The wind argument….

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Lockdown
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Jun 10, 2021 5:44 am

Great discussion!

Using the wind to your advantage successfully will often be decided by access. One of my main marsh hunting tactics is to access through cattails and water. One spot is a huge thicket and there is absolutely NO WAY to hunt in the back on the downwind side (where they’re bedding and the bucks will cruise during rut) without “using the back door”.

One of my trees got taken over last fall, but the year before I hunted it and had two small bucks swing in downwind of the bedding right in front of me at point blank range. And often the does will approach from downwind, then head in to bed.

I even had a fawn come in nose to ground real slow. He was a half hour after a doe and fawn. All the sudden he picked his head up and RAN into the thicket. No doubt in my mind he smelled mama in there.

I prepped a new spot this year that will be good all season. Principle is the same as the above mentioned... access through the cattails where NOTHING can get down wind. Deer will come out of bedding wind to nose right to me... it’s a dynamite spot but will not be fun to get to. In that situation that’s the only way to hunt those deer with the wind in their favor without blowing out the whole works or leaving scent where they’ll be walking.


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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Thu Jun 10, 2021 6:47 am

Lockdown wrote:Great discussion!

Using the wind to your advantage successfully will often be decided by access. One of my main marsh hunting tactics is to access through cattails and water. One spot is a huge thicket and there is absolutely NO WAY to hunt in the back on the downwind side (where they’re bedding and the bucks will cruise during rut) without “using the back door”.

One of my trees got taken over last fall, but the year before I hunted it and had two small bucks swing in downwind of the bedding right in front of me at point blank range. And often the does will approach from downwind, then head in to bed.

I even had a fawn come in nose to ground real slow. He was a half hour after a doe and fawn. All the sudden he picked his head up and RAN into the thicket. No doubt in my mind he smelled mama in there.

I prepped a new spot this year that will be good all season. Principle is the same as the above mentioned... access through the cattails where NOTHING can get down wind. Deer will come out of bedding wind to nose right to me... it’s a dynamite spot but will not be fun to get to. In that situation that’s the only way to hunt those deer with the wind in their favor without blowing out the whole works or leaving scent where they’ll be walking.


Agree a hundred percent with your statement about access. Water access's being it swamp/cattails, creeks, rivers, or lakes always puts you at an advantage. #1 ground scent is minimal if not non existent, #2 deer least expect their predators to be approaching through or across water sources, #3 water access tends to be quieter than accessing through thick cover or the open woods. When scouting a new property or looking for new public, the first thing I do is look for all the water sources on that piece.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby tim » Thu Jun 10, 2021 5:39 pm

HuntingParadise wrote:
tim wrote:Well one could argue however a deer travels the wind is to his advantage or would he travel that way? But I hunt to give the deer their wind advantage and setup to capitalize on it. But don’t forget accessing that spot . You have to acces in such a way you aren’t detected so they feel safe traveling that route…..


Just curious but how close to you think you can get if trying to circle around a buck where the wind is blowing towards his bed?

Well I’m mostly hunting the bluffs of western wisconsin so if I know where they are bedding I usually attempt to circle quit a ways off and then head straight in to my setup preferably come from the opposite way so it’s not even an issue but that can’t always be done. Last year when I killed my buck I felt I could catch him heading back to bedding in a morning so I set up on a northeast wind that would have given him a quartering wind from his backside and it’s exactly what he did . But I also had a mock scrape setup with a horizontal rub the he started hitting for the first time in 3 years and he was addicted to it. When he crested the hill it was still a couple minutes before shooting but there was no mistaking that huge cage lol so I got ready he walked directly to the base of my tree and started smelling the air and my tree. I didn’t expect that because my wind was still going the opposite direction he came from and I expected him to circle from below not walk straight in…..he stuff legged down the hill and all went quiet so I thought he knew I was there and slowly disappeared . I didn’t even look down or behind me till it was legal shooting cause I didn’t know if he was still around. About 5 minutes later and I could now see better I heard a deer coming up the hill and he came in exactly how I thought he would initially and I killed him before he could come into the scrape setup. If he didn’t get my wind coming in he had to be close to getting it . It’s a close game we play with the wind .
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby greenhorndave » Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:54 pm

Lockdown wrote:Great discussion!

