The wind argument….

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PAbowhunter10
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The wind argument….

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:32 pm

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.


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szwampdonkey
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Tue Jun 08, 2021 4:16 pm

I wear scentlok and ignore the wind completely however i never hunt the same spot twice either. I’ve only not killed a Buck a handful of seasons out of 31. I’m ok with that success rate and it’s pretty nice being able to hunt wear i need to be to kill the buck.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby tim » Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:25 pm

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…..
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby dan » Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:20 pm

both... deer use wind to check a bedding or feeding area before entering, but other than that they go from point a, to point b... however, they bed in certain spots based on wind, and waiting on the opisite wind wont work cause he might not be there. basically, you hunt the buck where he is at and change your set up based on wind and thermal direction. playing the wind and beating a bucks nose is what hunting is all about
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:36 pm

dan wrote:basically, you hunt the buck where he is at and change your set up based on wind and thermal direction. playing the wind and beating a bucks nose is what hunting is all about

I agree 100%. Thanks for you input.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:42 pm

tim wrote: 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…..

Some of my best hunts were because of smart access routes. I prefer to use routes that minimize ground scent such as water access whenever possible. Thanks for the great input.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Jun 09, 2021 12:46 am

You may have been busted on the off wind setup but you were also in the game. Thats what it takes!

The deers mentality and habits w the wind will vary based on pressure. How they use the wind on/entering food sources is always tough for me. Thats one reason I like hunting the beds or right before staging areas bc the deer seem to have a different mentality. I know for a fact deer 1+ mile deep into public act differently than the ones close to access.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:20 am

PAbowhunter10 wrote:
tim wrote: 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…..

Some of my best hunts were because of smart access routes. I prefer to use routes that minimize ground scent such as water accesswhenever possible. Thanks for the great input.


Water access is awesome!

I have one spot i can wade an ankle deep stream for about a half mile or so right up to the edge of bedding. There are about 10 trees or so along that access route that are so close enough to the bank i can go up them without really stepping foot on dry land much. It’s the best access i’ve ever found.

Only problem word is out on that spot and i see more and more hunters in there every year. Last year was bonkers so i didn’t even hunt it. But i still think it’s a cool spot.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Huntress13 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:45 am

Last buck I killed was favorable for the buck, just off wind. He stopped just before he got into clear shooting lane and I snuck an arrow through the trees. I figure he was picking up a little swirl. He was no monster buck and maybe a more mature buck would have bugged out quicker not giving me a shot.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby MichiganMike » Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:59 am

I like to set up with a quartering wind from bedding, and set up accordingly. I keep my entry quiet and precise. Ive seen bucks exit bedding wind to back or quartering away from them all the time. they have pretty much all their senses covered that way. If they exit wind to nose, they cant smell behind them. During rut- you can get away with a lot more. I still keep quiet with my setups etc. out of habit- but wind has little impact when he's on a hot doe.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:56 am

I think the wind is by far the most important in hill and mountain terrain. What I’ve seen out west is the wind dictates WHERE they lay... not how they leave it.

Around here, most of the bedding I see is not wind dependent. The bedding AREA isn’t. But the bedding within it often is. Again I don’t see bucks leaving bedding a specific way because of the wind. But they will absolutely scent check an area first if it’s convenient to do so.

Last fall the drop tine used the same bedding on a NW and also SE wind. He exited the same way both times. My 2019 buck (and the bachelor group he was with) was bedded on a cattail transition with the wind blowing from the cattails to him. The opposite you’d expect.

In my opinion hunting pressure has a lot to do with how they use the wind for bedding. The higher pressure is, the more defensive they are and the more they use the wind to their advantage. If they don’t they get shot.

When pressure is really high I do think having a just off wind will help. It could be the difference in getting that little bit of extra movement that you need. High pressure or not, if I think I have a good chance to kill a buck and I know he’s home, you can bet I’m not staying home because the wind is in my favor.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:58 am

MichiganMike wrote:I like to set up with a quartering wind from bedding, and set up accordingly. I keep my entry quiet and precise. Ive seen bucks exit bedding wind to back or quartering away from them all the time. they have pretty much all their senses covered that way. If they exit wind to nose, they cant smell behind them. During rut- you can get away with a lot more. I still keep quiet with my setups etc. out of habit- but wind has little impact when he's on a hot doe.


