamp can make or break your hunt. I have a lot of setups these days where I am below the high water mark and at prime time am or pm the swamp is pulling my thermals towards deeper water.
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
I go still hunt an area that I've got no real stake in, I've taken a few deer this way but often its just hail mary scouting. Go wander around that area that you just know has to hold some good deer but you're not familiar enough with to really have much of a game plan, you'd be surprized what you find.
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- Milk Weed Seed
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Light / no wind, thermals are key.
Also don't fart in light / no wind, unless you smell like roses
Also don't fart in light / no wind, unless you smell like roses
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
I love dead calm day's...I just set up and let the terrain carry my scent in a safe area, away from where the deer are gonna be. I can also get by with hunting some lower areas that I can't hunt on windy days. The deer also move earlier (here) on calm day's.
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- chasemukluk
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Milk Weed Seed wrote:Light / no wind, thermals are key.
Also don't fart in light / no wind, unless you smell like roses
Deer fart too! Watch the video!
[bbvideo=425,350]www.youtube.com/embed/c9GU4P-1AWI[/bbvideo]
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
chasemukluk wrote:Milk Weed Seed wrote:Light / no wind, thermals are key.
Also don't fart in light / no wind, unless you smell like roses
Deer fart too! Watch the video!
[bbvideo=425,350]www.youtube.com/embed/c9GU4P-1AWI[/bbvideo]
Lmao!!! thats awesome!!!
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Who knew ha
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Re: What do you do when it's dead calm?
Hunt thermals.... they still exist
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