Playing the wind?

[BHC]

The way I see it there are two ways to hunt based on the wind.. 1. You can hunt with the wind in your face or just not blowing in the general direction you expect the deer to come. With this method you have to almost assume deer just travel and smell what they smell, with them not using it to their premeditated or instinctual advantage at all. 2. You can hunt deer based on them always using the wind to their advantage, traveling into the wind, walking a cross wind to scent check scrapes or a field, etc. Be it for breeding, feeding, or caution using this method you basically assume their is usually a wind driven reason a deer is moving in the direction he is. This method is likely only used by hunters in pursuit of mature bucks for the most part. With this method you likely can rarely hunt with the wind in your face and is probably used by the fewest hunters..

So which do you use and why what's you opinion on how a deer uses his nose in regard to the wind?

 

[plinker22]

IMO, deer always use the wind... and the successful hunter will too.

 

[boweye91]

I agree plinker

 

[BSK]

I've always questioned the concept of deer only traveling into the wind or even quartering into or crosswind. If that were the case, deer would only have a 180 degree possible direction of travel. What if the wind blows from the same direction for several days? Deer would end up a long way from home after awhile!

From the GPS collar data I've seen, deer don't appear to alter their daily routines due to wind direction. That said, I do believe deer will choose travel routes that provide the best micro-scale wind advantages, such as terrain features that produce very localized differences in wind direction. I also believe deer play predictable daily changes in small-scale thermally driven air flow.

 

[BSK]

As for hunting the wind, if you're lucky enough to hunted in mixed fields and woods, where deer movement is more predictable (deer stay out of the open habitat), and if you hunt flatter terrain, playing the wind and travel bottlenecks is much easier.

However, if you hunt hilly hardwoods, "playing the wind" is extremely difficult, as the terrain will greatly alter wind flow near the ground's surface. In combination with rapidly changing thermals as the sun's position changes throughout the day, the airflow across steep terrain often means the wind can blow from every direction near a stand site during a 3-4 hour sit. In that situation, staying as low-scent as possible is your best bet, as well as trying to understand how terrain and thermals direct localized airflow.

 

[BHC]

I see what you mean BSK, about deer traveling one direction like that. But I believe it a defense used more by mature deer, and mature deer have a idea of where they are headed and use the wind as best they can to get there. It may mean if they cannot move into the wind they wait until dark or hold tighter to cover. It may not be upwind from A to B, however they may enter a hollow into the wind walk perpendicular with the wind and then circle down wind of an open field to enter so technically the direction of travel wasn't upwind, but they walked into the wind before stepping into any new types of cover or into the open?... What's your thoughts?

 

[catman529]

I try to play the wind but it always changes from pre-dawn to sunrise and then to later in the morning. Up in a tree I am not too worried about it I guess. From the ground I know they can smell me a lot better

 

[Vermin93]

I read a deer hunting book two years ago that was written by a deer researcher in Virginia. His research indicated that deer most often travel with the wind quartering off their left or right hind quarter. He essentially says that deer most often walk with the wind rather than into the wind. He said the reason for this is because they can use their eyes and ears to detect danger in front of them and their nose to detect danger coming from behind them.

I have no idea if there is any truth to his analysis or not. Just relaying what his findings were and what he wrote in his book.

 

[Mr.Bro]

I read a deer hunting book two years ago that was written by a deer researcher in Virginia. His research indicated that deer most often travel with the wind quartering off their left or right hind quarter. He essentially says that deer most often walk with the wind rather than into the wind. He said the reason for this is because they can use their eyes and ears to detect danger in front of them and their nose to detect danger coming from behind them.

I have no idea if there is any truth to his analysis or not. Just relaying what his findings were and what he wrote in his book.

Dont know about the traveling part but i have noticed this to be true in bedding areas.The deer quite often bed where they can watch the open ground and depend on their noses for detecting danger from the thicker areas.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

As for hunting the wind, if you're lucky enough to hunted in mixed fields and woods, where deer movement is more predictable (deer stay out of the open habitat), and if you hunt flatter terrain, playing the wind and travel bottlenecks is much easier.

However, if you hunt hilly hardwoods, "playing the wind" is extremely difficult, as the terrain will greatly alter wind flow near the ground's surface. In combination with rapidly changing thermals as the sun's position changes throughout the day, the airflow across steep terrain often means the wind can blow from every direction near a stand site during a 3-4 hour sit. In that situation, staying as low-scent as possible is your best bet, as well as trying to understand how terrain and thermals direct localized airflow.

