Help me figure out "THE WIND"

[PastorSteveHill]

Guys, I'm a little confused.  I have only been bow hunting one year. I never was taught how to hunt and am trying my best to figure it all out.  Can you all help me understand how to hunt the wind.  Here is some concerens and questions..


#1  I live in the South/ Louisiana... I check the wind and it changes several times in the morning.. For instance opening morning it was blowing South/ then southwest/ then south east...


If I set up with the wind blowing in my face from south/ what should I do when it changes? Go home/ relocate??

Which brings me to another question...


If I set up with the wind blowing in my face, say from out of the North, but know the deer will be coming to this location from the south, isn't that a big no no???

I am really confused somebody SAVE ME

[pseman]

Don't concern yourself with having the wind "in your face", make sure it blows FROM the deer TO you. By this I mean try to hunt when the wind is blowing in your favor. If hunting a trail, try to have a blind/stand on either side so that it can be hunted during two different wind directions(just change stands accordingly). If you are hunting a funnel try to hunt with a wind direction that is perpendicular to the funnel rather than parallel to it.

As far as wind direction goes, try to hunt the prevailing wind. For example, when you pick an area to hunt, you may be able to hunt it with a prevailing south wind. A SW or SE wind may work as well if you place your stand accordingly. The wind may shift, but it is still a primarily south wind.

Some days, the wind is swirling from many directions and makes playing the wind nearly impossible. Hunting higher(if using a treestand) will help and hunting as scent-free as possible is your best strategy.

If the wind is obviously wrong for a particular set-up then backing out or relocating is the best option. Otherwise you will probably only get busted or will alert any deer that move through the area.

Hope this helps,

Mark

[Marvin M.]

Hello Steve,

Welcome to the site.  I see that you are a minister.  There is a scripture about the wind that says something about "whither it goes no man can tell".      With that as the basis for my comments, I'll try to help.

The wind shifts constantly and there is nothing you can do about it.  Set up as best you can and if the wind shifts the wrong way, it is sometimes best to back out and come back another day when the wind is better, rather than mess up a good spot and educate the deer.

In addition to normal breezes that we deal with, you also have to think about thermals.  USUALLY, thermals rise in the morning and fall in the afternoon.  This has to do with the earth warming in the morning and cooling in the afternoon.  Try to hunt ridges in the mornings and lower ground in the afternoon.

The best defense is to always stay as clean and scent free as possible.  Use scent free soap and laundry detergent.  Be conscious about smells. Don't fill your car with gas on the way to a hunt, or do anything that might add odor to yorself. If you can smell it, there should be no doubt that deer can.

Tree stands are great for getting your scent above the deer, especially in the morning when the thermals are rising.  Sometimes the deer will still smell you, and you need to be aware of that.  I've been in a tree stand and had deer downwind scent me from a hundred yards away as the wind carries my scent down to them.

Get G. Fred Asbell's book on stalking and ground hunting (I can't remember the exact title, but it's a great resource).  There is a lot of information in there about scent control and management.  You can get it from most libraries through the interlibrary loan program if you don't want to buy it.  He ties a string onto the end of his bows to monitor the wind and relates a story of holding his bow horizontal and seeing one string blowing directly away from him when the other was blowing directly behind.

You can't control the wind.  You have to learn to work with it.

[LV2HUNT]

Mark pretty much covers it. If the wind is wrong then you need to hunt somewhere else. There are some very good places that simply cannot be hunted because of the wind. Wait for a really strong front to try these places.

Mornings in a treestand will help with swirling winds because the thermals will carry your scent upward.

The wind does not need to be perfect but if the deer can smell you it is game over.

[cajunbowhntr]

Steve, the wind can be fickle down hear.early fall most common winds are sse and nnw when a front comes thru.Every now and again we get a nne like this week or a ssw ,but rarely.Also if you have hills in your are in the am your scent will rise as it warms and fall in the pm as it cools.I usually have several spots set up for either a north or south wind to give me more options.

CB

[GR]

Steve, Mark and Marvin both give some great advice. I might add try to study the wind as much as possible, buy a small bottle of bubbles and blow a few on the way to your and while in the stand. You are going to be surprised at what the wind and/or thermals are really doing.

[Orion]

Here are a few tips to keep tabs on the wind.  Tie about an 8-inch long piece of light string or dental floss to the top tip of your bow/string and to the shaft of your arrow, just behind the broadhead.  That way, when you're walking or still hunting with your bow held parallel to the ground, you can tell at a glance which way the wind is blowing by looking at the string hanging from your bow tip.  And with an arrow nocked on stand, you can keep track of the wind by looking at the string attached to your arrow.  Fraying the tip of the indicator strings, or tying a tiny piece of feather or down on them will enable thenm to catch the wind better, and it will enable you to see them better.  I also use a weather radio to check the weather every morning before I go out.  Radio Shack sells a good one fairly inexpensively  The weather forcast always tells the expected wind direction that day and several days into the future.  I use that information to decide which stand I will take first thing in the morning.  Good luck.

[PastorSteveHill]

Guys, I'm in Louisiana...    We don't have the ability to stalk through the woods.. The woods are so thick you can't see more than 20 yards and that's if you clear out a little shooting lane...I envy you guys who roam and hunt.. Not here.. No way...  I do have a couple different stands set up so if the wind is different I can just play them... Thanks fellows...