Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

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Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby <DK> » Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:45 pm

Image

LG Arrow- Wind
SM Arrow - Currents
Dark Green - Hard Transition in the Timber
Bright Green - Open Oak Patches

I enjoy everything mapping and love learning wind currents. The last few seasons I started marking up my spots w all of my past wind notes. This spot has given me some tough hunts, I saw a few posts about wind in hill country and I thought this is a cool illustration of how the wind can flow.

The process always starts with that first wind check while scouting. Even if its the in-correct wind direction for my planned hunt, its still a clue. I like checking it when the wind gusts and when it stops - especially if I plan to hunt the bottoms. I check it religiously while accessing and approaching my spots. Also after I leave a morning set bc I may leave a different way or take a long route out to check the currents. I really like steep or rocky cuts for pooling scent on all day sits. I also really like power line cuts bc they can have a consistent wind stream, even on low wind days.

Thanks to Dan, I like checking the maps and try to visualize how the wind may flow across the terrain. I keep screen shots of my spots and as I learn them I mark up a map. Its important to consider the terrain up wind and down wind to determine what may happen. The ones that keep me up at night are first light currents. Tight quarters ridges require attention and the right conditions.


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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby GeneralLee » Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:27 am

<DK> wrote:Image

LG Arrow- Wind
SM Arrow - Currents
Dark Green - Hard Transition in the Timber
Bright Green - Open Oak Patches

I enjoy everything mapping and love learning wind currents. The last few seasons I started marking up my spots w all of my past wind notes. This spot has given me some tough hunts, I saw a few posts about wind in hill country and I thought this is a cool illustration of how the wind can flow.

The process always starts with that first wind check while scouting. Even if its the in-correct wind direction for my planned hunt, its still a clue. I like checking it when the wind gusts and when it stops - especially if I plan to hunt the bottoms. I check it religiously while accessing and approaching my spots. Also after I leave a morning set bc I may leave a different way or take a long route out to check the currents. I really like steep or rocky cuts for pooling scent on all day sits. I also really like power line cuts bc they can have a consistent wind stream, even on low wind days.

Thanks to Dan, I like checking the maps and try to visualize how the wind may flow across the terrain. I keep screen shots of my spots and as I learn them I mark up a map. Its important to consider the terrain up wind and down wind to determine what may happen. The ones that keep me up at night are first light currents. Tight quarters ridges require attention and the right conditions.


This is something I want to learn more about. I also am a fanatic map reader, and I would love to have a better understanding of wind currents and how topography and terrain features affect them.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby PK_ » Thu Oct 14, 2021 10:21 am

<DK> wrote:Image

LG Arrow- Wind
SM Arrow - Currents
Dark Green - Hard Transition in the Timber
Bright Green - Open Oak Patches

I enjoy everything mapping and love learning wind currents. The last few seasons I started marking up my spots w all of my past wind notes. This spot has given me some tough hunts, I saw a few posts about wind in hill country and I thought this is a cool illustration of how the wind can flow.

The process always starts with that first wind check while scouting. Even if its the in-correct wind direction for my planned hunt, its still a clue. I like checking it when the wind gusts and when it stops - especially if I plan to hunt the bottoms. I check it religiously while accessing and approaching my spots. Also after I leave a morning set bc I may leave a different way or take a long route out to check the currents. I really like steep or rocky cuts for pooling scent on all day sits. I also really like power line cuts bc they can have a consistent wind stream, even on low wind days.

Thanks to Dan, I like checking the maps and try to visualize how the wind may flow across the terrain. I keep screen shots of my spots and as I learn them I mark up a map. Its important to consider the terrain up wind and down wind to determine what may happen. The ones that keep me up at night are first light currents. Tight quarters ridges require attention and the right conditions.


This I believe is the biggest reason why people cannot figure out how bucks use the wind to their advantage. Like you have drawn on your map you can have opposing wind directions in very close proximity. I once tracked a buck for 3/4 mile in the snow. That buck traveled North (along a Main ridge), East(just inside a large draw), then North again (along a main ridge), then West(up and over the ridge) onto a thick top. That buck had the wind into his nose the entire time. He was also using the thickest edges and steepest terrain to travel. Pretty crazy.

