I'm confused about wind

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

Hi all - So what I have been trying to do is to select my stands based on where the wind is that day...so if a field is "behind me", I hunt just north of it with a north wind on the idea that my scent is being blown back into the field- where the deer are not hanging out and that the travel corridors that they use to get from their beds to the field are upwind of me.

HERE'S the CONFUSION: If bucks are upwind of me, then they can't be scent checking what is downwind of me {doe bedding}...if bucks need to be downwind in order to scent check, how am I supposed to position myself so that I am in an area that they have scent checked and shown they want to enter!?

Maybe this picture makes it easier. Wind is from north...yellow is where I intend to sit and red arrows are where I expect deer to come from. BUT, why would deer come from the north when a north wind blocks their ability to smell what is in the direction that they are headed. Wouldn't they be more likely to use those fields on a SOUTH wind because they would be able to scent check the fields and feel safer?

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Its been my experience that deer don't always follow the rules. They use the wind but it doesnt rule their behavior completely. If they travel to that bedding most often with the wind at their backs then they probably feel safe where they are coming from. Bucks often stalk does but don't always follow directly behind. Sometimes they will parallel the target does. Rut bucks are acting different than usual so its tough to say why they do a certain thing.
But regardless, you should do everything possible to control your scent. If wind cant be avoided then cover scents and scent control clothing help. I hunt where there is a lot of human activity so scent doesn't seem to be a huge factor for my target deer. A rutting buck may not give a dang about you or an old buck may avoid your smell like its a plague.

 

[.45er]

Hi all - So what I have been trying to do is to select my stands based on where the wind is that day...so if a field is "behind me", I hunt just north of it with a north wind on the idea that my scent is being blown back into the field- where the deer are not hanging out and that the travel corridors that they use to get from their beds to the field are upwind of me.

HERE'S the CONFUSION: If bucks are upwind of me, then they can't be scent checking what is downwind of me {doe bedding}...if bucks need to be downwind in order to scent check, how am I supposed to position myself so that I am in an area that they have scent checked and shown they want to enter!?

Maybe this picture makes it easier. Wind is from north...yellow is where I intend to sit and red arrows are where I expect deer to come from. BUT, why would deer come from the north when a north wind blocks their ability to smell what is in the direction that they are headed. Wouldn't they be more likely to use those fields on a SOUTH wind because they would be able to scent check the fields and feel safer?

If this is an evening hunt, I'd put my stand closer to that woodland waistline. If they can't smell the fields bucks often scope-out and follow the woodland edge of a field before entering it.

Good luck!

 

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

If this is an evening hunt, I'd put my stand closer to that woodland waistline. If they can't smell the fields bucks often scope-out and follow the woodland edge of a field before entering it.

Good luck!

Woodland waistline?

 

[MrTom]

Around here it's nothing unusual for bucks to run the wind at right angles as they travel looking for does. Especially if there's a hard wind. As michiganmuzzy has mentioned, in the rut bucks loose much of their common sense and do things so far outside of the rule books that one has to wonder if its a simple case of rectal cranial inversion or just plain stupid genetics they possesses.

 

[.45er]

Woodland waistline?

I was referring to the narrowing or funnel of the woodland between the two fields.

 

[sheriffjohn]

Use scent to your advantage (doe-in-heat scent). Squirted on your boots, even pant cuffs, you leave a Promising path to your stand and your position. Started using it 40 years ago, wish I'd taken videos many times. During the rut, it really does work well.

Disadvantage is that those bucks hone in on the source, so if you move and the deer considers the movement a threat, well, that's not good. "Masking scents" won't hide your smell, they just add another layer to what an animal is taking in. Bucky in rut don't care sickum about anything but makin' love.

I ran tracking dogs for 11 years. What blood hounds follow are the millions of skin cells we shed. Unless you're encased in an airtight cocoon, humans leave a trail. Deer aren't trackers, per se, but rely on air currents more than ground tracks, but don't rule out the fact that they are capable of picking up ground scent as well.

One last thing - when we see the "wind speed" on the weather report, it is taken 20 feet off of the ground, not ground level.

 

[rangerod]

Bucks often check fields in the evening by walking downwind into a crosswind. Not always. I've seen bucks enter fields upwind. With does in the field he may get close and personal with the does. This would be more efficient than going around the field to get downwind. I personally don't like to sit near a field on the downwind side in the evening. I'd rather sit further away from the field giving deer more opportunity to get upwind between me and the field. Do this as long as you can remain downwind of bedding sites.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Watching the does and look for what they are all looking at helps me a lot, too. If a buck is shadowing does, they know it and keep an eye on him. (Archery)I would be set up a little more north closer to, but not right on, the point where they are coming from. (Firearm) i would also be in that woods waist area, or overlooking a draw, if there is one between the two points, a low spot that they feel safe sneaking thru.
So many ways to approach a hunt. None are 100%. But be out there someplace, watch and learn from the results. Keep a journal of everything.

 

[.45er]

Great point as there are many, many ways to "approach a hunt".
We all get something from posts like this one. I thought it was really cool for BlackPowderGuy to add the photo.