I hunt Hilly Hardwoods a lot. I've always wondered how anyone could hunt the wind with so many changes and shifts.I get to my stand quickly and use different routes as much as possible.I also try to get high enough to be above many of the shifts and out of line of site.

 

[pseshooter300]

I hunt these big steep mountains here in east tn and big ridges and deep hollers. I have yet to ever figure out how to hunt hunt the wind here cause for example yesterday was out turkey hunting wind was at my back a minute later it was hitting me right in the face. It swirls all the time in carter county in those mountains. I just try to watch my scent as much as I can

 

[BSK]

Dont know about the traveling part but i have noticed this to be true in bedding areas.The deer quite often bed where they can watch the open ground and depend on their noses for detecting danger from the thicker areas.

If there is anything predictable about deer's use of wind, this would be it--how they often use terrain to play the wind when choosing a place to bed, choosing a spot that puts the wind at their back and using the eyes to see downwind.

 

[BSK]

I hunt these big steep mountains here in east tn and big ridges and deep hollers. I have yet to ever figure out how to hunt hunt the wind here cause for example yesterday was out turkey hunting wind was at my back a minute later it was hitting me right in the face. It swirls all the time in carter county in those mountains. I just try to watch my scent as much as I can

And that's your best bet pseshooter300, especially with bow-hunting (needing close-range shots). Wind flow is highly unpredictable in steep terrain, and changes constantly, almost minute to minute.

I've conducted some simple experiments using milkweed seeds as "floaters" released from my stand and then mapping out their downwind travel route (I can generally follow them by eye 50 yards downwind). With a floater released every five minutes of a 3-4 hour sit from stand sites below the highest ridge-tops, eventually "downwind" becomes every direction.

 

[BSK]

I see what you mean BSK, about deer traveling one direction like that. But I believe it a defense used more by mature deer, and mature deer have a idea of where they are headed and use the wind as best they can to get there. It may mean if they cannot move into the wind they wait until dark or hold tighter to cover. It may not be upwind from A to B, however they may enter a hollow into the wind walk perpendicular with the wind and then circle down wind of an open field to enter so technically the direction of travel wasn't upwind, but they walked into the wind before stepping into any new types of cover or into the open?... What's your thoughts?

If a deer wants to go from Point A to Point B, but the wind is blowing from Point A to Point B, the deer is still going to make that movement. However, the deer will probably attempt to use every small fluctuation in airflow produced by terrain-drive eddies and temporary thermals to their advantage as they make that movement from Point A to B, meaning that each time they want to go from A to B they may use a different route, depending on the prevailing wind direction and how that wind is altered by near ground conditions.

Although I don't think mature deer "suddenly" begin using the wind to their advantage once they reach maturity, how predominant airflow (wind direction) is altered by sometimes tiny variations in terrain is something that has to be learned by experiencing it. A mature deer has had more life-experience finding/learning these small-scale localized patterns, hence has had more years to learn how they can move across the landscape from pocket to pocket of favorable local wind features. In fact, some of the best mature buck hunters I know look for the gaps between these protected wind feature pockets.

 

[woodsman87]

I am trying to get myself out of this "hunting the wind" funk I am in. I had way more fun when I just went hunting and shot any buck I saw. Now I am in this mode where I believe I am out thinking myself. I hunt Giles and Lincoln county, and it ain't nothing but steep hills and hardwoods with cow pasture and a few small food plots and thickets.
Just reading this thread made me realize that I am out thinking it. And I just need to go on the good weahter days, give the deer a break on the windy or hot days. And I still need to play the wind some, but not like I have been. It is unpredictable in these hills and hollows.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

I will stalk hunt head on into a hard North Wind. It's not fun until I see or shoot deer.That and a rainy day are the only successful stalks I've had.

 

[BSK]

I am trying to get myself out of this "hunting the wind" funk I am in. I had way more fun when I just went hunting and shot any buck I saw. Now I am in this mode where I believe I am out thinking myself. I hunt Giles and Lincoln county, and it ain't nothing but steep hills and hardwoods with cow pasture and a few small food plots and thickets.
Just reading this thread made me realize that I am out thinking it. And I just need to go on the good weahter days, give the deer a break on the windy or hot days. And I still need to play the wind some, but not like I have been. It is unpredictable in these hills and hollows.

