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Does anyone remember the winds being this crazy over the last few years? I've really doubted sitting in my stands this last week, it seems like the winds have been blowing opposite of the norm. Just seems odd.
Not for me, low pressure systems move counter clockwise so when they come through you get say a east wind then it switches to ENE NE north NW west ect, a high pressure coves through and spins clockwise so you get your South SW west NW ect happens all year long.
Mike
Last week on evening I was facing west when a bear came off the bank with the wind at his back. The closer he got to being in back of me the more he raised his nose sniffing the air. When he got directly behind me he looked right at me and took off. An hour later the air was dead and a doe walked directly up in back of me without ever smelling me. Same place, no scent.
It has amazed me how many mornings I have been in a tree and there was no wind whatsoever.
Coming bear hunting Pat?
Thanks for the info Mike. I never knew that about the low pressure systems moving counter clockwise and high pressure moving clockwise.
What I do know is these east winds moving in are the WORST possible wind for my best property and I only have about 5 sits left to hunt Pa then it's off to Ohio for vacation from the 1st to the 13th.
Art, The plan is to be there for bear. I'll call you in the next week or so.
Thanks for the info mike, very interesting.
We always count on west winds to hunt. We been getting alot of east wind and it supposed to continue this week. Also, some south wind which is not the norm either.
Pat
I have paid attention to the wind for decades but some places I hunt the wind swirls at unexpected times coming from different directions. The hillsides and hollows cause some of this but not always. Friday I hunted with a NNE wind that changed at time to N. Saturday it was supposed to be a SSE wind and, for much of the day it was, but there were times it was NNE and even some gusts of N. Made it difficult to set up in the area I wanted to hunt.
You have to look at wind like water, like water it flows and the things it comes in contact with effect the way it travles. I believe the reason why Art's doe came in without winding him in the same location the bear winded him is likely thermals when the wind dies down at night thermals can help you or hurt you. I would bet Arts stand was at least slightly down hill from the doe, it does not have to be a drastic drop in elevation, In the evening as it cools down the thermals push the wind down anything above should not wind you if the wind is not blowing even if it has been blowing toward that doe all day.
I hunt swamps a lot I purposely set up near water not only is it a barrier to force deer to travel a certain way but it can help you even if the wind is not right for your setup, if the water is colder than the air temp it will push your sent away so if you were set up near standing swamp water hunting a trail that parallels the standing water you set up on the opposite side of the trail on calm mornings regardless of the wind direction because your scent will roll behind you. Now in the evening you want to be on the opposite side of that same trail near that standing water because as the water warms up through the the day and the water is now warmer than the air that thermal off the water will pull your scent toward the water regardless of the wind direction. This is why I like to hunt with my climber and stay Mobil. I bet that the 6th sense that most hunters talk about that deer up wind of them have is simply thermals at the Deers advantage, furthermore when people claim their scent blocker suit is keeping them from getting winded because the deer came in down wind in most cases it's thermals that are favorable to the hunter.
Get yourself some milkweed, let those suckers go through the the day, you'll be amazed at how air currents flow through the trees, those powder puff bottles and that yarn on your bow only tell you the direction the wind is hitting you right there where you are sitting, if you want to learn how to use wind currents to your advantage use the milkweed. On a high pressure system 5-10 mile an hour wind temp in the high 40 to low 50 blue bird day with the sun out I'll hunt up wind of a trail if I think I have to be in that tree to kill a deer because your milkweed & air current will likely be going straight up over the trail your hunting. there is a lot more to hunting the wind than just thinking hunting the downwind side of a trail is the best option.
Mike
Most years an East wind is a rare occurrence. This year it's been the norm. Go figure......
Interesting Mike.. I hunt a long narrow hollow and two hollows come together and the wind always swirls down through it.
Either Roger Rothhaar or the Wensels wrote an article long ago about the wind being like water, thermals and such. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye. What is frustrating is when the wind completely changes direction for a couple of minutes and then goes back to where it was.
If it goes back to where it was then what's the big deal?
Good info Mike! Is there any books you would recommend to learn more about the wind?? I watch the wind now but need to learn a lot more about it.
Yeah, the last few days have been the windiest of the season. Most days I hunted so far were dead calm. There were some days with an East wind. Must be global warming! LOL! :)
Roy, Some of my favorite places are near the top of the mountain on either side of a hollow running to the top - depending on which way the wind is blowing. When it switches, even though it does go back, it takes my scent right into the area I'm watching.
No wonder ya don't see any deer then, Phil. One wiff of your arse and all the deer in the county would be gone.
I was messing with ya above:)
Been more East wind this year than I can ever remember.
Shoulda known Roy.
That's why I'm in favor of Sunday hunting. Saturday is bath day. I'm nice and clean on Sunday.
Two of my very best stands are set up for East winds, I have shot 4 of my best bow kill bucks out of those two stands so I can assure you that at least in the areas I hunt in NW PA East winds are likely to happen every year at this time or I would not have those stands set for so many years. Those stands are both in funnels and I never hunt them until October 28th at the earliest.
Ben Gene Wensrl talks extensively about the wind in his book buckskin & bone -postgraduate whitetails, maybe Phil can bring up the article Gene wrote on the Bowsite about the wind a while back, I think it's titled breaking wind. I also highly recommend going to Dan Infaults "the hunting beast website. If you want to learn real whitetail tactics on killing mature bucks that's a forum to check out. Dan hunts primarily public land and has taken over 30 P&Y bucks mostly I believe in Wisconsin but he hunts other states around there as well. Dan has a podcast on his website that is a hour or so long about the wind episode one I think I've personally listened to it 10 times or more it re affirmed a lot I already knew about the wind from 28 years of bow hunting he really knows his stuff. In my opinion everyone needs to take advantage of Dan podcast and also Mark Kenyon's "wired to hunt" podcast you can learn a wealth of information from both podcasts. Dan' are found on his website The wired to hunt podcast can be found by doing the search "deer hunting podcasts" on ITunes then choose Wired to hunt, also the "hunt fish journal" is almost as good as wired to hunt. You will find yourself listening to some of these podcasts over and over again, very informative.
Mike
It's on Gene's site. Here's a link
http://brothersofthebow.com/AirMovement.htm
some very good info being passed, thanks.
I hunted Ohio tonight I was only going to have the last hour and 15 minutes to be on stand before I had to head to work, the wind direction was ENE perfect for a stand I had set in a funnel way back in the swamp, I have another stand in a transition area on the edge of a thick bedding area about 150 yards from a picked corn field I had a trail camera I've been needing to check near the closer stand it was pretty much on the way to the stand that had a more favorable wind but 1/2 the distance, I quietly snuck in there and climbed the tree at the closer stand where my camera was to check the wind, there are two trails that run east west 18 and 25 yards to my south in the thick sawgrass and slashing the wind was blowing right from my stand toward the two trails, it was sunny with a steady 10 mph wind I released several milkweed pods they all went straight up and over the trails I could watch them sail with the wind currents for 50 yards or so till they started gradually coming down. I decided I'd just stay there that way I would have less walking and get to hunt a little longer. At 6:10 I heard deer mooving to the southwest then a chase started a buck was grunting and I waited all went quiet for a few minutes so I hit the bleat can right away a 6 point walks a line to my tree walks all around me down wind the whole time for a good 5-10 minutes looking for that doe he heard he never winded me because my scent was going over his head. A lot of guys would think their scent free shower and scent blocker was the reason they did not get winded by a deer downwind of them for that long but all it was is a favorable wind current.
Mike
