Windy Days II
- Ognennyy
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Windy Days II
I really did not want to hijack the original thread "Windy Days" but as I read through it I felt many of my own frustrations coming up.
Short version for those who don't want to read a long-winded, frustration-venting post: From how far away can a deer smell you in the thick North-Eastern woods with a 10-15 mph wind (e.g. the Adirondacks, Green mountains, Appalachians, Alleghanies)? What about thermals? Just how far up the slope do they travel in the case of a rising thermal?
HunterBob is in Georgia and I hunt the Adirondacks in NY but I feel like we have something in common; either there is no wind, it randomly blows from all directions and swirls, or it's both swirling and switching between opposite directions neither of which was the predicted wind for the day, with really not a lot of middle ground. Both cases obviously are extremely frustrating.
Boogieman has a solution that I've considered in the past (just don't hunt when the wind is swirling and being squirrely) but if I did that I don't know how much time I would end up hunting. When weather fronts are moving in or out (which was a lot more often than not this year for some reason) it's gusty, swirly, unpredictable winds. When fronts are not changing, it's either storming because there's a low pressure front hanging around, or high pressure front which means blue sky days and thermals beginning as early as 8am. While thermals are different, they present the same challenge and frustration that the wind is generally causing for me Adirondack hunting.
The wind is taking away what I value the most in my self-taught pursuits which is my feedback loop. I can't look at a hunt where I didn't see any deer and really analyze why. On that cold, high pressure blue-sky day that I go in to hunt a bench full of pre-rut sign in hopes of catching bucks bedding on the south-facing slope high above and wound up not seeing any deer, why? Did I not see them because they're not bedding there or the deer are just not currently using this area in general (in both cases it's an easy take away -my scouting was lacking)? Or did I not see them because the thermal on that day busted me?
That last question is so frustrating to me because there's really no way to answer that. You can't not see a deer and just assume it was because you got winded from a quarter mile. You can't physically see where your scent goes. You can't just "don't hunt there on days when the thermals are an issue" because those are precisely the days I think bucks will be there, when it's cold and sunny so they bed there to warm up in the morning.
Meh. I haven't gotten a deer this year and I'm venting, but the wind does drive me nuts where I hunt.
Short version for those who don't want to read a long-winded, frustration-venting post: From how far away can a deer smell you in the thick North-Eastern woods with a 10-15 mph wind (e.g. the Adirondacks, Green mountains, Appalachians, Alleghanies)? What about thermals? Just how far up the slope do they travel in the case of a rising thermal?
HunterBob is in Georgia and I hunt the Adirondacks in NY but I feel like we have something in common; either there is no wind, it randomly blows from all directions and swirls, or it's both swirling and switching between opposite directions neither of which was the predicted wind for the day, with really not a lot of middle ground. Both cases obviously are extremely frustrating.
Boogieman has a solution that I've considered in the past (just don't hunt when the wind is swirling and being squirrely) but if I did that I don't know how much time I would end up hunting. When weather fronts are moving in or out (which was a lot more often than not this year for some reason) it's gusty, swirly, unpredictable winds. When fronts are not changing, it's either storming because there's a low pressure front hanging around, or high pressure front which means blue sky days and thermals beginning as early as 8am. While thermals are different, they present the same challenge and frustration that the wind is generally causing for me Adirondack hunting.
The wind is taking away what I value the most in my self-taught pursuits which is my feedback loop. I can't look at a hunt where I didn't see any deer and really analyze why. On that cold, high pressure blue-sky day that I go in to hunt a bench full of pre-rut sign in hopes of catching bucks bedding on the south-facing slope high above and wound up not seeing any deer, why? Did I not see them because they're not bedding there or the deer are just not currently using this area in general (in both cases it's an easy take away -my scouting was lacking)? Or did I not see them because the thermal on that day busted me?
