High winds

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How do or do any of you hunt when the wind is howling sustainable around 20-25 mph. I was always taught that deer will sit because it's too noisy and they can't determine direction of danger. I have attempted to spot and stalk but no luck. Gone through some pretty thick stuff.
 
That is what "they" say but I just hunt like normal. The biggest buck I've ever shot as well as the biggest buck I've ever seen shot were both killed on 30+ mph wind days.
 
Hard pressured deer may find a thicket and lay up during periods of DAYTIME high wind, but they'll move in the dark during a howler. Deer in areas that are not being pushed hard are way more likely to be more relaxed with daytime wind, even hard wind. I hunt a ridge that gets little pressure during the season I hunt while around this ridge by maybe a half mile pressure is much greater and deer have to be pushed or driven during daytime hours and if wind is clicking those deer in the pressured areas lay tight, while on the ridge I see deer all day long even in times of hard wind.

I stand hunt for the most part but will leave the stand two or three times thru the day for a half hour to still-hunt and move around some to get some circulation going in the arms and legs. I see a lot of deer movement at three times in the day: the first three hours of daylight, from about 11 until 1 in the afternoon and again at the last hour or so of daylight. I try to time my walks/still hunts for periods that are not during the three peaks and if there is wind I am darned careful where I walk so that travel lanes and daytime beddings/resting areas aren't getting a nose-full of me.

Wind can make deer a little more wary in the woods but for the most part the only time I nicker about the wind is when its a bitter cold one. Otherwise its business as usual. I won't stay out of the stand because its blowing.
 
I don't like hunting during high winds. As a general rule deer where I hunt on public land won't move. I have the advantage in that I'm retired and can pick and choose when I hunt. For any one crunched for time I'd say by all means hunt in the wind. Be very careful climbing trees in the wind. High wind always makes me a little queasy twenty feet up.
 
We stay out of the woodlots during periods of high wind (20+). Way to many dead ash trees. We've already lost three ladder stands to fallen ash trees.

When the wind blows during the rut we stalk the corn. This would be during our archery season. It can be intense. You never know when you will come face to face with a rutting buck.
 
Same around here if you want to take a chance getting killed by a falling poplar then you can hunt in high winds but anymore I prefer to just stay home.. about 4 years ago there some some type of bug that got on the poplar trees and some beech trees by the millions, it felt like it was raining under the trees there was so much excrement from the bugs coming down, anyway they infected the trees with something and there are hundreds of big poplars that are dying or are dead, making woods extremely dangerous in big winds..
As has been said I have seen a lot of deer in winds around 20 mph, they are just a little more spooky stopping and stand for long periods of time trying to smell/listen for danger.





fishhawk2700 said:
We stay out of the woodlots during periods of high wind (20+). Way to many dead ash trees. We've already lost three ladder stands to fallen ash trees.

When the wind blows during the rut we stalk the corn. This would be during our archery season. It can be intense. You never know when you will come face to face with a rutting buck.
 
Thanks guys, most of my woods are full of mature maple and beech so I'm not too afraid of falling trees. I usually look at trees and ones that look sketchy I stay away from. I guess I'll try to hunt in days of wind. We are down to one week of regular season and a week of late season. Seen deer but no shots yet.
 
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