Dealing with wind

[T Folts]

I have a couple stands that will work for any wind but a north wind. We typically get a south east wind most of the time. As of late the wind has been out of the N NE and NW and this just doesnt work. What do you do to combat this situation I havent hunted in 3 days and looks like 3 or 4 more days of a north wind  :mad:

[Mojostick]

Hunting any stand with the "wrong wind" and trying to cheat the wind is a surefire way to screwup a location.

Are you only hunting out of treestands? If so, think about a natural ground blind for a north wind if there's no good tree's avaiable.

I hunt central NLP in Michigan. I have blind locations for every wind, but 70% are set for S, SW, W or NW because my log book shows that those winds are most typical for me. I will agree that in October, we rarely get a straight north wind.

But we always get some SE, E and NE winds whenever a front from the west comes in and sucks the air to the low pressure.

[lt-m-grow]

I deal with it by using climbing stands.  

I bet some folks are saying that "climbers don't work here" but I have hunted in a lot of places and if you know how to use your climber, it is amazing what you can do.

[Warden609]

I second the climber as a good option. If you have one.

Don't try and cheat the wind and screw up your spots.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

I also agree with the climber option, and as stated by everyone else, you can't cheat or forget about the wind anytime you hunt, period.

[John3]

Plan your stands and then "work your plan"....LOL

In my area of eastern MO we have a prevailing SSW wind until Oct/Nov then changes to NNW through the winter.  Set all your stands using a compass taking account of your areas prevailing winds.  I check the weather sites everyday for hourly wind direction before I pick a stand.

[T Folts]

I set my stands for the normal wind it just hasnt been normal, I use both treestands and ground, you cant just walk downwind into your area and get up in a tree you will blow the area out. I cant approach one area from the opposite  direction  no access. this wind just isnt normal for this long of a peroid thats all.

[straitera]

Construct a gound blind using natural vegetation & deadfall. Doesn't take much to conceal yourself leaving plenty of shooting room. Quick & easy and the wind is right.

[lpcjon2]

Spot and Stalk!

[nchunter]

Originally posted by lt-m-grow:
I deal with it by using climbing stands.  

I bet some folks are saying that "climbers don't work here" but I have hunted in a lot of places and if you know how to use your climber, it is amazing what you can do.

Care to share some of your tips with us?

[FrozenFew]

What is the reason the wind makes the stand no good?  Are you hunting a field edge? Travel route?  I find that with every stand there is usually only one wind that is wrong, sometimes slightly wrong will yeild better results than perfect.  I worry more about the wind when I am moving then when I am stationary and when its a big problem, you can always try to come at your stand a different way!  Fact is that the wind always blows one direction, there is rarely a perfect setup. Deer use the wind to their advantage when moving almost 90% of the time, you may just have to take a couple calculated risks. To get the big boys you have to typically just edge them out by a couple of degrees!  Just some food for thought maybe this will give you a couple of ideas. I wish I had a telestrator feature on here and I could give a couple of examples

[Over&Under]

With the proper clothing you can "forget the wind and just hunt"  :rolleyes:    

[jcar315]

I strive to set stands around the property that can be hunted from "any" wind.

IE: Certain stands are set up for NW wind and others for a SE wind etc.

I try to NEVER hunt a stand on the wrong wind. Hunting the wind and being more careful about how I get into my stands have been the biggest changes I have made lately.

Both changes have helped me see more deer, more often, with closer encounters.

[GingivitisKahn]

Stillhunting is a great option.  Play the wind, stay warmer.  Life is good.

[bowmofo]

Deer like to walk into the wind. If you can stay away from a direct line you are better off. as always scent elimination is key.

[KSdan]

I never "set" a stand until I am ready to hunt. .  slip in. .  hunt. . . slip out.  Lone wolf and sticks- up in easily under 7-8 minutes.  I can put it up where I want.  Only need one stand too!  Been doing this for 15 years. . .

[Whip]

Is the wind consistent throughout your entire property?  Land contours, trees and vegetation, etc. can dramatically affect how a certain wind direction reacts in certain spots.  The wind can form eddys and change directions completely at certain spots.  Sometimes moving a stand 50 or 100 yards in a different direction can result in a completely different wind direction.  There is a lot more to wind direction than what the weather forecast has to say.

[swampdrummer]

I've got simular problems. Not so much picking the right stand for the current wind but swirling winds and deer coming in from any and all directions at the same time. I'm a little bit limited in that I'm only hunting 20 acres and can only get onto the adjacent 40 acres to scout so I'm not exactly sure what the deer are doing once they leave my place. ie. bedding just across the property line or what but I sure can't put a pattern on it. The deer seem to show up at close to the same time each day but theres not telling from which direction they will come from. I'm just doing my best at scent elimination and getting in a tree long before I expect them. to come thru

[Roy Steele]

Remember the right wind for you isn't the right wind for a mature buck.Mature bucks exspecialy pressured ones.Keep the wind in their favor 95% of the time.
   So I fine a bend in the trail where for a short distance you have the wind in you favor.The buck has no choise but to use the trail for that short distance.You have to be able to go to and leave and be undetected while your there.Only hunt the right wind and right time of the year.I've had 6 of these stand sites in 40 years.These places stay good year after year.
  These places are hard to scout out.But when found are killer stand sites.You will see and they will produce bucks each and everytime there hunted.
   And calling there unbeiveable hunting sites.