Using the wind to your advantage successfully will often be decided by access. One of my main marsh hunting tactics is to access through cattails and water. One spot is a huge thicket and there is absolutely NO WAY to hunt in the back on the downwind side (where they’re bedding and the bucks will cruise during rut) without “using the back door”.

One of my trees got taken over last fall, but the year before I hunted it and had two small bucks swing in downwind of the bedding right in front of me at point blank range. And often the does will approach from downwind, then head in to bed.

I even had a fawn come in nose to ground real slow. He was a half hour after a doe and fawn. All the sudden he picked his head up and RAN into the thicket. No doubt in my mind he smelled mama in there.

I prepped a new spot this year that will be good all season. Principle is the same as the above mentioned... access through the cattails where NOTHING can get down wind. Deer will come out of bedding wind to nose right to me... it’s a dynamite spot but will not be fun to get to. In that situation that’s the only way to hunt those deer with the wind in their favor without blowing out the whole works or leaving scent where they’ll be walking.

Strange ask... could you do a crayon-level drawing of the setup and access that you’re talking about? I can’t picture it in my head for some reason this morning... :think:
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby cbigbear » Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:37 am

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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby brancher147 » Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:43 pm

Wind always dictates access routes for me. I have found hunting a just off wind will get you busted pretty much every time in the mountains as the wind is too shifty usually. I have never had it work on a big buck. Most important thing is thermals. I setup for wind based bedding but plan my hunt timing and location around thermals. That’s how I have been able to fool a big buck.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Coalcracker » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:23 am

brancher147 wrote:Wind always dictates access routes for me. I have found hunting a just off wind will get you busted pretty much every time in the mountains as the wind is too shifty usually. I have never had it work on a big buck. Most important thing is thermals. I setup for wind based bedding but plan my hunt timing and location around thermals. That’s how I have been able to fool a big buck.


Exactly what I have started doing the last couple seasons! In hill/mountain country you can’t depend on the wind at first light or last light along side hills, above hollows etc. However, thermals will be consistent barring an unusually strong wind around those times. Looking back I can’t believe how I didn’t recognize the “issues” with wind direction. I’d set up for west wind but scent would pull down a side hill or hollow to the south or north because of thermals. Then the air would warm and pull up the hill or worse swirl. Made for inconsistent hunts and getting busted.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby oldrank » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:43 am

Last year I put my wind right in the exact intersection I expected to shoot the buck at. At the point he would catch my wind I killed him. Wind is set up specific. I will give up certain areas to gain an advantage somewhere else. I will also use it as a weapon of deterrence on public. If I have other hunters in the area out positioning them and getting a positive wind in my favor has produced. I will just flank them with my wind going neutral or blowing at them. I don't think there is a perfect positioning for wind. It all has to do with how the kill setup lays out. Put the wind where it works.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:41 am

oldrank wrote:Last year I put my wind right in the exact intersection I expected to shoot the buck at. At the point he would catch my wind I killed him. Wind is set up specific. I will give up certain areas to gain an advantage somewhere else. I will also use it as a weapon of deterrence on public. If I have other hunters in the area out positioning them and getting a positive wind in my favor has produced. I will just flank them with my wind going neutral or blowing at them. I don't think there is a perfect positioning for wind. It all has to do with how the kill setup lays out. Put the wind where it works.


