have a spot that is good but the wind is never right for it?

[ozy clint]

just got back from a fallow deer hunt. saw some deer, pigs and a fox, but no animals were harmed.

anyway, i revisited a spot where i have a ground blind to re-brush it in. it such a good funnel, the situation is perfect except the wind is rarely right to be able to hunt it. so frustrating having such a good hide out but hardly being able to hunt it because of unfavourable wind all the time.

[Pine]

If you get a chance again , burn some grass and smoke yourself for a minute .
That can work to cover your sent and the cridders are not alarmed by the smoke smell .

[Friend]

Have a similar situation that I am attempting to address. Two years in row this lower bottoms funnel has proven a the prime spot for activity yet two years in a row I have been winded when the biggin arrived and this year's buck may likely have been in the hi Booner level category...was on aline to be within 12 yards.

In possibly properly addressing  this situation, I have hinge cut to block and strategically moved trails up ridge hopefully above the swirling winds. Has taken four hours to accomplish.

The trails were made to naturally funnel along natural easy walking terrain and to reach the animals intended destination.

Next year will tell the story. However, this practice is standard setup work thru the winter months and has proven exponentially effective.

There will be a point where I have pushed the limits too far.

This strategy paid off immensely this year as I was fortunate to be able to pass on solid shot opportunities on 48 bucks this past season from the ground.

Each season, I have come to realize that there was far more possibikities. When I started soley ground hunting in 2008, my close encounters were few. My ground game has fortunately continued to evolve.

[ozy clint]

i don't have the opportunity to move the ambush location. several trails merge into 3 trails at a single point then fan out to several trails again after about 50m. they converge in a narrow draw.
the draw runs east/west. the eastern side runs into wooded hills where the bedding areas are and the west side is open grassland where the feeding area is. it is an afternoon sit only since there is no way into the stand in the morning without blowing the deer in their feeding area.

the wind swirls or blows from the west.

[crazynate]

When that happens to me I just put out some vanilla around me and that seems to work. Deer love vanilla. I don't have enough time to hunt to not hunt a spot because of wind. Its not ideal but if I go hunting I'm hunting lol. I like graps idea to.

[NBK]

I've come to believe that such spots are more often the case than not. These are prime spots because of the "goofy" wind.  The convergence of winds from several different directions allow the deer to scent check better. Smoke bombs tested in the off season gives me the best plan but to be honest I have better luck staying up high where the wind is more predictable.

[Friend]

Just another thought which you may have already mulled over: You had mentioned unfavorable wind conditions not swirling winds.

Have, on several occassions, implemnnted close proximty setups based on wind conditions to hone in on a single hot zone.

The aforementioned thought may in no way be conducive to the actual scenario however, may serve to further stimulate further contemplation which, in fact, may serve as the resolve.

Best of success!

[Ryan Rothhaar]

I agree with NBK.....often the reasons these type situations develop in the fist place is due to the favorable wind (safety) for the animals.  I've seen many of these situations over the years, tried to "outsmart 'em" a bunch, and it never works out.  Your best bet is to maintain a setup there, keep it in mind, and hunt it the rare times the wind is right.

R

[FlintNSteel]

I agree with NBK and Ryan, especially if you are pursuing mature bucks.  Some spots, despite the sign, just should not be hunted.

A friend of mine used to carry dried milk weed pods and while sitting stand, would occasionally release some seeds to watch what they did.  Learned a lot about why deer that are, in theory, upwind suddenly scent you and know where you are.  Currents of air move all over, and not always as you'd expect.  

I've had some areas where I found great sign, set up, and never finished a sit because of wind instability.  Thinking maybe it was just my luck the first time, I've returned, to have the same situation, and I've abandoned those locations permanently.  I live in an area that is full of hills, coulees and draws.  Hunting the wind can be tricky in this kind of terrain.

[ozy clint]

i went to a different property for an afternoon hunt and got busted. i set up on the ground in my bush-n-a-bag amongst some brush off a trail that funnels them between two waterholes in a creek. the only brush to hide in is down close to the creek. expected deer movement was along the trail from my left to right. had a deer come towards me along the creek bank above me. never saw it but heard it blow out of there. not sure if vague wind betrayed me or it it cut my trail i came in on.

might have to move my tree stand there as there is a tree that would offer line of sight to the terrace that that deer traveled that i can't see from the ground there.

i think you guys are right, in anything but strong prevailing wind from the right direction, there are spots that are mostly unhuntable because of swirling wind. i'm guessing that during those rare times there is good wind for hunting the deer don't use it because they can't scent check ahead like normal.

[ozy clint]

need a light, packable hunting chair with a backrest too, for impromptu sits and morning/afternoon hunts. must be able to setup on unlevel uneven ground. the redneck tripod chair looks like what i need but it's way too heavy.

[MCNSC]

I had a spot like that, lots of activity but would always get busted because of swirling winds.  I gave up on that spot for a while but had some luck hunting it on very windy evenings. My thought was that the strong wind would carry my scent out of the bottom instead of swirling around.  Seemed to work in that spot.

[ozy clint]

I was thinking the same thing. Wait till very windy or don't bother.