That last question is so frustrating to me because there's really no way to answer that. You can't not see a deer and just assume it was because you got winded from a quarter mile. You can't physically see where your scent goes. You can't just "don't hunt there on days when the thermals are an issue" because those are precisely the days I think bucks will be there, when it's cold and sunny so they bed there to warm up in the morning.
Meh. I haven't gotten a deer this year and I'm venting, but the wind does drive me nuts where I hunt.
- Boogieman1
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Re: Windy Days II
Well said! As for me it’s not saying don’t hunt. I have all the time in the world and like to hunt with a recurve. A swirly wind is a guarantee you won’t get anything in front of you. Suspect why the op never sees anything under such conditions.
I’m not one to say every day is great. Has anyone else ever tried to build a fire in the middle of a rain storm? I’ve ran the gauntlet and have gone from one extreme to the other. These days quite honestly I prefer to hunt smarter vs harder. Does that mean you can’t kill bucks In sorry conditions? No! But for me if your first sit is the best I like to stack the odds. Would trade 30 sorry condition sits for 3 first time sits in primo conditions.
I’m a realist…., I’m not gonna sneak up on a good buck with a recurve under a high swirly wind day and drill him. Maybe once out of 5O years. But how many times did I cost myself by doing so. I prefer to play the offense/defense game.
I’m not one to say every day is great. Has anyone else ever tried to build a fire in the middle of a rain storm? I’ve ran the gauntlet and have gone from one extreme to the other. These days quite honestly I prefer to hunt smarter vs harder. Does that mean you can’t kill bucks In sorry conditions? No! But for me if your first sit is the best I like to stack the odds. Would trade 30 sorry condition sits for 3 first time sits in primo conditions.
I’m a realist…., I’m not gonna sneak up on a good buck with a recurve under a high swirly wind day and drill him. Maybe once out of 5O years. But how many times did I cost myself by doing so. I prefer to play the offense/defense game.
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
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- Dewey
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Re: Windy Days II
Boogieman1 wrote:Well said! As for me it’s not saying don’t hunt. I have all the time in the world and like to hunt with a recurve. A swirly wind is a guarantee you won’t get anything in front of you. Suspect why the op never sees anything under such conditions.
I’m not one to say every day is great. Has anyone else ever tried to build a fire in the middle of a rain storm? I’ve ran the gauntlet and have gone from one extreme to the other. These days quite honestly I prefer to hunt smarter vs harder. Does that mean you can’t kill bucks In sorry conditions? No! But for me if your first sit is the best I like to stack the odds. Would trade 30 sorry condition sits for 3 first time sits in primo conditions.
I’m a realist…., I’m not gonna sneak up on a good buck with a recurve under a high swirly wind day and drill him. Maybe once out of 5O years. But how many times did I cost myself by doing so. I prefer to play the offense/defense game.
Your the Boogieman. Death in any conditions. That’s just how it is. No excuses.
- Boogieman1
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Re: Windy Days II
Dewey wrote:Boogieman1 wrote:Well said! As for me it’s not saying don’t hunt. I have all the time in the world and like to hunt with a recurve. A swirly wind is a guarantee you won’t get anything in front of you. Suspect why the op never sees anything under such conditions.
I’m not one to say every day is great. Has anyone else ever tried to build a fire in the middle of a rain storm? I’ve ran the gauntlet and have gone from one extreme to the other. These days quite honestly I prefer to hunt smarter vs harder. Does that mean you can’t kill bucks In sorry conditions? No! But for me if your first sit is the best I like to stack the odds. Would trade 30 sorry condition sits for 3 first time sits in primo conditions.
I’m a realist…., I’m not gonna sneak up on a good buck with a recurve under a high swirly wind day and drill him. Maybe once out of 5O years. But how many times did I cost myself by doing so. I prefer to play the offense/defense game.
Your the Boogieman. Death in any conditions. That’s just how it is. No excuses.