For the red highlighted portion. Pay attention to the air being pulled towards the rising and setting sun when it is on the horizon. This can even pull thermals up draws and over ridges or out of swamps onto higher ground, to areas exposed to the first/last sunlight of the day(if there is no wind to override it). This can quickly ruin an otherwise bulletproof setup.

The power line is a good observation, same thing goes for rivers and lakes. Not only will it direct the wind consistently but the wind moves faster across the water which creates a bit of a vacuum if you are setup close enough it will suck your scent right out of the woods and to the water.

The other thing that is extremely hard to visualize is that it is not 2D like what can be seen on the map, it is 3D. So what is happening at ground level is not always what is happening at 10’-20’-30’ in the air and this becomes more important as you drop in elevation. This is what makes reading the wind so much more difficult for people hunting hills and mountains.

I really like to find setups where I have several things (if not all things) working completely in my favor. It’s what I call a buck’s ‘blind spot’.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:50 am

This is the biggest thing I need to improve on. Foresight on unexpected wind currents. Sunday night I decided to knowingly make a horrible decision and hope for the best. Sure enough I got busted on what, according to the map and general wind direction, should have been an easy 15 yard shot on a shooter ten.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby <DK> » Fri Oct 15, 2021 12:31 am

PK_ wrote:
<DK> wrote:[The ones that keep me up at night are first light currents.


For the red highlighted portion. Pay attention to the air being pulled towards the rising and setting sun when it is on the horizon. This can even pull thermals up draws and over ridges or out of swamps onto higher ground, to areas exposed to the first/last sunlight of the day(if there is no wind to override it). This can quickly ruin an otherwise bulletproof setup.

I really like to find setups where I have several things (if not all things) working completely in my favor. It’s what I call a buck’s ‘blind spot’.


Thanks for commenting! I am always looking for help w the mornings and im always curious about morning kill setups bc it all helps. I have noticed what you are talking about w draws having sort of a vacuum effect. I will say I havent documented enough of them for morning hunts bc I mainly use them for evenings but I think my most recent hunt it was not going toward the sunrise. I believe it was opposite but still going upward. About an hour after first light the wind finally became dominant. I think the draws work together w the creek bottoms as part of the vacuum effect. Definitely something I need to concentrate on more.

I cant say I am confident in guessing first light thermals, the first 30mins can be dicey. Every hunt I have my fingers crossed haha. If I had to put a number on it id say im 50/50 my guesses but alot of that has to do w hunting a lot new spots. That first morning hunt is always a great learning exp. Some spots I need a windy night so its steady in the morning but that doesnt always work out.

Coming soon w the leaves dropping and air changing, iv found that certain sunny mornings and hunting high the thermals can go straight up in the air. I wish I had videos to share but I threw milkweed one morning and it literally went straight up the tree all the way to the tree tops.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby <DK> » Fri Oct 15, 2021 12:42 am

Lockdown wrote:This is the biggest thing I need to improve on. Foresight on unexpected wind currents. Sunday night I decided to knowingly make a horrible decision and hope for the best. Sure enough I got busted on what, according to the map and general wind direction, should have been an easy 15 yard shot on a shooter ten.

We are our own worst enemies, I still do that too haha

That white arrow in the creek, below the field point is one I wont forget. A buck was coming off of that field at first light, he was going to cross the PL to bed but that thermal busted me. Literally the same time I could see the pins and he was going to cross the creek is when it kicked in. He was moving quick too.

I love this time of year tho, ill probably hunt this same map spot Saturday morning.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby PK_ » Fri Oct 15, 2021 6:07 am

<DK> wrote:
PK_ wrote:
<DK> wrote:[The ones that keep me up at night are first light currents.


For the red highlighted portion. Pay attention to the air being pulled towards the rising and setting sun when it is on the horizon. This can even pull thermals up draws and over ridges or out of swamps onto higher ground, to areas exposed to the first/last sunlight of the day(if there is no wind to override it). This can quickly ruin an otherwise bulletproof setup.

I really like to find setups where I have several things (if not all things) working completely in my favor. It’s what I call a buck’s ‘blind spot’.


Thanks for commenting! I am always looking for help w the mornings and im always curious about morning kill setups bc it all helps. I have noticed what you are talking about w draws having sort of a vacuum effect. I will say I havent documented enough of them for morning hunts bc I mainly use them for evenings but I think my most recent hunt it was not going toward the sunrise. I believe it was opposite but still going upward. About an hour after first light the wind finally became dominant. I think the draws work together w the creek bottoms as part of the vacuum effect. Definitely something I need to concentrate on more.

