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Wind Direction Preferance

THA4

THA4

A Few Steps Ahead Of You
Hey guys I would really appreciate some discussion on this topic. A friend and I have been going back and fourth on this topic and I want to find out where the masses stand.

Wind seems to be one of the largest factors when determining where to sit, I agree with this notion and have taken the wind direction very seriously...

Regardless of your set up, what would you prefer?

A) Wind blowing from your set-up in the direction of where the deer should be coming FROM. As it has been said that mature animals walk with the wind in their face???? True or False?

B) Wind blowing from your set up to where you anticipate the deer to end up, i.e. wind blowing out into a destination food source where the majority of the deer will most likely end up

C) Wind blowing across your set up.


What is ideal???
What is the least favorable choice????

Please make your selection and PLEASE PLEASE explain why, and even give an example..... :way:
 
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here is where I stand.

I would prefer a wind that blows from my position to where I anticipate the deer to end up. sure you run the risk of busting deer down wind of you, but id rather take that risk than have my scent back in the woods where I expect the deer to come from as in that case I might never see the deer in the first place thus eliminating any chances of a shot....

I also like a cross wind, I think this is some what risky but not as good of a choice as having your scent blow directly away from approaching deer, but that still tends to cut off a major part of where the deer may be coming from.

I think scent disapates at distances, but how far??? I'm not totally sure..... I personally do not think deer only travel with thier nose in the wind, in fact I think a quality food source will draw deer from every direction???? Agree?????
 
Personally, I don't think deer just travel into the wind. Around here where they bed and where they feed pretty much dictates how they travel. I always would prefer to be downwind completely of an approaching buck.
 
I am going to have to choose wind blowing away from were the deer are coming from or a cross wind, but never toward were the deer are coming from.

I know for a fact big bucks don't walk with their noses in the wind....if that was true, then I would never see deer in a stand if the wind was blowing from were the deer come from....and guess what....i do!!!

Having the wind blow toward were the deer come from basically destroys your hunt....The whole point of scent control is to be as scent free as possible and to not alert any deer to your presence. If any deer so much as gets a hint of your scent, you can bet you won't see anything.

If your scent is blowing to the field, yes some deer that you pass might wind you after they have passed, but more then likely they will be farther out in the feild. At least this way you have a chance to shoot the deer, which you won't have if your scent is blowing into the woods.

The cross wind can actually work the best of them all. If the deer go on the up wind side of you, then none of them will wind you all night, but if one travels on your downwind side, game over!!

I prefer to have my scent blowing away from the bedding area, especially when using calls or a decoy, that way if a buck tries to get down wind of me, more then likely I will get a shot at him before he does.

With a wind blowing towards him, once you blow that call or hit those antlers, the first thing he is going to do is try and get a snoot full of whatever is making the noise. He will probably wind you and you will never even know he was there.
 
I had a nice buck come in Sunday night. The trail he was on had a wind directly behind him, so I don't buy into the "big bucks only travel nose into the wind" argument. I had set up downwind of that trail, the wind was blowing my scent out into an open field. I will try to hunt downwind of doe bedding areas hoping that cruising bucks will travel on the downwind side to scent check the area.

When ever possible, I set up downwind of where I expect the deer to come from which only works if they do come from that direction. I spend most of my time hunting funnels/trails, so if I can't get the trail upwind, a parallel (to the trail) wind might suffice, but I'd try to think of a different stand.

Another strategy, depending on how hard the wind is blowing, is to get high enough that a steady breeze will blow your scent over the trail you are hunting, though this is way down on the list of stands to consider.

I also like to back up to barriers. One spot has a very steep, deep creek bank and the deer run the lip of it. A NW wind blows my scent over the trail and the deer can't get down wind far enough where the scent is dropping (down in the creek). My tree is also close to the creek, so most of the deer travel the upwind side instead of the downwind side along the creek lip. Muddy just posted in his Meanderings that he used a cliff behind him. Ponds work well also, anything to prevent the deer from getting downwind.
 
Most of the deer that I see are normally heading into the wind. Especially the more mature deer. I also think that it has a lot to do with pressure and the amount of food sources in the area. I try to crosswind myself as much as possible but that cannot always be done either. I also like the barrier plan...If possible, do not give them the option to get downwind, especially if you are rattling or grunting.
 