That’s just this season! When I struggle I can cook up excuses with the best of em
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
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- greenhorndave
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Re: Windy Days II
Limiting one's self those high-percentage days sounds like the way to go, but it's so dang hard to stay out of the woods when you don't know if the wind will be doing exactly what you are counting on until you get to a spot that may be a mile-plus deep. I totally understand the frustration and have been there before. Unfortunately, I think it takes some trial and error in certain areas to know precisely what works and what doesn't. And that takes time.
Let me know if you find the secret formula for figuring this stuff out.
Let me know if you find the secret formula for figuring this stuff out.
----------
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
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Re: Windy Days II
Ognennyy wrote:I really did not want to hijack the original thread "Windy Days" but as I read through it I felt many of my own frustrations coming up.
Short version for those who don't want to read a long-winded, frustration-venting post: From how far away can a deer smell you in the thick North-Eastern woods with a 10-15 mph wind (e.g. the Adirondacks, Green mountains, Appalachians, Alleghanies)? What about thermals? Just how far up the slope do they travel in the case of a rising thermal?
HunterBob is in Georgia and I hunt the Adirondacks in NY but I feel like we have something in common; either there is no wind, it randomly blows from all directions and swirls, or it's both swirling and switching between opposite directions neither of which was the predicted wind for the day, with really not a lot of middle ground. Both cases obviously are extremely frustrating.
Boogieman has a solution that I've considered in the past (just don't hunt when the wind is swirling and being squirrely) but if I did that I don't know how much time I would end up hunting. When weather fronts are moving in or out (which was a lot more often than not this year for some reason) it's gusty, swirly, unpredictable winds. When fronts are not changing, it's either storming because there's a low pressure front hanging around, or high pressure front which means blue sky days and thermals beginning as early as 8am. While thermals are different, they present the same challenge and frustration that the wind is generally causing for me Adirondack hunting.
The wind is taking away what I value the most in my self-taught pursuits which is my feedback loop. I can't look at a hunt where I didn't see any deer and really analyze why. On that cold, high pressure blue-sky day that I go in to hunt a bench full of pre-rut sign in hopes of catching bucks bedding on the south-facing slope high above and wound up not seeing any deer, why? Did I not see them because they're not bedding there or the deer are just not currently using this area in general (in both cases it's an easy take away -my scouting was lacking)? Or did I not see them because the thermal on that day busted me?
That last question is so frustrating to me because there's really no way to answer that. You can't not see a deer and just assume it was because you got winded from a quarter mile. You can't physically see where your scent goes. You can't just "don't hunt there on days when the thermals are an issue" because those are precisely the days I think bucks will be there, when it's cold and sunny so they bed there to warm up in the morning.
Meh. I haven't gotten a deer this year and I'm venting, but the wind does drive me nuts where I hunt.
I’m not sure if u have hunted anywhere but the Adirondacks, but if not, I can tell u a bit more comes into play. I hunt a vast area that’s very similar. Wind direction is always key, but in these extreme big woods settings it’s extremely hard to pattern any given deer. I hunted a 12000 acre piece today, not a soul in site. Tons of deer activity, but they cruise around all day because they don’t get pressured. There’s a big difference between pressured public, and big woods mountain terrain. I’d say your best bet is to get out there with a gun and put some miles on with snow on the ground. That helps a lot to single places out , or find some
Good spots to scout more
- Jimmy wallhanger
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Re: Windy Days II
I was thinking about swirling wonds a few sits ago as the wind kept changing. I always check the weather to see the wind direction and its usually very accurate, but I can not recall ever seeing the forcast for swirling winds.
"I don't care if you use it or not, I could care less, There's no money in it for me, Im not making any money from scent-lok... I'm making a little bit of royalties from the saddlehunter suit"
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Re: Windy Days II
I deal with swirling winds on a nearly daily basis.
Unless a front is incoming or has just push through and the prevailing southern winds have come back strong for the first 2 days like they always do, then the wind is swirling.