I cant say I am confident in guessing first light thermals, the first 30mins can be dicey. Every hunt I have my fingers crossed haha. If I had to put a number on it id say im 50/50 my guesses but alot of that has to do w hunting a lot new spots. That first morning hunt is always a great learning exp. Some spots I need a windy night so its steady in the morning but that doesnt always work out.

Coming soon w the leaves dropping and air changing, iv found that certain sunny mornings and hunting high the thermals can go straight up in the air. I wish I had videos to share but I threw milkweed one morning and it literally went straight up the tree all the way to the tree tops.


Yea man absolutely. So I didn’t word that well. In flat ground I see it pulling towards the rising and setting sun, more often than not, but the other part of that is the second portion I mentioned (highlighted)which is where the sunlight is actually hitting. So if you are on a west face the sun will hit the East face across from you and as that area of air starts to warm it will suck thermals from surrounding areas(up them draws like you said). In the morning, the sun reaching different areas is what causes those different pulls and in some places it will always be erratic. Sun warming up air in different pockets around you. It can be a cluster, especially like you said when foliage is up. I would say go do a ground pound in the morning and see if you can find a good ambush spot that also has a consistent pull.

I am not trying to say I can see everything predictably on a map, no way, def not in hills. And some areas you won’t find a spot with a consistent pull, you just have to grit your teeth and hang on for dear life for those 30-45 mins of chaos. But if you can find something consistent and relate it to the map now you have something to look for(I know you know this and is the whole point of this thread lol).
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby brancher147 » Fri Oct 15, 2021 6:32 am

I keep it pretty simple with wind. Our predominant wind is W or NW and our mountains run mostly N/S with finger ridges going E/W. I mostly hunt mornings and I plan for rising thermals on S and E facing slopes. On N and W facing slopes I plan for falling thermals that may or may not be overpowered by the wind. I check with milkweed and setup accordingly but am ready to move if the wind switches. If it’s doing something funky I am trying to get out of there or move somewhere more consistent. I don’t mess around trying to hunt the wrong wind it’s burned me too many times. Unless it’s gun season and I can potentially shoot before getting winded.
High wind and no wind days just take trial and error. I have spots I have hunted for years and still can’t figure out the wind but I have figured out how to better adapt to what’s happening at that spot when I get to it-and sometimes that is just drop back and punt.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby PK_ » Fri Oct 15, 2021 7:05 am

brancher147 wrote:I keep it pretty simple with wind. Our predominant wind is W or NW and our mountains run mostly N/S with finger ridges going E/W. I mostly hunt mornings and I plan for rising thermals on S and E facing slopes. On N and W facing slopes I plan for falling thermals that may or may not be overpowered by the wind. I check with milkweed and setup accordingly but am ready to move if the wind switches. If it’s doing something funky I am trying to get out of there or move somewhere more consistent. I don’t mess around trying to hunt the wrong wind it’s burned me too many times. Unless it’s gun season and I can potentially shoot before getting winded.
High wind and no wind days just take trial and error. I have spots I have hunted for years and still can’t figure out the wind but I have figured out how to better adapt to what’s happening at that spot when I get to it-and sometimes that is just drop back and punt.


This is the rub right here. Very well said.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby <DK> » Fri Oct 15, 2021 9:43 am

brancher147 wrote:sometimes that is just drop back and punt.


That is not in my vocabulary haha I understand what you mean but it does takes time and exp (hunts) in spots to learn the deer and wind conditions. The top arrow is a perfect example of backing off and finding the right spot but the deer trails split and the best spot to capitalize is the tough wind spot. It could be days, weeks or even a year, maybe 2 before I get to hunt a specific spot again so I like to stay very aggressive pushing the limits.

brancher147 wrote:I mostly hunt mornings and I plan for rising thermals on S and E facing slopes. On N and W facing slopes I plan for falling thermals that may or may not be overpowered by the wind. I check with milkweed and setup accordingly but am ready to move if the wind switches. If it’s doing something funky I am trying to get out of there or move somewhere more consistent.


