Observation sit sighting, urgency or patience?

[mike_mc]

Last night I sat a observation stand 350 yards from a ground blind I had made in the winter and watched a buck walk past it. He walked along a east-west ditch and my ground blind is to the south of the ditch. He was bedded either on the ditch or just north of it. So a north wind would be ideal, but there is no north winds in the forecast. The best I see is a west wind on Wednesday.

Do I risk the west wind Wednesday? Or be patient for a north wind and hope he hasn't moved on be then?

[headgear]

If you can make a west wind work I would get in there asap, if you feel you will get busted before you can get a shot off you might have to be patient.

[tgreeno]

You're not always going to get the exact ideal wind every time. When you've seen the deer is there, sometimes you have to gamble with a less than perfect wind. Maybe you move a little to make the west wind work for you? I say strike while the iron is hot!

[Rich M]

He's there now - any other spot you can ambush him on his travel route?

[whitetailassasin]

A just off wind will work too. If your unsure, sit again and see if he repeats.

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[mike_mc]

Thanks for the input so far. My biggest concern of hunting the west wind is that if the wind were to come from the southwest he would be able to smell me.

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[jwilkstn]

I agree with the above comments, strike now if you can find a way. Maybe get creative?

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[Bucky]

Wed will be NW with a cold blast after the rain. Go kill em Wed PM

Pass on Tues... hunt Wed. Hunt the "odds" and kill more deer

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[dan]

Food sources change weekly this time of year and a buck can be here today, gone tomorrow... When I do observations I am usually looking for the same wind, not a different one. They bed in spots often because of the wind direction. Waiting for the right wind may mean waiting for the wrong day... A buck has a knack for getting thru an area in a way without you having a shot. A mobile hunter who is good at setting up where ever he needs to be to take advantage of the movement is going to be more successful than the guy with a set stand waiting for the right (wrong) wind.

[mainebowhunter]

Agree with the above. Dan said it. Food is changing ...here it seems every 3 or 4 days. Sometimes, the toughest part with the wind is your access, not even the setup. If you can get the right setup on the right wind but the wrong access, game over.

[JoeRE]

Yep as others have mentioned, this time of year jump on any potential pattern you may see. It's not gonna last long.

Just off winds are some of my favorite to hunt. High risk but high reward. Nothing makes a buck more comfortable than thinking he knows everything that is in front of him.

By the way, not sure of the terrain there but what wind was he bedded on. That will help tell you what similar wind you need to make work. Don't go by what wind YOU want - what matters is what wind the BUCK wants.