I agree! That’s why hunter success skyrockets in late October and November.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:14 am

Lockdown wrote:I think the wind is by far the most important in hill and mountain terrain. What I’ve seen out west is the wind dictates WHERE they lay... not how they leave it.

Around here, most of the bedding I see is not wind dependent. The bedding AREA isn’t. But the bedding within it often is. Again I don’t see bucks leaving bedding a specific way because of the wind. But they will absolutely scent check an area first if it’s convenient to do so.

Last fall the drop tine used the same bedding on a NW and also SE wind. He exited the same way both times. My 2019 buck (and the bachelor group he was with) was bedded on a cattail transition with the wind blowing from the cattails to him. The opposite you’d expect.

In my opinion hunting pressure has a lot to do with how they use the wind for bedding. The higher pressure is, the more defensive they are and the more they use the wind to their advantage. If they don’t they get shot.

When pressure is really high I do think having a just off wind will help. It could be the difference in getting that little bit of extra movement that you need. High pressure or not, if I think I have a good chance to kill a buck and I know he’s home, you can bet I’m not staying home because the wind is in my favor.


Great argument on specific terrain and pressure. I agree that hunting deer in the hills is way different than hunting relatively flat ag land or swamp. I got my rear end kicked the first time I hunted southern Ohio. Got a real good lesson on thermals and deer travel in the hills.
I also notice when the pressure gets really high in specific areas, deer will bed in the nastiest thickest brush in that area no matter what the wind is doing. This could be overgrown fields with red brush, logged woods (tree tops), small marshes/swamps, or anything that can be overlooked including ditches and drainages).
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby PAbowhunter10 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:19 am

<DK> wrote:You may have been busted on the off wind setup but you were also in the game. Thats what it takes!

The deers mentality and habits w the wind will vary based on pressure. How they use the wind on/entering food sources is always tough for me. Thats one reason I like hunting the beds or right before staging areas bc the deer seem to have a different mentality. I know for a fact deer 1+ mile deep into public act differently than the ones close to access.


Very true statement. That’s why I have failed much more than I have succeeded. Wind is completely unpredictable and can change at a moments notice. Thanks for your input.
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Re: The wind argument….

Unread postby greenhorndave » Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:38 am

Lockdown wrote:I think the wind is by far the most important in hill and mountain terrain. What I’ve seen out west is the wind dictates WHERE they lay... not how they leave it.

Around here, most of the bedding I see is not wind dependent. The bedding AREA isn’t. But the bedding within it often is. Again I don’t see bucks leaving bedding a specific way because of the wind. But they will absolutely scent check an area first if it’s convenient to do so.

Last fall the drop tine used the same bedding on a NW and also SE wind. He exited the same way both times. My 2019 buck (and the bachelor group he was with) was bedded on a cattail transition with the wind blowing from the cattails to him. The opposite you’d expect.

In my opinion hunting pressure has a lot to do with how they use the wind for bedding. The higher pressure is, the more defensive they are and the more they use the wind to their advantage. If they don’t they get shot.

When pressure is really high I do think having a just off wind will help. It could be the difference in getting that little bit of extra movement that you need. High pressure or not, if I think I have a good chance to kill a buck and I know he’s home, you can bet I’m not staying home because the wind is in my favor.

Do you mean not in your favor? Because why would you stay home if it’s in your favor? ;)

That aside, really good post. Some food for thought there. I don’t want my wind knowingly blowing right into bedding, but I think I’m sometimes guilty of overthinking it.

Does it seem to you like their bedding is situated as such to check where most pressure comes from? Like maybe that cattail example has a parking lot across from it or something that would carry the scent over the cattails so the deer can tell when someone is there.

Just hypothesizing and curious about your theories. Thanks.
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