I think deer, especially mature bucks, like to use the wind when they travel as much as possible but it is not always a deciding factor. I think it is overrated actually. In a perfect world I want a set-up where the wind is quartering across the path I expect them to take. That way the deer can feel that they are using the wind to their advantage by quartering into it, but you are using it to your advantage by having your scent blow at an agle where they cannot smell it.
 
I am not sure where I read this first, so I apologize for "stealing" it, :) but I keep a phrase in mind that really seems to work for me.

Obviously you strategize where you think the deer will come from and where they will be going to, but then pick your stand based upon "a wind that is just about right for the buck and just about wrong for you." Based upon your criteria, I think this sounds "cross-windish". :)

I definitely think that older deer, does and bucks, will be more comfortable stepping out in the open, say into a food plot, after they can stand back in the brush for a minute or two and scent check the field in front of them. In my mind, I have watched deer do exactly this many times. I have even given up on a hot stand location because deer could too easily approach it from downwind and check the area out before exposing themselves.

I too like Jnrbronc try to set stands with natural "backstops" behind me, whether it be a downed tree, steep hillside/cliff, creek bottom, etc., to "guide" the deer out in front of the stand.

Some of my favored stand/wind combinations are cross winds and some are "going away" winds, but I would personally avoid a situation where the wind was carrying my scent towards where I suspect the deer will come from.
 
In my opinion, I never want the wind ending up where I think the deer will be staging or hanging out. I always want the wind blowing away from or in my face from where I think the deer will be. This leaves little chance of being winded and a frustrating night in the stand. I don't always bank on the wind though as bucks usually do exactly the opposite of what you expect. I am finding myself more often depending on my scent blocker and scent elimination if I have no other choice. Just like anything keep the wind in your face! You will be successful.
 
First, I also don't believe in the "always travel nose into the wind" philosophy. I think wind does dictate how and where a deer will bed though. From my experiences, a buck will actually lay with the wind at their rear, slightly quartered away from it. Maybe it's a see what's in front and smell what's behind philosophy... This seems to especially hold true later in the season when I see more bucks bedded in more open-type terrains.

I agree with several of you regarding the "barriers" philosophy. BUT, remember that air rises and falls with temperature fluctuations. Don't let those barriers give you a false sense of security.The wind won't always blow over them. I learned this the hard way and then later confirmed it after doing some reading.

So, to answer your question Thomas... I prefer a crosswind or a wind that blows from their expected destination towards me. Bucks are for the most part unpredictable, but does are highly predictable. I have several field edge locations where a crosswind leaves me virtually undetectable.

If not a crosswind, then I want my scent to blow where I anticipate them to come from on a field-edge setup. I would rather have my scent blow and get broken up in the trees than have it blow out into the open. It's my philosophy that if you can get the deer out into the open and have them completely comfortable then your chances of getting a mature buck to come into the open skyrockets. Yes, a good food source will have deer entering it from everywhere, especially in the late season. In these cases I try to play the wind according to where the majority of them are approaching. This is where a commitment to being completely scent free really pans out for me.

In the few timber setups I have I'm hunting the transitional food to bed or vice-versa area. I want the deer to be able to approach from the expected area and enter my shooting lane(s) without winding me.
 
I try to set up where the deer are traveling lets say East and West and the wind is blowing out of the North, and I am on the south side of the trail. They may not have the wind directly in their face, but I think it is much more preferred than at their back. Granted I have seen deer do everything imaginable so I don't believe mature deer always walk with their nose in the wind.

I do not like to set up where the wind is blowing from the deer directly to me and they are heading in my direction. Eventually they will pass and wind me. Plus frontal shots aren't prime.

During late muzzleloader I always set up watching over the SE corner of the field. 90% of the time with a NW wind they will come out with the wind in their face. At that time of year where I hunt, they are so spooky they almost always come out in the wind. It's fairly predictable, even spots I have never hunted.
 
DannyBoy said:
If not a crosswind, then I want my scent to blow where I anticipate them to come from on a field-edge setup. I would rather have my scent blow and get broken up in the trees than have it blow out into the open.
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So let me see if i got this straight.... :grin:

Just clarifying, not challenging your strategy...

