High heat and shifting winds, whats the answer?

[IkemanTx]

Just a little rundown on an issue I have had pretty regularly on the property I am hunting... here's an example

My last sit, I had a spot with lots of good fresh sign. It was a little easy to get to, but I hadn't seen a vehicle parked in that lot in the 3 days days I had been on property (on the first week of the season too). Forecast winds were to be swinging from out of the northeast, to out of the east. preliminary checks on the way in, and upon setup confirm this. During my sit (3:30-7:32) I can not even count the number of times the wind shifted. I would end up with winds out of the west for 10 or 20 minutes, winds out of the northwest, and then about 10 minutes after sundown (prime-time) the winds shifted out of the south... not 5 minutes later I get winded hard. Get back to the truck, and the winds are exactly how they should have been.

My scent prep was to wash my clothes, between my morning hunt and afternoon. I also sprayed down the truck upon getting out after the morning and again before getting in to head to hunt. Took a second scent free shower after eating lunch, baking soda toothpaste, the works. Once at the parking lot I sprayed my shirt, pants, leafy netting, harness, and bow down. Essentially my afternoon hunt was full-on scent control prep like a morning. BUT, after just a few hundred yards with a stand / sticks / pack on my back in the 90 degree heat and high humidity..... I am completely drenched in sweat.

This is the third sit out of 5 that I have had so many sustained wind direction shifts.... Is there any way to set up for the wind in situations like this? Is there ANY level of scent control that would help in heat like this? I am pretty discouraged that all my setups have been so heavily compromised by shifting/swirling winds. Needing some guidance!!!

[Hawthorne]

Must have something to do with the terrain your hunting. You have to put out milk to learn how the wind moves thru certain areas. Im no expert on air movement but I know certain terrain can shift the wind.

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[IkemanTx]

Ya, I learned about using milkweed too late in the year. Ours is all gone around here. The thing is, it is mostly flat land, but it's almost like just the mixture of treelines and clearings are causing it.

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[mheichelbech]

X3 on the milkweed seed. Some terrain is like that, especially if hunting down low...if your in a hilly area, hunt on top until you can figure what situations can provide a consistent wind which you may not be able to do in season without killing the area. Sometimes it takes a certain wind velocity to have a consistent wind in an area, sometimes you just can't get a consistent wind and you have to hunt around it or take your chances. Could also partly be due to temps...

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[justdirtyfun]

That's pretty tough. We always set up sending our scent where the deer are most likely to NOT be.
Maybe hunt a fenceline,Creek or other hard edge that will keep the deer in a preferred direction.
Your cloudy days will have different thermal /scent activity in the same location and time of day.
Just keep thinking it through piece by piece.

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[xpauliber]

That's part of the reason that I LIKE when the wind is 10mph+ because it tends to stay blowing from one direction and is more predictable.

The only thing you can do when it's light and variable is to hunt areas that aren't your prime spots since you will more than likely spook deer on those hunts. I use those nights to hit new areas with the stand on my back and try to gain Intel. You might get lucky and catch a buck on their feet when the wind isn't blowing your scent his way.

One last thing to try is hitting ridge tops or high areas that tend to have a more consistent wind. Forget about any type of bottom hunting on these nights.

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[deereload]

If you're going in blind tough to determine what the cause of the wind shifts . In the other hand , if you are familiar with it take some time in the offseason to figure it it . Are you around an open area that transitions into timber or Could be the other way around . I commend you on your scent avoiding tactics , but it does suck when it's warm and you are sweating buckets - been there done that - very frustrating but will pay off - good luck

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[IkemanTx]

Well, Tuesday has lower highs forecasted... (85) I am trying to convince my wife to let me drive up for the day and hunt and drive back. But, it is the day after our Anniversary, so you can guess how that goes. After pouring over the Sat photos, I have found what I think is a pond in the middle of the woods northeast of the sit listed above. Would this be a viable mid-day sit? I know the bucks won't risk walking to water in the open, but what about if it is covered up like this??? I know it doesn't look like much, but 2 different Sat photos at 2 different times of year make it look like permanent water. The creek bed around it is definitely dry this time of year.

If it is water, what would be the best time of day to sit it?