Most times I get too the tree I want and after watching a few milk weed drops I can say nope I need to move over a bit. Sometimes you just got to play around and find that lil spot on the spot that plays the wind/thermal just right for you that day.
Also I keep a very detailed journal of conditions of each days hunt.
Once I had this real primo spot, every year it was a mature buck magnet and held mature bucks from prerut till end of rut, but I couldnt make it happen, no matter what I did. Even hunting on high wind days, I would get busted, most times they would get my scent before i could even get up a tree. So i broke down and waisted 3 seasons wind mapping that area.
I would go in with some cheap road side fireworks stand smoke bombs, find the tree and drop a bomb and then document how it traveled across the landscape. I was amazed to find that this lil maybe one foot deep old dryed up creek bed would pull the smoke all kinds of directions even back against the wind blowing that day over the tops of the ridges.
That's how I was able too figure out a wind direction that i could use too get into that area without being busted and where I could set up and hunt without being busted and have a chance at making a kill. I also learned that in that area the higher I got the better. Found out that if I could get to the 24 or higher zoon, the wind would straighten out and be much better for hunting.
Sometimes you just got too burn some hunting time to figure out those really good areas.
Unless a front is incoming or has just push through and the prevailing southern winds have come back strong for the first 2 days like they always do, then the wind is swirling.
Most times I get too the tree I want and after watching a few milk weed drops I can say nope I need to move over a bit. Sometimes you just got to play around and find that lil spot on the spot that plays the wind/thermal just right for you that day.
Also I keep a very detailed journal of conditions of each days hunt.
Once I had this real primo spot, every year it was a mature buck magnet and held mature bucks from prerut till end of rut, but I couldnt make it happen, no matter what I did. Even hunting on high wind days, I would get busted, most times they would get my scent before i could even get up a tree. So i broke down and waisted 3 seasons wind mapping that area.
I would go in with some cheap road side fireworks stand smoke bombs, find the tree and drop a bomb and then document how it traveled across the landscape. I was amazed to find that this lil maybe one foot deep old dryed up creek bed would pull the smoke all kinds of directions even back against the wind blowing that day over the tops of the ridges.
That's how I was able too figure out a wind direction that i could use too get into that area without being busted and where I could set up and hunt without being busted and have a chance at making a kill. I also learned that in that area the higher I got the better. Found out that if I could get to the 24 or higher zoon, the wind would straighten out and be much better for hunting.
Sometimes you just got too burn some hunting time to figure out those really good areas.
- Ognennyy
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Re: Windy Days II
Boogieman1 wrote:Well said! As for me it’s not saying don’t hunt. I have all the time in the world and like to hunt with a recurve. A swirly wind is a guarantee you won’t get anything in front of you. Suspect why the op never sees anything under such conditions.
I’m not one to say every day is great. Has anyone else ever tried to build a fire in the middle of a rain storm? I’ve ran the gauntlet and have gone from one extreme to the other. These days quite honestly I prefer to hunt smarter vs harder. Does that mean you can’t kill bucks In sorry conditions? No! But for me if your first sit is the best I like to stack the odds. Would trade 30 sorry condition sits for 3 first time sits in primo conditions.
I’m a realist…., I’m not gonna sneak up on a good buck with a recurve under a high swirly wind day and drill him. Maybe once out of 5O years. But how many times did I cost myself by doing so. I prefer to play the offense/defense game.
Ok I'm on your wavelength now with what you'd meant Boogie. Our circumstances are a bit different too. You trying to kill mature bucks with a recurve, me hunting with a compound or muzzleloader and just trying to see any deer.
- Ognennyy
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Re: Windy Days II
A5BLASTER wrote:I would go in with some cheap road side fireworks stand smoke bombs, find the tree and drop a bomb and then document how it traveled across the landscape.
That is a great idea and I think I'm going to try that over the next couple months.
