Big bucks and windy days

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From your experience, which scenario produces better big buck movement outside of rut?

Calm to 5 mph wind
8
10%
6 to 14 mph wind
63
79%
15+ mph wind
9
11%
 
Total votes: 80
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Lockdown
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Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby Lockdown » Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:07 pm

Let’s talk wind speed and whitetails.


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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby Lockdown » Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:10 pm

Personally, unless some of you have evidence that will change my mind, I’m done hunting days with 15+ mph winds. The deer can’t see danger because everything is moving. They can’t hear danger because everything is making noise. And they’re uncomfortable because of it.

I saw 5 deer tonight (15+ mph wind) and every one of them was RUNNING. Flat out running, tail down.
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:56 pm

I picked 6-14. Simply because our best deer movement is on a north wind. Really don't think that is what you are looking for. Windy days when temp drops was not a factor with wind. Never really have seem much deer movement.
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby brancher147 » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:41 pm

I like those high wind days. Just gotta find a steep leeward ridge. Even on windward ridges I have gotten big bucks on cam on 15+mph days. I don’t prefer high wind but it can really narrow things down in some locations and make for good hunting. 6-14 would be my preferred wind
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby Bio1 » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:58 pm

For me I’d rather have 6 - 14! For the big guys I get on cam In the daylight I tend to get them towards the calmer end with a pretty sharp drop above 10 MPH.

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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby backstraps » Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:31 pm

I picked the 6-14 mph days because the mass majority of my days are light and variable (which can kill a hunt).
Any days the winds are consistent throughout the day I have better sightings
Even the days of high wind I see more but chose 6-14 as best for me
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby BRoth82 » Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:08 am

I hunted on Sunday in that crazy wind, I saw 7 deer with 3 of them being bucks, granted they were younger bucks. All of them were very relaxed, but I think it was because of where they were. They were on a 20 yard wide drainage ditch with corn on both sides. The wind was out of the south so they were on the south side of the ditch. They could smell anything in the corn behind them and see anything across the ditch in front of them.

I think a scenario like this works on a very windy day, but in open CRP I think they get more nervous.

I do remember hunting way up in northern MN and some of the biggest bucks we took up there were on very windy days. They were working the edges of beaver ponds, where the wind was blowing like in the scenario above, they could see across the pond and smell anything in the woods.
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby PK_ » Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:20 am

I would say 5-10 is the sweet spot for my region.

I hate high wind days even tho I have killed bucks in high wind, movement overall is not good.

I do think whatever the average is for that region and time of year can make a big difference. Deer don’t seem to like anything too far from the norm weather wise.
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby James » Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:26 am

I’ve had some great all day sits in the rut on super windy days but I agree that outside of that the windy days are tough. That said the ultra still evenings are brutal too. You need a little wind
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby 1STRANGEWILDERNESS » Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:33 am

High wind sure seemed to be a bad thing when I lived in corn country. I would just hook up the boat and go duck hunting on those days. I doubt I missed much.

Northwoods my experience has been much different. I’ve seen just as many shooters on high wind days as I have on milder wind days. I really don’t know the reason. There is no pressure here but there’s wolves

maybe sitting still in high winds is even more nerve racking for them than being up and moving at times
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby greenhorndave » Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:57 am

brancher147 wrote:I like those high wind days. Just gotta find a steep leeward ridge. Even on windward ridges I have gotten big bucks on cam on 15+mph days. I don’t prefer high wind but it can really narrow things down in some locations and make for good hunting. 6-14 would be my preferred wind

Are you saying this because it’s easier to find the places they go to get protection from the wind?
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby greenhorndave » Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:01 am

James wrote:I’ve had some great all day sits in the rut on super windy days but I agree that outside of that the windy days are tough. That said the ultra still evenings are brutal too. You need a little wind

I’ve seen some rut movement in wind too, like we’re talking 20-30 mph. Nose to wind, they can smell for does probably miles away. The ultimate scent check scenario.
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:01 am

I picked 15+ wind. But that’s just where I usually spend my time. Early season with thick vegetation and canopy just pools my scent so I typically don’t hunt any of the better stuff unless I have a strong wind to blow my scent out. Have had great luck on extremely high wind days. On those days of all day high winds when it finally lays down in late evening it seems deer are anxious to get on their feet.
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Re: Big bucks and windy days

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:06 am

I can say that I see daytime pics of big bucks on trail cams during heavy wind often. That may or may not mean anything. The first few times I thought it was just coincidence and very odd but the more I started to pay attention to it it became more obvious. When talking to some friends and bringing this up I found out I'm not alone on this. We see it over and over. I can speculate on why but I really just don't know.

I have not had many first hand experiences with these sightings while hunting. I believe the primary reason for that is I don't go out hunting in heavy winds. There may be something to that.


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