East Wind. My Favorite

[Boogieman1]

In the Northeast (where I grew up) and Midwest (where I now live), the predominant wind is from the West and winds with east in them are the least common. I've had an extremely high mature buck encounter rate when the wind has east in it vs. when it blows from any other direction. Part of this is likely because I can hunt spots that rarely ever get hunted.
When I see an easterly wind forecasted, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. It's go time. Has anyone else had increased mature buck opportunities when an east or other off direction wind blows?

I love the Easterly, gray, overcast, even drizzling rain kind of days. Done very well on those kind of days.

X2! My absolute fav

[muskieman]

Gun opener in MN we had a east wind. It really hinders where we can hunt . However we have a small food plot that can be only hunted with a east wind. I ended up killing my biggest buck ever. 5 years ago we had a east wind on the Sunday of gun opener and I killed a 125 9 pointer. So the last few times we have had it during the rut in MN I have killed nice bucks......

[Hawthorne]

I shot my second biggest buck on a full moon morning with an east wind in early October. Go figure.That spot produced a few more times for me with an east wind until I lost access. Use to think an east wind sucked them in to that bedding area and side of property

[mspaci]

same here

[hambone]

I've got spots for all winds. One of my favorite spots is in a 60 yd wide strip between a creek and a small isolated pond, surrounded by bedding. An E or SE wind is what this spot set's up for.

[Jdaukontas]

Also live in the northeast, and shot my buck this year on an east wind. I only have a handful of spots for them, and stay out of them until that east wind arrives. Good spots, untouched until that right wind is a deadly combo I have learned in a few short years of doing this.

[SamPotter]

My avatar buck was killed with an east wind and I killed another the following year on another east wind. In the fall of 2016 I hunted east winds twice and climbed trees only to find myself within bow range of a bedded mature buck once and a bedded 3 year old the other time. Like I've said, there's something about an east wind...

[Grasshopper]

I'm in the North East and agree with the East wind. Often easterly winds are associated with a change in weather, so I generally considered that the reason.

[brancher147]

Sam & others...On those favorite winds has your success been hunting directly parallel to the wind? A cross-wind? Or just off-wind?

The ridges and mountains here run N and S for the most part. So I usually hunt an east wind as a cross wind on the west side of a ridge and will hunt above or below a trail or bed depending on thermals.

The west sides of our ridges tend to be steeper and rougher and have a slightly northerly aspect. And a steep west ridge with a slight northerly aspect is a very tough spot to hunt thermals as the sun may not hit it until 10 or 11 am sometimes. I hunt some west sides where the thermals almost always pull downhill. An east wind is tough to hunt around here, but it can really pay off.

[elk yinzer]

I like East and North winds. They tend to be associated with cold fronts and make the South/West sides leeward where there are more reliable thermals.

[SamPotter]

Sam & others...On those favorite winds has your success been hunting directly parallel to the wind? A cross-wind? Or just off-wind?

I've generally been set up on the downwind side of cover.

[flinginairos]

I found a spot this past season that was great on an E-NE wind. Entry on that wind was perfect and it forced the bucks to bed on a lower flat that was mostly brush and grass. Proved deadly on my third sit with the same wind. I know exactly where i'll be with that wind in the forecast next season!

[Bigb]

Love east winds but seldom get them. I have a spectacular leeward pinch point funnel for an east wind that borders a corn field on one side. Only hunt it with an East wind in the rut. 2016 I hunted it once, saw 9 bucks that AM, missed a giant 160" 8 point because I hit a twig and spooked a 155" 10 point as I was literally halfway down my tree when he was 25 yards away (neighbor go this year measuring 170"). This year hunted that same stand one nasty afternoon with a West wind because I wanted to see how it hunted on a west wind and only saw two bucks. Hunted it a few days later with an SE wind and killed my buck at 6:37A. He was a mature brute that smelled like he was rutting. Funny thing is he wasn't leaward, we was out in the cut beans looking for does.

I'll take as many east winds in November as I can get.