Sure, I definelty plan for rising thermals w the sunlight but that also doesnt happen in every spot. First light currents are flaky. I can check the milkweed in the dark but that doesnt mean anything until first light hits. I definelty wold not climb down and adjust at that time.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby brancher147 » Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:44 am

<DK> wrote:
brancher147 wrote:sometimes that is just drop back and punt.


That is not in my vocabulary haha I understand what you mean but it does takes time and exp (hunts) in spots to learn the deer and wind conditions. The top arrow is a perfect example of backing off and finding the right spot but the deer trails split and the best spot to capitalize is the tough wind spot. It could be days, weeks or even a year, maybe 2 before I get to hunt a specific spot again so I like to stay very aggressive pushing the limits.

brancher147 wrote:I mostly hunt mornings and I plan for rising thermals on S and E facing slopes. On N and W facing slopes I plan for falling thermals that may or may not be overpowered by the wind. I check with milkweed and setup accordingly but am ready to move if the wind switches. If it’s doing something funky I am trying to get out of there or move somewhere more consistent.


Sure, I definelty plan for rising thermals w the sunlight but that also doesnt happen in every spot. First light currents are flaky. I can check the milkweed in the dark but that doesnt mean anything until first light hits. I definelty wold not climb down and adjust at that time.


I hear ya. The times I have backed out I always end up somewhere else close where I know the wind will be better but I have hiked up a ridge to find the wrong wind and left rather than risk it.

I agree on first light currents. Sometimes I wait until thermal rise to get there. Sometimes I just setup for rising thermals and hope I will be ok with a falling first light current. Sometimes I will wait on the ground just below my spot and hunt falling thermals until they start to rise then access my setup for rising thermals-shot a nice bear doing that a couple years ago just leaning against a tree waiting for the wind change.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Oct 15, 2021 12:18 pm

Just stop! You are confusing me. Why don’t I just put the dang ball in the hole! :lol:
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby <DK> » Sat Oct 16, 2021 1:42 am

Boogieman1 wrote:Just stop! You are confusing me. Why don’t I just put the dang ball in the hole! :lol:


Ill slow it down for the Texas guys: Hills + Wind = Deer Win ;)
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby <DK> » Sat Oct 16, 2021 1:50 am

GeneralLee wrote:
<DK> wrote:


This is something I want to learn more about. I also am a fanatic map reader, and I would love to have a better understanding of wind currents and how topography and terrain features affect them.


Sorry, I meant to upload these for you .. These are not yet mapped out like the other spot but here are a couple more examples ;

*Bottoms Current Pulls
Image
White Arrows - Wind Direction
Blue - Wind Currents When the Wind Stops Blowing and Prime Time Thermals

These wind currents are from 1 scout and 2 hunts. I have had multiple deer funnel past me w/o even knowing I was there, they like to drop off of the ridges and feed on greens in the bottoms while they head towards oaks. Definitely some nail biting, pushing the envelope hunts! Many times (especially October) I am accounting for multiple wind currents just for one spot and that could be at any elevation. I try to account for the primary wind, secondary wind and thermal drop at last light. If I am hunting the bottoms like in this map, it will require more attention to detail and being intimate w the spot. I prefer going in here w very low wind conditions bc the thermal pull (blue) is dominant. I may only get 5 wind gusts in a evening sit that are the tru wind direction.

*Hard Transition Lines
Image
Orange - Buck Bed
Red - Set Loaction
Green - Hard Transition Lines
White - Wind
Blue - Thermal Drop

This spot is really cool, sorry the white is hard to see.. I am able to setup almost bullet proof on the right wind and up wind of a bedding area, I have yet to be busted here. With the blowing at the hard transition it will go straight up and over it into the open field. Going above the trees means it doesnt make it across the field in a steady stream. If it does - there is another hard transition (cedars) it hits again. At primetime the thermals drop into a steep cut and the deer cross at the top of it right at my stand. I love this spot, I have shot multiple deer here over the years, 2 in one sit and I actually missed a really good buck that came straight from bedding to my stand.
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Re: Logging & Mapping Wind Currents

Unread postby Ognennyy » Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:15 am

Boogieman1 wrote:Just stop! You are confusing me. Why don’t I just put the dang ball in the hole! :lol:


It is indeed very confusing. This is why I don't hunt from a tree stand when I'm in the big woods, because then I don't have to worry about any of this!


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