Just an old fart's thoughts on "wind"....

[woodchucker]

Ok folks.... Here's another topic, for FRIENDLY debate.

Folks here always talk about "playing the wind"...
Some folks won't hunt a stand, if the wind is not "right"...

BUT, What do you do, if there is an inconsistent, gusting, blustery, swirling wind???

We hunt mountain deer. The wind on the mountain, never blows the same direction twice...
You can talk about "thermals" and yes we have them. We also have "cross-mountain" winds.
Weather fronts coming in from the North/South west... Nor-Easters.... etc.

Here's what I've learned about deer and how they react to swirling, inconsistent winds over the last 40 some years.
They ignor them... They can't rely on their nose, to warn them of danger, so they use their eyes & ears.
Don't get me wrong, they CAN smell you!!! They just can't tell WHERE you are... It puts them on alert, but they do not automatically vacate the area. Case in point... A buck is feeding under a big White Oak, heavily dropping acorns. He get's a whiff of human scent... Then it's gone. Does he stop feeding, and leave...??
NO, he would starve to death, if he did that every time he smelled a human.
A big buck is on the trail of a hot doe... He crosses your trail, where you walked into your stand.
Does he stop, and turn around...?? Nope, hopefully he'll catch up to her... LOL

Animals are driven by 2 things... The urge to reproduce, and the will to survive.

Let's talk Turkeys...
Turkeys sense of smell, is very poor, but their hearing is impecible, and their eyes like 10X binoculars.
When it rains in the woods, EVERYTHING moves!! And the only thing you can hear, is rain...

Up here at the new house, I have a 7 acre yard, to sit on the porch, and watch the deer & turkeys.
I have been watching a hen, since the begining of July, when we moved up here.
When I first saw her, she had 5-6 poults. Then 3, then 2... Now, only 1

EVERY time we get a hard Thunderstorm/downpour, she and her poults would come out into the field...
She knows that she cannot see or hear predators in the woods.
She brings her poults out into the field, where she can SEE 360 degrees in every direction, to watch for predators.

Just one old woodchucker's opinion.... Whatcha think...??

[GCook]

I think in some situations you have a point.  But I have seen it happen just as different as what you described.  I've seen a hot doe being pursued  by the buck I was after go by a cedar bow I'd touched on a misting afternoon and stop like she had been slapped.  She backed up slowly, then turned and left.  Taking my target buck in tow.
I've seen a mature doe smell my walk in and circle me until she got my wind then snort every deer out of the county.   I had a doe stand down wind of me and sniff until she pinpointed my location. 
Every situation and every deer is different.

[Pine]

I actually get those cheep Campfire incense sticks and burn them in my ground blind.
They work great and I have deer come in down wind with no problem.
Cheapest cover sent you can by other than smoking yourself with dried grass fire.

[Orion]

Agree with your observation regarding turkeys going to fields during the rain.  Not so much with the deer observations.  Depends where one hunts.  In the southern part of my state, which is farm country with small woodlots, there are a lot of humans about and most deer will react to human scent as you described.  I.e., they won't be terribly upset by it.  But it's a totally different picture in the far north, where human scent in the woods is rare.  There, if an animal catches a whiff of human scent, it's gone, regardless of whether it's feeding or chasing a doe.  I've had does hit my scent trail several hours old and refuse to cross it.  In short, the frequency of human contact has a lot to do with how the critters will react.  The more contact they have, the less they are bothered by it, and vice versa.   

[Kirkll]

I don't do much tree stand hunting at all, but i'm not fond of hunting in blustery windy days at all on the ground. The animals are just more cautious and alert when they cant use their sense of smell accurately and the wind is constantly shifting directions. makes them edgy..... Kirk

[Tom0728]

I see deer head to the wide open and lay down in heavy rain and wind. I believe it to be that way so they can see movement coming. Im with you there. Really like hunting immediately before it gets nasty out there.

[PrimitivePete]

I believe it depends on location, the places I hunt, the deer are exposed to people 24/7, so it's impossible to hunt them without them smelling people in general. I believe they have adapted to depend more on hearing and seeing in the areas I frequent.