The amount of mental energy required to be highly successful at pursuing mature bucks in hilly terrain is one of the prime reasons I no longer focus on it! I would much rather have fun while hunting.

 

[Mike Belt]

When a deer is on his feet I don't think their movement for the most part is random. I believe they have a pre-determined destination in mind and they meander towards that destination swaying left or right off that main course of travel dependent upon food sources or terrain features along the way. With my way of thinking there is absolutely no way a deer could travel and get to where they were headed by traveling solely into the wind. In fact, based on observed deer movement seen over the years, over half the deer (particularly bucks) have been moving with the wind quartering from their backside. This would lead me to believe that they use their eyesight in travel more than we credit them, particularly in more open, flatter terrain. The kicker here is the word "observed". You never know if you didn't see any deer whether it was because there was no deer movement through your area while you were there or whether they winded you before seeing them and altered their course. This may also explain why sometimes a buck will stand cold dead still for such long periods of time looking ahead and around their direction of travel before resuming movement when that direction of travel is consistent with wind flow.

Hunters should pay strict attention to wind flow direction while hunting but relative to where they expect to see deer movement in relationship to their stand location as opposed to how the deer are actually traveling with a given wind flow direction. A deer can travel with the wind over his back and still be downwind of your location.

...and yes, I think you can over-think hunting.

 

[BSK]

When a deer is on his feet I don't think their movement for the most part is random. I believe they have a pre-determined destination in mind and they meander towards that destination swaying left or right off that main course of travel dependent upon food sources or terrain features along the way.

Exactly. And the more experienced the deer, they better they are at meandering towards terrain features that produce localized wind-flow they can use to their advantage.

 

[BHC]

What do you guys think of this regime to intense or spot on?


Scent Control Regime

1. Clothing
-wear carbon suit
-wash under garments every hunt(anything that touches skin),and others as needed
- store clothes in a sealed container
- place baking soda in container to absorb any remaining scent
- dress w outer garments at stand
- spray down with scent eliminator every hr on stand
- where rubber boots
-change socks and under garments each hunt unless able to wash them between hunts
-place baking soda in boots to absorb any scent also sprinkle on under garments
- never expose clothes to inside of house,vehicle, or food.

2. Body
- prior to hunts eat as little greasy or unhealthy food and drinks (coke beer, etc.)as possible
-always use bathroom before heading to stand to try and rid as many toxins as possible
- begin taking chlorophyll tablets 2 weeks prior to season
- shower the night before and the morning of the hunt jus before heading to stand with unscented soap and shampoo
-use scent eliminating deodorant
- if you break a sweat in the stand rub the area of concern down with neosporinin or hydrogen peroxide.�
- always brush teeth, floss, and use mouth wash 3 times a day during the season
-While �on stand rub down with hydrogen peroxide on exposed skin every hr or so as hunt goes on
- sweating I believe also helps rid the body of toxins, so vigorous sweating on days prior to hunts likely helps

 

[MUP]

Well, I'm a firm believer in hunting the wind. That said, I have hunted with the wind blowing directly toward where I expected the deer to be coming from, only I was high up on a ridge, and the terrain sloped downward steeply. My thinking was that, with the thermals moving upward, and my scent being carried up higher above the lower terrain below, that my scent would not make it to the ground floor. It works as I've had deer come from that direction multiple times using the same strategy. If I had used the "wind in the face or go home" strategy, I wouldn't have been able to hunt this particular area with that wind direction at all on those mornings.

 

[woodsman87]

What do you guys think of this regime to intense or spot on?


Scent Control Regime

1. Clothing
-wear carbon suit
-wash under garments every hunt(anything that touches skin),and others as needed
- store clothes in a sealed container
- place baking soda in container to absorb any remaining scent
- dress w outer garments at stand
- spray down with scent eliminator every hr on stand
- where rubber boots
-change socks and under garments each hunt unless able to wash them between hunts
-place baking soda in boots to absorb any scent also sprinkle on under garments
- never expose clothes to inside of house,vehicle, or food.