BTW, what do you guys consider to be a swirling wind? When the forecast (accurate ones, like Ventusky) say it's going to be a 12mph prevailing west wind on a day, but then you get in the woods and the wind comes out of the north for 30 sec then dies off, no wind for 60 seconds, then 35 seconds of wind out of the south, rinse and repeat, is that what you call swirling? Or is swirling more when you have that north wind pick up steady for 15 sec, then starts gusting on and off on and off, feeling a little inconsistent, you drop a milk weed and it just blows like all over the place?
I think of it as the later description but wondered what everyone else thinks.
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Re: Windy Days II
Ognennyy wrote:A5BLASTER wrote:I would go in with some cheap road side fireworks stand smoke bombs, find the tree and drop a bomb and then document how it traveled across the landscape.
That is a great idea and I think I'm going to try that over the next couple months.
BTW, what do you guys consider to be a swirling wind? When the forecast (accurate ones, like Ventusky) say it's going to be a 12mph prevailing west wind on a day, but then you get in the woods and the wind comes out of the north for 30 sec then dies off, no wind for 60 seconds, then 35 seconds of wind out of the south, rinse and repeat, is that what you call swirling? Or is swirling more when you have that north wind pick up steady for 15 sec, then starts gusting on and off on and off, feeling a little inconsistent, you drop a milk weed and it just blows like all over the place?
I think of it as the later description but wondered what everyone else thinks.
I consider a wind a swirling wind, when I feel it coming from one direction and then soon as I feel it die down it starts coming from a different direction, with atleast 3 diffrent wind directions.
- Ognennyy
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Re: Windy Days II
A5BLASTER wrote:Ognennyy wrote:A5BLASTER wrote:I would go in with some cheap road side fireworks stand smoke bombs, find the tree and drop a bomb and then document how it traveled across the landscape.
That is a great idea and I think I'm going to try that over the next couple months.
BTW, what do you guys consider to be a swirling wind? When the forecast (accurate ones, like Ventusky) say it's going to be a 12mph prevailing west wind on a day, but then you get in the woods and the wind comes out of the north for 30 sec then dies off, no wind for 60 seconds, then 35 seconds of wind out of the south, rinse and repeat, is that what you call swirling? Or is swirling more when you have that north wind pick up steady for 15 sec, then starts gusting on and off on and off, feeling a little inconsistent, you drop a milk weed and it just blows like all over the place?
I think of it as the later description but wondered what everyone else thinks.
I consider a wind a swirling wind, when I feel it coming from one direction and then soon as I feel it die down it starts coming from a different direction, with atleast 3 diffrent wind directions.
Ok feels like we're on the same page pretty much.
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Re: Windy Days II
Ognennyy wrote:I really did not want to hijack the original thread "Windy Days" but as I read through it I felt many of my own frustrations coming up.
Short version for those who don't want to read a long-winded, frustration-venting post: From how far away can a deer smell you in the thick North-Eastern woods with a 10-15 mph wind (e.g. the Adirondacks, Green mountains, Appalachians, Alleghanies)? What about thermals? Just how far up the slope do they travel in the case of a rising thermal?
HunterBob is in Georgia and I hunt the Adirondacks in NY but I feel like we have something in common; either there is no wind, it randomly blows from all directions and swirls, or it's both swirling and switching between opposite directions neither of which was the predicted wind for the day, with really not a lot of middle ground. Both cases obviously are extremely frustrating.
Boogieman has a solution that I've considered in the past (just don't hunt when the wind is swirling and being squirrely) but if I did that I don't know how much time I would end up hunting. When weather fronts are moving in or out (which was a lot more often than not this year for some reason) it's gusty, swirly, unpredictable winds. When fronts are not changing, it's either storming because there's a low pressure front hanging around, or high pressure front which means blue sky days and thermals beginning as early as 8am. While thermals are different, they present the same challenge and frustration that the wind is generally causing for me Adirondack hunting.