[RIVERWOLF]

Every animal is different....and the only thing that never changes is change

imho from my observations....Deer are as different as humans one from another . Some have unusual amounts of curiosity .....some much less...some have already had their fill of it via occurred knowledge.

~~~wind~~~  Gusty winds make every critter nervous and on high alert . For good reason.  They lose most of their defensive senses to one degree or another.   I've witnessed the gamut when it comes to animal reactions to human scent.
In these parts (aside from a rutting buck or very young deer) when a deer gets ANY amount of human scent , they most often turn and travel the path they took to get to that spot, or they blast out of the area pronto....Big woodlots with steeps and such I find it productive to move often , and always hunt favorable wind direction and NORMAL  travel routes...smaller ohio woodlots and fingers of lowland can and will be avoided most of the season after a bust ,so you best hunt smart and just favorable winds. You also best have a entry and exit out of site .Away  from normal travel routes  so not to lay sent where the deer are.

Again, young and rutting bucks being the exceptions in most cases.  I've also had deer stiff leg it around trying to locate the source of scent  for a safe exit. Most ....some walked right to me and filled my freezer.   

Again, every animal and situation is vastly different.  I won't take a shot on a high alert standing animal , but sometimes you will get one that spooks at a lower level that walks into a shooting lane . If I get a slow walk after that ~~tail wag~~~  saying ..its ok...I'm ok ...then I'm ready for the shot. If they are in stomp mode, bobbing and weaving the head in intense search mode...I simply enjoy the show.   


No critter , hunting situation, or reaction will be exactly the same on any given encounter........That my friends is nature's way. A natural balance.....It's a beautiful thing to be part of ...........

[Eecho]

Not sure if this applies or not. But I hunt in the blackbelt region of South Alabama where the land is flat and hunting off the edge of gas lines you can see 700-800 yards in either direction. Not uncommon to see 40 - 50 deer crossing the gas line on a late season morning hunt. You can bet on seeing the majority of deer crossing on the up wind side of the gas line. Generally the wind is out of the South West and you'll see most deer crossing on the up wind side. Sometimes when a front is moving in you'll have Easterly wind and you'll see more deer on the upwind east side. When you do see deer on the downwind side they're generally at least 200 or 300 yards  away. Guess that's their safe smell zone?
I keep stands on both the east and west sides of major crossings and use whichever one is down wind.
Just my observations over the years.

[LC]

I've been really fortunate to hunt varied terrain and states within my 45 years of "trad" bowhunting. I find it's alot easier watching the wind in flat lying areas or states. I also find it funny reading threads and watching videos where they say they would never hunt a unpredictable wind or only hunt a certain stand on a consistent wind from what ever direction. All I have to say is NEVER come to hunt a mountain state like WV. If you don't like the wind direction just wait five minutes it will change! Learn to live with it and you BETTER have some kinda of nose jammer method in place. You can never fool a deer's nose but you can confuse them enough to make them your far enough away to think your not a danger. 

[Wheels2]

The trouble with windy das is that it makes the deer really nervous.  In my area there is a lot of pressure so it seems that they will bolt for no apparent reason. 

[Sam McMichael]

The continually swirling winds in my area make this discussion more academic than practical. True, the observations cited by so many are accurate, but in a lot of swirly windy places, there is no way to avoid being winded.

[LookMomNoSights]

Chuck,  I agree with you regarding swirling winds ........... 
The area I hunt primarily is in the hills ...... and the wind is a swirlin'  99% of the time.  You simply cannot decide on a wind direction and hunt a particular stand based on that.  You'll drive yourself crazy.  I hunt alot of saddles and transitions where the wind will blow from every direction there is in a half day sit.   Deer still come through.   Deer still come directly underneath me from one side to the other and do not alarm.  I'd even say a better gusting is what you want.  I had a smaller buck blast me last year in a swirling breeze that was very light and I think that was my problem ...... the wind was working for him at the right speed.  If it were a more gusty breeze,  I think he may not have picked me up.  I remember sitting in the stand,  breeze on the good side of my face and I see this young fella on a mission and briskly walking right past me and then I started picking the wind up on the back of my neck a bit and thinking,  uh oh .....and then he was close and he went from a brisk walk to running into a wall of glass!  He stopped dead and almost reared up on his hinds and his nose come up like he got punched in the face.  He stood still for about ten seconds,  doubled back a few yards,  stood some more,  then continued back from where he initially came and when he was out of sight, he told me where to put it in deer language. 