2. Body
- prior to hunts eat as little greasy or unhealthy food and drinks (coke beer, etc.)as possible
-always use bathroom before heading to stand to try and rid as many toxins as possible
- begin taking chlorophyll tablets 2 weeks prior to season
- shower the night before and the morning of the hunt jus before heading to stand with unscented soap and shampoo
-use scent eliminating deodorant
- if you break a sweat in the stand rub the area of concern down with neosporinin or hydrogen peroxide.�
- always brush teeth, floss, and use mouth wash 3 times a day during the season
-While �on stand rub down with hydrogen peroxide on exposed skin every hr or so as hunt goes on
- sweating I believe also helps rid the body of toxins, so vigorous sweating on days prior to hunts likely helps

I think it sounds great and if it works for you and your disciplined enough to do all of that then do it. But there is no way I could make myself do all of that. I also don't kill many mature bucks either.

 

[woodsman87]

I definately do not wash my clothes after every hunt, especially the camoflauge part. I do not want them to fade, therefore I hardly wash them unless I sweat excessively in them. I normally just hang them up outside every day or night no a close line and just let them "air out." I will wash my thermal underwear and stuff though.

If yall wash your camo every time, how do you keep it from fading so much and looking like snow camoflauge? I know deer are color blind, but I turkey hunt too, and I also like to feel camoflaged good.

It is almost useless around here to worry about sweat. Seems like now a days its in the 70s on thanksgiving, in the 70s and 80s much of bowseason, and doesn't get un-sweaty weather until late december.
Sweating while deer hunting is just part of hunting in the southeast, just like football practice in the south.

 

[BHC]

Poser this is not my scent control regimen, but one I've found and wanted to see how intense some others on here are. I have a pretty good program but have started slacking more and more.. This yr I plan to get back to where I was and even exceed it some I'm Gunna try to follow the one I posted for the most part aside from the eating thing I may try to plan what I eat the day before a hunt, but that's about it... But everything else I'm Gunna try to do to a T and see how my results improve.. I also plan to change my mindset of only hunting stands with the wind basically in my face or not blowing the way I expect the deer to travel from. For this reason am Gunna adjust some of my stands this summer be it higher or 50yrds in a given direction. The reason why and the reason why I started this thread is because I was watching Bill Vale's you tube videos, and it got me to thinking. And every mature buck I've seen the past few yrs has been moving into the wind to some extent. I'm also Gunna start keeping better records of the weather and deer movement.

 

[EastTNHunter]

If yall wash your camo every time, how do you keep it from fading so much and looking like snow camoflauge? I know deer are color blind, but I turkey hunt too, and I also like to feel camoflaged good.

I just don't wear camo, or if I do, I don't care if it fades.

 

[leader]

What do you guys think of this regime to intense or spot on?


Scent Control Regime

1. Clothing
-wear carbon suit
-wash under garments every hunt(anything that touches skin),and others as needed
- store clothes in a sealed container
- place baking soda in container to absorb any remaining scent
- dress w outer garments at stand
- spray down with scent eliminator every hr on stand
- where rubber boots
-change socks and under garments each hunt unless able to wash them between hunts
-place baking soda in boots to absorb any scent also sprinkle on under garments
- never expose clothes to inside of house,vehicle, or food.

2. Body
- prior to hunts eat as little greasy or unhealthy food and drinks (coke beer, etc.)as possible
-always use bathroom before heading to stand to try and rid as many toxins as possible
- begin taking chlorophyll tablets 2 weeks prior to season
- shower the night before and the morning of the hunt jus before heading to stand with unscented soap and shampoo
-use scent eliminating deodorant
- if you break a sweat in the stand rub the area of concern down with neosporinin or hydrogen peroxide.�
- always brush teeth, floss, and use mouth wash 3 times a day during the season
-While �on stand rub down with hydrogen peroxide on exposed skin every hr or so as hunt goes on
- sweating I believe also helps rid the body of toxins, so vigorous sweating on days prior to hunts likely helps

I am pretty similar in that I change in the field, use carbon, wash base layers and socks after each hunt etc, though I don't use much spray at all as I do not feel that I need it. I do spray down my backpack after sweaty hunts as well as my bow release.

I also do not worry about what I eat because, well.... my wife is such a great cook that I eat whatever she makes. I usually don't eat heavy foods before going hunting just because its not the most conducive to productive hunting for me. I like a light breakfast of oatmeal or something, but I definitely do not go so far as to avoid spicy foods or onions and garlic altogether like some hunters I know. I agree that it makes a difference, but I am not willing to go that far. I do limit myself to one cup of coffee in the morning and drink lots of water.

I don't wipe down very much (though I do some, but definitely not every hour) in the stand on sweaty days either. Hunting on hot days in West TN is just going to be sweaty and I have accepted that and just go with it.

