One Morning. Three Winds.

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
funderburk
500 Club
Posts: 827
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:16 am
Location: South Carolina
Status: Offline

Re: One Morning. Three Winds.

Unread postby funderburk » Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:52 am

Kraftd wrote:
WV Bowhunter wrote:
funderburk wrote:
WV Bowhunter wrote:Most mornings I don’t see the thermals having much effect until a couple hours after sun up. I’ve been known to sleep in and head out after the thermals kick in to get to certain spots.


Good thought. Are the Bucks typically bedded by the time you let the thermals rise? Or do you still catch them coming in to their bed?


Already bedded. I’ve had better luck getting close to their bedroom after they are back in it. I’ve been busted several times trying to set up on a buck coming back to his bed with the thermals dropping down the hill and the bucks approach from below.

For me I’ve had higher odds sits when I get as close as I can and hope for the buck to get up and move late morning or midday to browse around.


This. Agreed that light and variable is a total crapshoot and you're often just hoping for luck at the exact right moment. Also agree that thermals won't save you until things are warming after he's likely already bedded.

That said, my experience and theory is that the deer hate it too sometimes because they can't use it to their advantage when they are moving either. That may mean they are back way before light and tucked in to avoid it, or that they hunker down somewhere and come back once the thermals set-up or the wind gets more consistent so they know where to bed, unless they have a bed that is not wind specific. I've seen bucks sneaking back into bedding in that 8-9 range, generally in thick swamps, even out of the rut in those cases.

Can you do an observation for first light far enough back to not wind the bedding but see what comes home, then sneak in after the thermals set-up or the wind switches and hope he either gets up to browse, or adjusts beds based on the wind/thermal change, which happens quite a bit too?


Really great thoughts. Taking all that into consideration for sure. An observation sit might be the right thing.


“I’ve always believed that the mind is the best weapon.” John Rambo
User avatar
funderburk
500 Club
Posts: 827
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:16 am
Location: South Carolina
Status: Offline

Re: One Morning. Three Winds.

Unread postby funderburk » Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:54 am

G-Patt wrote:Good question. I'm not quite sure what terrain you're hunting. Sounds like good bedding is located on the east end of some object that is leeward of west winds. If this is a ridge, get in early and hunt the lower, southeast area of the ridge. Perhaps catch them j-hooking or catch them coming from the creek bottom up to their bed. As the wind shifts to the north, the wind will be in your face and blowing your thermals south and hopefully out of the way of the bedding. I personally like to move when I hunt and prefer being on the ground. As the wind shifts to the north, I would glass into the bedding to see what the bucks are doing and if they decide to shift positions or bedding, I would quietly move in response to their moves and set up for a crosswind or quarter-wind position - assuming they don't bust me first. It's risky but that's required for shifting winds. I probably wouldn't hunt a day like this though. :lol: Good luck, and let us know what you learn.


You nailed it. I think staying on the ground will help in case I’m moving around a lot. I can certainly glass the ridge he should be on (or headed to) and make adjustments throughout the morning. Great advice. Thanks!
“I’ve always believed that the mind is the best weapon.” John Rambo
User avatar
DaveT1963
500 Club
Posts: 5196
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:27 am
Location: South
Status: Offline

Re: One Morning. Three Winds.

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:01 am

Every single weekend I hunted this year had at least 2 wind changes. looking over my notebooks, most weekend evenings in Oct from 4:00PM to dark I had 3 wind shifts (N, NW, SW or SE, S, NE) - it just seemed like every front passed through on weekends and in the evening hours. I did not see but 1 shooter buck in October in the evenings and very little overall deer movement. Mornings were a little better but lots of swirling and wind shifts there also. Nov, as the cold fronts got more intense, we had a day, sometimes two to count on consistent winds all day. I hunted every single day in Nov and I see only 3 days total where we had the same wind from sun up to sun down - makes it hard to plan an all day sit.

BTW - the above notes did not count thermals.
Brickhouse
Posts: 85
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 2:29 pm
Status: Offline

Re: One Morning. Three Winds.

Unread postby Brickhouse » Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:28 am

WV Bowhunter wrote:Most mornings I don’t see the thermals having much effect until a couple hours after sun up. I’ve been known to sleep in and head out after the thermals kick in to get to certain spots.


Very good point. Where I hunt the terrain is pretty tame. I see an almost immediately effect with thermals when it starts getting light out. I took a trip to southern ohio earlier this year and saw more similar results to what you're talking about. It took awhile for them to kick in but when they did it was with more magnitude than at home. Almost a light breeze. It sounds like this is more applicable to the OP


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 99 guests