I think depending on terrain,  flip flopping wind does not have to be a reason to stay out of the stand.....  Hunt it!   I think the ground set becomes very difficult,  but the tree stand I say I'm hunting.  I generally like to keep my stands not so high but I would imagine some extra height would only help you out some more. I used to hang back if I thought it was too windy,  on and off drizzle rain exc.   But now I feel like there's great opportunity to catch mature bucks out and about at 1150 am during that windy crappy weather day you'd rather not be sitting in a tree stand............

[toddster]

Great debate, and there are many strong points that are observed, but one thing that is for sure that many don't stop and think, "each animal has different life experiences, just as humans do".  I have had the pleasure as some of you of hunting in different States and terrain, and I find many of what you have stated to be true.  I believe the amount of exposure positive/negative to humans have effects.  I agree, that deer still have to eat to survive and getting the scent of human when not use to it will change their pattern, and put them on alert, but still have to eat.  As far as, Rut, the Buck relies more on the Doe to smell caution than himself, when with her (I have seen this several times).  If you are in an area that gets a lot of human interaction without threat, the deer will go on alert, then go about business.  But, sling an arrow at one or a place that does not get a lot of year round interaction, they change completely.  I still do not claim to be an "expert", but two cases in point come to my mind:

Back when hunted tree stands a lot, had one set up on public, close to a private corn field.  I was very careful about set up, as after a nice Booner.  I had come in early that morning about hour and half before light.  To my south, about 30 minutes before light, I saw the flashlight of another hunter come in and get set up, about 150 yards from me.  He was quiet and got situated, I knew he was in wrong "spot", because the wind came off the field and hit a creek that funneled the scent into it, and the animals would smell him before, he had a shot (years before learned this from doing it).  As light came, I could glass the field and noticed their was two farmers in the picked field, in regular clothes checking on field.  I also, glassed about 10 deer browsing in the field about 70 yards from them.  They must of been talking about plans, as I seen the deer go slightly on alert, but after a minute or two just feed down the field before coming into the timber.  Once the deer was in the timber they was going about their business, picking up little food here and there, the "booner" was with them, and had meat in freezer so watched.  They came up the trail went by me with no concept I was there, just browsing.  Then they followed the trail, until they came down to the creek crossing, then they got a "wiff" of the other hunter immediately went on alert.  In short time, they immediately changed their route and went a way I never seen before, just staying down range of the scent, then out of sight.  Recap:  They was fine with farmers in field, but when got to where their should not be human scent, changed pattern.  Deer can not only distinguish scent, but how strong it is, which means how close.

Few years ago I was hunting a very hilly terrain in Ohio.  It was a place I had never been but invited by few friends.  Coming from Illinois, I thought this hilly terrain was going to be tough, with the swirling winds and thermals.  I got up hours before sun up to get up on a hill, so I could "glass" and get a better feel for area.   I got situated, and sat up there eating my cold breakfast and noticed some lights as two hunters came in and got into their treestands.  As the morning broke, I glassed few deer down below that was browsing, relaxed as deer do.  About 150 yards, what appeared to be "upwind", the deer then went on alert.  they stood down there what appeared to me as trying to figure out where the scent was coming from.  It was then it hit me, the wind must be swirling (I confirmed this later when walking out).  The deer stayed on alert then began to browse cautiously up "my" hill.  Once they go out of the scent stream, then went back to relaxed mode.  They then stayed on the hill side, moving same direction as before.  Knowing this, and checking the field out as walked out, I noticed the deer came from "the treestand" hunter side, crossed the field, and noticing a little brush in field, I had a plan.  The next morning, took a folding chair, set up in brush, at first light 5 deer came across.  Only 4 made it to other side.

Stay as scent free as possible, know your woodsmanship and use the wind.

[LookMomNoSights]

Good stuff toddster 

[Wudstix]

Baking soda is your friend.  I was my hunting clothes in baking soda and hang them in the rain.  I've hunted East coast deer that were somewhat tolerant of scent whiffs on windy days.  I've also hunted mid-west deer that were not heavily pressured and did not mind a whiff or two.  I've hunted South-west deer who would totally ignore scent due to the fact the area was saturated with human scent and those who would turn themselves inside out in similar situations(primarily deer who had been shoot at), it all boils down to you have to know how to hunt your area.
 

[supernaut]

I have very limited hunting time due to work and family commitments. So I hunt when I can no matter what the wind is doing.

The wind where I hunt swirls alot so I just do my best to keep my scent to a minimum and try to set up where I'm going to be in the best position to get a shot without getting busted.

I know a lot of hunters won't hunt certain spots due to the wind direction and the risk of spooking out a particular buck they are after. I totally understand their logic, it's just not what I do.