Chlorophyl tablets do definitely work. I experimented with them some and noticed that my armpits don't stink even when not wearing deodorant. I also noticed that my crap has little or no odor. People that have chronic bad breath often use it effectively so, it works for your breath as well. I'm going to use them again this season maybe to help cancel out all the spicy foods I eat.

How often do you take Chloryphyll in season, any side effects?
Sounds interesting....

 

[deerhunter10]

imo you must play the wind the best you can to kill mature consistently. but what I have found at least on our farms is that the wind swirls all the time. if I gotta I will switch stands if the wind switches. I think good scent regimen is must. at least to help some. but I don't believe deer quarter in the wind all the time. as said earlier I do think around bedding areas is when you will see it the most. but if your not hunting the wind you hurting yourself a lot. at least hunt it the best you can. I think deer trust their nose more then anything else. may be wrong about that but it sure does seem like that.

 

[TN RDG RNR]

Wish I had a nickel for every time I climbed a tree and the wind shifted. Its probably caused me to say more 4 letter words than any other one thing. Except maybe the ex-wife.

Normally hunt big woods in a climber and swirling, shifting or even calm winds always seem not to be in my favor. So I try an focus on thermals and how the terrain will cause scent to travel, also firmly believe thermals are a more predictable factor in picking better stand locations but, still cuss every time the wind screws me.

 

[rem270]

I try to play the wind as much as possible. But ive been hunting my place for 17yrs. And theres only few spots that i know about the exact location they'll come from. All my other spots they can pop out of anywhere. So pretty much i shower before i hunt, spray down and just hope for the best. I killed my biggest buck and he came straight down wind of me trailing a doe. Wind was blowing 20mph and i shot him at 50yds. I was set up playing the wind expecting him to come in front of me. He did right the opposite.

 

[BHC]

What do you guys think of this regime to intense or spot on?


Scent Control Regime

1. Clothing
-wear carbon suit
-wash under garments every hunt(anything that touches skin),and others as needed
- store clothes in a sealed container
- place baking soda in container to absorb any remaining scent
- dress w outer garments at stand
- spray down with scent eliminator every hr on stand
- where rubber boots
-change socks and under garments each hunt unless able to wash them between hunts
-place baking soda in boots to absorb any scent also sprinkle on under garments
- never expose clothes to inside of house,vehicle, or food.

2. Body
- prior to hunts eat as little greasy or unhealthy food and drinks (coke beer, etc.)as possible
-always use bathroom before heading to stand to try and rid as many toxins as possible
- begin taking chlorophyll tablets 2 weeks prior to season
- shower the night before and the morning of the hunt jus before heading to stand with unscented soap and shampoo
-use scent eliminating deodorant
- if you break a sweat in the stand rub the area of concern down with neosporinin or hydrogen peroxide.�
- always brush teeth, floss, and use mouth wash 3 times a day during the season
-While �on stand rub down with hydrogen peroxide on exposed skin every hr or so as hunt goes on
- sweating I believe also helps rid the body of toxins, so vigorous sweating on days prior to hunts likely helps

I am pretty similar in that I change in the field, use carbon, wash base layers and socks after each hunt etc, though I don't use much spray at all as I do not feel that I need it. I do spray down my backpack after sweaty hunts as well as my bow release.

I also do not worry about what I eat because, well.... my wife is such a great cook that I eat whatever she makes. I usually don't eat heavy foods before going hunting just because its not the most conducive to productive hunting for me. I like a light breakfast of oatmeal or something, but I definitely do not go so far as to avoid spicy foods or onions and garlic altogether like some hunters I know. I agree that it makes a difference, but I am not willing to go that far. I do limit myself to one cup of coffee in the morning and drink lots of water.

I don't wipe down very much (though I do some, but definitely not every hour) in the stand on sweaty days either. Hunting on hot days in West TN is just going to be sweaty and I have accepted that and just go with it.

Chlorophyl tablets do definitely work. I experimented with them some and noticed that my armpits don't stink even when not wearing deodorant. I also noticed that my crap has little or no odor. People that have chronic bad breath often use it effectively so, it works for your breath as well. I'm going to use them again this season maybe to help cancel out all the spicy foods I eat.

How often do you take Chloryphyll in season, any side effects?
Sounds interesting....

You get a bottle and it should say on it but you take it like vitamins once a day generally. No negative side affects. I have heard it will flush your system when you first start taking it.