If you dont have a crosswind, you would rather your scent blow into where you expect the deer to come from??? That seems counter-productive to me, meaning that chances are good that the approaching deer, seen and unseen, will scent you before they ever get to the field thus not entering it at all and you absolutely won't get a shot....

Did I read that correctly??? If I am wrong it wouldnt be the first time.... :grin:

It's my philosophy that if you can get the deer out into the open and have them completely comfortable then your chances of getting a mature buck to come into the open skyrockets.
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But if they smell you before they get out in the open then the chances of a shot are nonexistant.....

I also hear you talk about scent control and being very detailed on that, I am as well, I don't believe in Scent Blocker type suits, but I shower before every hunt, and keep my clothes clean and in a scent free bag.... and I do see quite a few deer, but deer down wind occasionally scent me, even at great distances.... I think that happens to guys who wear the suits as well. I'm not sure covering yourself in scent suits and sprays and showers and clothes that are clean and "scent-free" will prevent deer from smelling you... I think they will smell you in most cases....

I personally think a cross wind or quartering wind is the best bet, but still like to have my scent blow out into the great wide open. When deer feed, they are more keen on feeding and often have their faces full of corn and near the ground. I have very often had many deer feeding 50 yards plus out in the field directly down wind of me and they never smelled me.

I think this is the case because they need to determine safety from the cover of the timber. in my experience, Deer are more warry of their approach, and once in the field they are more interested in eating therefore keeping their approach as scent-free as possible the more important of the two......

Let me know Danny, I just wanna make sure I am reading and understanding your method correctly.... :way:

Great conversation so far guys, I want MORE opinions! if you have not replied to this yet, please do!!!!!

:drink2:
 
I wanted to add that I will not hunt fields for big bucks with a bow. I have no faith in that kind of set up anywhere I hunt. Every piece of ground is different, but I haven't seen many BIG bucks ever hit the fields before dark. Sure you can sit on a field and shoot 3.5ers all day long but I guess I haven't seen many of the 5.5+ olds out before dark. I have had much better luck 100-200 yards back in the timber. If I did hunt a field, I would have my wind blowing back in the timber, away from where I would expect the deer to come from. I definitely do not want the wind blowing out in the field with a bow. You can only shoot 50 yards or so and it is too risky for the first wave of deer to come out in the field to bust you.
 
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Im still not seeing the logic of having your scent blow back into where you anticipate where the deer come from......

somebody help me here!
 
Wherever I hunt I set up so that my wind is going in the direction that I expect the LEAST amount of deer to come from. No exceptions.
 
Just a game of luck. I have 3 stands. I check out the predicted wind direction and speed the night before I hunt. And plan accordingly. And 90% of the time the deer do exactly what I don't expect them to do and by shooting time I'm surrounded by does. Just put your stand about 30 ft. in the air and the chances are you will be ok.
 
Thomas,

If you are responding to my last response, If you re-read it, I would have the wind blowing back in the timber away from where I anticipate the deer to come from. It would not be blowing towards them at all. The logic is not getting winded by any of the deer in the field because you are setting up so close to them. Now if I had a gun. I would sit 150 yards off the timber edge and have the wind blow anywhere but at them.
 
Liv,
Guess I thought the deer come from the woods in the evenings to feed in the fields... But I guess it is all situational.

:drink1:
:way:
 
I agree with Liv4Rut. I would just add that mature deer in fields before dark depends on if it is during the rut. If a mature buck (4.5+ y.o.) is looking for a doe and he sees does in the field he will leave security cover to enter the field reguardless of the time of day. They drop their guard when looking for does or chasing does and that is why we see slobs posted on this site each year. The only other time they drop their guard is when bad weather forces them to leave the security cover early for food. The other thing I would add is that most blocks of timber in Iowa are not 100-200 yards across in total so as Liv4Rut said each property is different. So I would say that I try to get as close to the bedding areas as possible during the rut without my scent blowing into the bedding area but also not blowing across the trail I anticipate the deer to use traveling to and from the bedding area. Lets face it bow hunting is a close quarters deal and I like to be as close as I can to the trail or field edge without risking my position. I also wont bowhunt field edges with my scent blowing into the field. It only takes one wise old doe to stand there and stomp her foot and blow for 5 minutes to ruin your hunt.
 
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