Rethinking prevailing wind?
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Rethinking prevailing wind?
Please note: for this discussion I am focused entirely on bed hunting; not funnels, not the rut, not food sources, or other scenarios. Just hunting as close as possible to a bed without blowing your cover where you know there is a buck. I know that bed hunting often negates some of the traditional means of hunting. Obviously wind and thermals are very important. Many times on this forum we will share scenarios including aerials or topos of our current hunting situations with recommendations on how to hunt it. We almost always point out the prevailing wind direction or predominant wind. This typical wind then plays a huge role in the recommendations people give on how to hunt that spot. However, is the predominant wind usually the best time to hunt a location? Oftentimes the best deer movement occurs in conjunction with a front and when this occurs, at least where I live, the wind typically comes from a direction other than the prevailing wind. In fact, in my west dominant wind area, you can just about set your clock to a front whenever there's an east wind. Should we be focusing more on the non prevailing wind rather than what occurs most often? I wonder what your experience has been bed hunting in relation to the type of wind especially as it relates to prevailing wind. Do you see earlier movement by mature bucks on days when you're not hunting a predominant wind in conjunction with a cold front? Or do you find that it makes no difference? Does location play a factor in this at all especially as it relates to hunting swamps, marshes, hill-country, farmland, or big mountains? I'm curious to see what your experience is like. Thanks in advance for taking part in this discussion.
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Re: Rethinking prevailing wind?
Double Draw wrote:Please note: for this discussion I am focused entirely on bed hunting; not funnels, not the rut, not food sources, or other scenarios. Just hunting as close as possible to a bed without blowing your cover where you know there is a buck. I know that bed hunting often negates some of the traditional means of hunting. Obviously wind and thermals are very important. Many times on this forum we will share scenarios including aerials or topos of our current hunting situations with recommendations on how to hunt it. We almost always point out the prevailing wind direction or predominant wind. This typical wind then plays a huge role in the recommendations people give on how to hunt that spot. However, is the predominant wind usually the best time to hunt a location? Oftentimes the best deer movement occurs in conjunction with a front and when this occurs, at least where I live, the wind typically comes from a direction other than the prevailing wind. In fact, in my west dominant wind area, you can just about set your clock to a front whenever there's an east wind. Should we be focusing more on the non prevailing wind rather than what occurs most often? I wonder what your experience has been bed hunting in relation to the type of wind especially as it relates to prevailing wind. Do you see earlier movement by mature bucks on days when you're not hunting a predominant wind in conjunction with a cold front? Or do you find that it makes no difference? Does location play a factor in this at all especially as it relates to hunting swamps, marshes, hill-country, farmland, or big mountains? I'm curious to see what your experience is like. Thanks in advance for taking part in this discussion.
Wind direction and weather are always taken into factor when Im choosing where to hunt... There are always spots I have in the back of my mind waiting for the odd wind, or the front that will get them top move farther.
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Re: Rethinking prevailing wind?
I think you have to have locations for all winds. If you're simply setup on spots to hunt the prevailing wind, then you'll be sitting out a lot of days.
I think a lot of people are finding a tree they think they can kill a deer from; one that looks good for a stand, or shot opportunities, etc. Then they're working to find what wind works for that tree. I believe they're working backwards.
When I'm assessing a spot, I'm looking for 1) what wind is the buck using to his advantage to bed there & 2) what conditions or factors puts the buck there (exs: water hole nearby, probably using it in warmer conditions and south winds; thermal bedding for cold weather, probably on north winds; bedding for hot weather, probably on south winds; bedding near food source, wind doesn't matter as much; bedding near primary scrapes, maybe a wind that allows him to smell the scrape from the bed). I'm then looking for a setup that allows me to kill the buck using those conditions.
I think a lot of people are finding a tree they think they can kill a deer from; one that looks good for a stand, or shot opportunities, etc. Then they're working to find what wind works for that tree. I believe they're working backwards.
When I'm assessing a spot, I'm looking for 1) what wind is the buck using to his advantage to bed there & 2) what conditions or factors puts the buck there (exs: water hole nearby, probably using it in warmer conditions and south winds; thermal bedding for cold weather, probably on north winds; bedding for hot weather, probably on south winds; bedding near food source, wind doesn't matter as much; bedding near primary scrapes, maybe a wind that allows him to smell the scrape from the bed). I'm then looking for a setup that allows me to kill the buck using those conditions.
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