The wind is taking away what I value the most in my self-taught pursuits which is my feedback loop. I can't look at a hunt where I didn't see any deer and really analyze why. On that cold, high pressure blue-sky day that I go in to hunt a bench full of pre-rut sign in hopes of catching bucks bedding on the south-facing slope high above and wound up not seeing any deer, why? Did I not see them because they're not bedding there or the deer are just not currently using this area in general (in both cases it's an easy take away -my scouting was lacking)? Or did I not see them because the thermal on that day busted me?
That last question is so frustrating to me because there's really no way to answer that. You can't not see a deer and just assume it was because you got winded from a quarter mile. You can't physically see where your scent goes. You can't just "don't hunt there on days when the thermals are an issue" because those are precisely the days I think bucks will be there, when it's cold and sunny so they bed there to warm up in the morning.
Meh. I haven't gotten a deer this year and I'm venting, but the wind does drive me nuts where I hunt.
I wouldn't have minded you hijacking my thread at all, since you are describing the same scenario that I was asking about. One thing that is standing out to me is that windy days are possibly great days to leave a saddle/stand at home and stay on the ground to scout or to stalk into some bedding areas. As Dan said, with the noise of the wind you can possibly sneak into some areas and hopefully get close enough before something scents you.
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Re: Windy Days II
HunterBob wrote:Ognennyy wrote:I really did not want to hijack the original thread "Windy Days" but as I read through it I felt many of my own frustrations coming up.
Short version for those who don't want to read a long-winded, frustration-venting post: From how far away can a deer smell you in the thick North-Eastern woods with a 10-15 mph wind (e.g. the Adirondacks, Green mountains, Appalachians, Alleghanies)? What about thermals? Just how far up the slope do they travel in the case of a rising thermal?
HunterBob is in Georgia and I hunt the Adirondacks in NY but I feel like we have something in common; either there is no wind, it randomly blows from all directions and swirls, or it's both swirling and switching between opposite directions neither of which was the predicted wind for the day, with really not a lot of middle ground. Both cases obviously are extremely frustrating.
Boogieman has a solution that I've considered in the past (just don't hunt when the wind is swirling and being squirrely) but if I did that I don't know how much time I would end up hunting. When weather fronts are moving in or out (which was a lot more often than not this year for some reason) it's gusty, swirly, unpredictable winds. When fronts are not changing, it's either storming because there's a low pressure front hanging around, or high pressure front which means blue sky days and thermals beginning as early as 8am. While thermals are different, they present the same challenge and frustration that the wind is generally causing for me Adirondack hunting.
The wind is taking away what I value the most in my self-taught pursuits which is my feedback loop. I can't look at a hunt where I didn't see any deer and really analyze why. On that cold, high pressure blue-sky day that I go in to hunt a bench full of pre-rut sign in hopes of catching bucks bedding on the south-facing slope high above and wound up not seeing any deer, why? Did I not see them because they're not bedding there or the deer are just not currently using this area in general (in both cases it's an easy take away -my scouting was lacking)? Or did I not see them because the thermal on that day busted me?
That last question is so frustrating to me because there's really no way to answer that. You can't not see a deer and just assume it was because you got winded from a quarter mile. You can't physically see where your scent goes. You can't just "don't hunt there on days when the thermals are an issue" because those are precisely the days I think bucks will be there, when it's cold and sunny so they bed there to warm up in the morning.
Meh. I haven't gotten a deer this year and I'm venting, but the wind does drive me nuts where I hunt.
I wouldn't have minded you hijacking my thread at all, since you are describing the same scenario that I was asking about. One thing that is standing out to me is that windy days are possibly great days to leave a saddle/stand at home and stay on the ground to scout or to stalk into some bedding areas. As Dan said, with the noise of the wind you can possibly sneak into some areas and hopefully get close enough before something scents you.
I do that alot but I save those days for during our short gun seasons on the public I hunt, that way if I jack it up and a deer bust me, I still have a chance too slip a bullet through a hole to small for a arrow.
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