This is what it is about. You need to hunt where it is to your most advantage. Not always about getting in that one particular spot.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Bowhunting Brian » Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:42 am

PAbowhunter10 wrote:So…hunt the wind that’s best for your setup or hunt the wind that’s best for the buck your hunting.
So what’s the best strategy…. I have heard this conversation come up in tons of podcasts, books, and videos. Some argue that you can’t hunt specific setups unless your wind is blowing away from deer travel routes and bedding. Some argue that mature bucks will not travel wind to back. Some say the best wind to hunt is that just off wind that puts you at risk of getting busted. While some guys don’t worry about the wind because they were scent lok clothing… haha. Sorry had to throw that one in there.
From my personal experiance, the biggest buck I have taken to date I killed in a setup that was good for me and not the buck. Essentially coming into my setup from bedding, wind to back, heading to a feed tree. While I also have had several mature bucks on trail cameras that would only travel wind to nose during day light hours based on the date/time of pictures taken and the associated historical weather data. I find these bucks vary difficult to hunt and have a hard time putting together a solid plan of attack. I have hunted that just off wind setup but have been busted before. That’s a tough card to play because any slight variation in the wind or swirling can ruin your hunt and potentially your chances at that deer.
So let’s hear it… what’s your argument? Let’s back it up with some success stories.


Only absolute is never, ever, pee into the wind. :lol:
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Coalcracker » Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:32 pm

oldrank wrote:Last year I put my wind right in the exact intersection I expected to shoot the buck at. At the point he would catch my wind I killed him. Wind is set up specific. I will give up certain areas to gain an advantage somewhere else. I will also use it as a weapon of deterrence on public. If I have other hunters in the area out positioning them and getting a positive wind in my favor has produced. I will just flank them with my wind going neutral or blowing at them. I don't think there is a perfect positioning for wind. It all has to do with how the kill setup lays out. Put the wind where it works.


Very interesting.

I've never purposely put myself in position where my wind was blowing on to the trail I expected the deer except if I knew my thermals would lift my scent above. I get what your saying and its certainly something to consider. Shoot the buck before it reaches the scent stream. If I can find one of these locations, I will certainly give it a try. The constant issue I've run in to with wind direction is consistency. I've hunted places where multiple trails came from multiple directions meaning I was giving up at least one of those trails with the wind. I've tried setting up to minimize the effect but the wind shifts as the air warms, cools or simply moves in another direction. This is why I set up in the morning or evening based on thermal drop or mid-morning for thermal rise. I find them more consistent.

As for setting up according to other hunters, I have done this many times in rifle season but not so much in bow. Another thing I will do is, while approaching my stand and having to cross deer trails, I will purposely cross in bow range at a spot where I can shoot a deer on either side of my crossing before they reach my ground scent.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby muddy » Sat Jun 19, 2021 2:51 pm

Every stand site is different, but the best sets I have are partially good for me and mostly good for the deer... esssentially hunting cross winds and using thermals to make it work to my advantage at the actual stand location but it still feels good to any deer coming in.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby aaronmill13 » Wed Jun 23, 2021 2:05 am

I agree that it's a good idea to play the wind smart. I do try to use wind and thermals to my advantage to a degree, especially for access. However, if I only hunted when the wind was going to be consistent then I would never get to hunt here in the mountains. The wind in most of the places you need to be to get on mature deer here are always swirling so I really rely on thermals or water to help control where my scent is going in those areas. When I was younger I obsessed over my scent and the direction it was going. I would panic if the wind swirled towards where I thought a buck was bedded. I've learned that this is just another uncontrollable variable in the mountains, and I just don't stress over it as much. I just hunt when I think the deer will be there based on the wind and let the cards fall how they will. I like chances better in a tree rather than at home waiting for wunderground to tell me the wind direction is changing lol
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Drenalin » Thu Jul 01, 2021 1:04 am

brancher147 wrote:Wind always dictates access routes for me. I have found hunting a just off wind will get you busted pretty much every time in the mountains as the wind is too shifty usually. I have never had it work on a big buck. Most important thing is thermals. I setup for wind based bedding but plan my hunt timing and location around thermals. That’s how I have been able to fool a big buck.

Good post. Thermals are probably my biggest concern in the terrain I hunt. I'll add that if there is a decent wind, I'm working perpendicular to it, not parallel.


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