Hunting, high winds
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
Wind blowing 18-25 mph, how many hunt in these kind winds, tree stands or ground ?
Depends where you are, KS, Iowa it can be a steady 40mph and they move. Where I live in NY find a bottom where the wind don't swirl or wide open fields and deer will move through them in high winds. The winds you mention are not to bad to hunt anywhere. Shawn
I hunted in a 20 mph wind and scattered showers tonight. Saw 6 does and fawns and 4 bucks. I was in a box blind I built for just these conditions
I find it really tuff to sit in a tree in a 20 plus wind. I know some places the deer are used to it, but I'm not...
Some of my best bucks have come on days with winds like that.
NW winds in relation to a front are great. I usually sit on the ground because in a tree would be a very cold sit.
I LOVE windy days. It reduces the potential area where the deer may be because they like to get out of it too. The noise and the motion of the moving vegetation make it easier to stillhunt because it helps cover you. There's less people in the woods too as many who hunt from trees only don't want to be in a tree with 20+ mile an hour winds (and I don't blame them!)
The one drawback is when you do find where they are, you've actually FOUND the deer.....damn near all of them, so you have to move, when you do, even slower.
Worst thing with high wind for me is hearing them... I usually hear deer coming before I see them, and high winds prevent that...
For Wisconsin whitetails in high winds I hunt more open woods. I think scent dispersion can confuse them and they leave the heavier cover to rely more on vision.
I dunno...just my experience...
I’ll hunt that strong wind, in the rut. Prefer a ground blind though in those conditions.
I use these days really windy days or heavy rain days to make any adjustments during the season....moving a stand....setting up a new stand etc.
I hunt when the wind is blowing, but a lot of guys around here don't, was just wondering about you guys, now I know, thanks & good luck. Peter.
I hunt. I am very selective where though. Not gonna be stupid about it.
I learned two things when I took this pic...
1) Don't leave your climber in the woods.
2)Don't hunt when it's too windy.
I was planning on hunting this stand, the evening before, but glad life intervened and I didn't make it into the woods that day. There isn't an old woods goat in the world, worth having an oak tree land on your head! Hunt smart, hunt safe....your family is counting on you coming home.
I have mixed feelings about being in a tree during high winds. However, here in the Midwest the deer always seem to move more. Penn State validates that notion as well. Here's an interesting study done on deer movement.
https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/projects/deer/news/2015/winds-surprising-effects-on-deer-movement
looks like you left your pants there too.
Killed a doe in 38mph sustained winds that were gusting to 63 in December a few years ago. Saw about 30 deer that night. They will move in the wind.
I don’t like to shoot in high winds and will usually use the day to scout,hang sets and cut lanes
I sat tonight in consistent 30 mph winds. Froze my tuckus off and didn't see squat.
Was it worth it? Not really.
I noticed something where I use to work since it was out in the country. If the wind was blowing from the northwest, the deer would be on the southeast side of the hill, about 100 yards from the top of the hill. Obviously, the wind was blowing right over the top of them.
Sat tonight in Ohio with winds in the 20 mph + range. I saw two bucks and a doe, didn't seem to phase them.
Yeah high winds here in Ohio today, but watched a nice mature buck tending a doe this afternoon in the winds... Winds don't affect the rut...
When it quits being fun, I don't hunt. Good day to scout.
I'll hunt high winds as hunting time is sacred, and I won't shoot one from the couch. As said above the methods may change but it's still good to get out.
I'm surprised nobody has touched on the art of shooting arrows in wind. I make sure to practice on windy days (you know... the type of days you don't even want to step outside) and move my shot around by circling my target. I need to know what my arrow is going to do with a crosswind, headwind, tailwind, and diagonals.
Sat all day yesterday here in Northeastern Illinois with 50mph gusts and 20+ sustained winds going on. Saw a lot of deer but not close enough for a shot. Finally died down near the end of the day. I love hunting windy days. Have to admit though, a couple of those 50mph blasts had me holding on to my tree!