Ground Hunting

[PatriarchArcher]

I am hunting in SC for the first time. I prefer to ground hunt and I have some good property to do it on. However, the wind is driving me nuts. There is no standard wind pattern. It just seems to constantly swirl. I need some ideas from more experienced hunters on how to find deer when the wind isn't consistent.

[Mike Vines]

I have yet to find a way.  With the swirling wind, they will know your there.  Althought they might not be able to see or hear you, they will be on edge, making it nearly impossible to get close enough for a shot.  Now I'm talking about wind like we are having right now.  It is constant in the 20 MPH range with bigger gusts.

[Ssamac]

They are spooky in the wind because their sense of smell is compromised so they are really hard to hunt.
sometimes it's better to stay away in high winds and let it settle down rather than spooking them away for a week

sam

[Kip l Hoffman]

If you think it is a problem for you, just consider it from the deers point of view.  And his life depends on it.  This is the time to find the places in the wind shadows.  

Reminds me of a really hot danged day in the Kansas summer when we were out riding pasture checking the cattle.  They were all laying down in the grass right out in the open blazing hot sun.  When we rode over to them discovered that there was a thermal wind blowing up through the herd and it was 10-15 degrees cooler than in the shade of the trees.

When it is windy find the quiet places in the draws and "wind shadows".  When it is colder than all billy H, find the places where the sun warms the rocks or trees and the heat is retained by them.  All part of learning and KNOWING your  hunting area.

[Ray Hammond]

[lpcjon2]

Pre rut and rut( hormones let the guard down) look for funnels and a good water source. After it rains at night the winds may weaken in the AM and a Day when there is a morning fog would be a good day to get out and sit near a trail from or to a food source. Worse case try a cover scent,or dense wooded area's and my favorite swamps.Find a good weather site(magicseaweed.com , Intellicast.com)that are reliable and breakdown daily forecast by the hour with wind (direction,and speed)and humidity, barometer,and pressure. These will help you plan a optimal hunting time. And learn about weather and how the above items effect the weather.

[Ray Hammond]

You guys that don't hunt the coastal plain of SC aren't really getting the point of his post-

It's not thermals or weather patterns or the normal things we usually consider- it's flat as a pancake and the wind literally changes direction by the minute there- usually 270 degrees of the compass or more in the course of 30 minutes

[Robert Honaker]

Same thing here in E TN.

It changes every thirty seconds. no joke.

I always thoght flat ground would be better, but have since figured out that steep is better. For some reason the middle of a big mountain side is beeter than the flats on top or bottom.

[Ray Hammond]

Its tough on the ground, isn't it Robert. Sheesh.

Just when I was drawin' my bow.......BAM!!!!

Happens so often I don't even think about it much any more...I just hurry up and shoot!!!

[squid]

I live and also hunt the lowcountry of SC. I know exactly what you mean about the winds. If they are really bad I try to go deeper in the swamps( depending on gators and mosquitos). I've found that the wind is not so swirly the deeper I go. Also choke points, to me the wind is more stable as far as direction. If it's really bad then I'll wait until the last couple of hours or the first couple of hours to stalk. It seems the winds have not started yet.

Good Luck
Charlie

[Airborne]

When I hunted in NC I would hunt in the deeper hollows in the thickest swamps I could find.  Wind still swirled of course but with all the vegetation it was minimized.  Stick to the creek bottoms in the thick stuff and give it a try.  Sorry--I do know how you feel.  I would get frustrated like you and usually just went back to my stand.

[chopx2]

And this is why scent loc and those other guys sell so much stuff. No has figured out how to beat the wind yet.

Good luck and Ray knows his stuff so I'm sure he can give you some pointers.

[beetlebailey1977]

Originally posted by Ray Hammond:
You guys that don't hunt the coastal plain of SC aren't really getting the point of his post-

It's not thermals or weather patterns or the normal things we usually consider- it's flat as a pancake and the wind literally changes direction by the minute there- usually 270 degrees of the compass or more in the course of 30 minutes

I agree it is a constant battle with the wind...very tough hunting with it always changing.  Very seldom do you catch it when it stays steady.  I have had it ruin me on a few a hunt quite a few times.

[Covey]

Find a good place where trails intersect and hope and pray for the best. Thats what I do cause the wind is forever changing here in the hills and hollers of southern IN.  Jason