5 Ways to Beat a Variable Wind

[Ben Sobieck]

Tricky winds are something a hunter cannot change. You can only try various strategies to help.
If you hunt in an area where switching winds wreak havoc on your stand sites, try these tactics to defeat a tricky wind.

1. Get high. A hilltop is often a better choice than a valley. Wind direction is sometimes steadier on the highest terrain of the area.

2. Live on the edge. Because the wind is sometimes steadier in open areas, consider placing your stand along the fringes rather than in dense areas near a field.

3. Go deep. If the wind remains variable in an open area, though, it is better to take your chances in the thickets. Keep in mind, when deer come to a food source, such as a field, they often spend time there. That means you will probably be detected as soon as the wind switches to the wrong direction. By setting up in the thickets where deer are more likely to move through without spending time, you could get by with not being scented.

4. Stay a step ahead. Don't avoid hunting if a front approaches and causes unsteady winds. Deer often move best just ahead of a front, particularly as the barometer drops.

5. Don't be afraid to move. Keep a wind tester handy to check variations of wind before selecting a stand site. When you arrive on stand, tie thread or a commercial wind detector on your bow or a limb so you will notice the first change in wind direction.

For more insights into tactics for hunting tricky winds, be sure to get your copy of the June issue of Deer & Deer Hunting. On sale at newsstands beginning March 24.

[Everyday Hunter]

These 5 points are great advice! In my opinion, beating a variable wind is the deer hunter's most difficult challenge where I live and hunt. Terrain features (such as steep-sided valleys) often have a huge effect on wind direction and consistency.

Steve

[JPH]

Ahh, good stuff.
 
It seems like every time the topic of wind and how to hunt it comes up it turns to a discussion of scent control. While I think this is extreemly important, you must still understand how to hunt with the wind.
 
Thanks Ben!

[Goose]

Some good advice I read (by the guy thats got 3 200"ers with the bow, not Stan Potts or JPH) is to hunt the wind so that the deer can use it to there advantage as well i.e sitting on the bend of a trail so when the deer turns the corner it's in his face as well but he'll be upwind of you.

[OHhunter]

I read a similiar article in NAW, it made some sense, but in my expirience the wind tends to shift a little off and on, one way or the other through out  the day making it a little risky.  Especially if concentrating a particular buck. The last thing I want to do is spook him.  Maybe that's my problem though being to conservitive. 

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: OHhunter
 Maybe that's my problem though being to conservitive. 

Uhh OHhunter, we've been talking for a couple of years now and I have seen the results of your hunts. I don't think it can be said that you have a "problem".

If you do, I want to have it too!

[OHhunter]

ORIGINAL: JPH

ORIGINAL: OHhunter
Maybe that's my problem though being to conservitive. 

Uhh OHhunter, we've been talking for a couple of years now and I have seen the results of your hunts. I don't think it can be said that you have a "problem".

If you do, I want to have it too!

O.K., maybe that was my problem this past season. 

[Goose]

I agree OH hunter, just think about this: when your sitting around a campfire, unless it's a strong wind, can you ever find a spot where the smoke does not end up in your grill? It's gotta do the same thing in the tree stand.
So I don't really think without a strong wind you can predict where your scent is going. You can guess and go off of that but I think it still swirls more than people realize.

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: Goose

I agree OH hunter, just think about this: when your sitting around a campfire, unless it's a strong wind, can you ever find a spot where the smoke does not end up in your grill? It's gotta do the same thing in the tree stand.
So I don't really think without a strong wind you can predict where your scent is going. You can guess and go off of that but I think it still swirls more than people realize.

Two points, Goose.
 
#1. Don't guess what the wind in your hunting area's doing, use the colored smoke bombs and find out. They work.
 
#2. Having spent my time around camp fires, I can relate to what you're saying, but I do think that many times (especially when the wind is light), the reason why campfire smoke seems to constantly shift, is that the heat generated by the campfire itself, warms the air above it, which rises, and then the colder air on the ground around the campfire rushes in to fill the void, similar to a thunderstorm. If the barometer is falling, the smoke that rose above the campfire will begin to settle as it leaves the heat column, and the colder air going towards the campfire will pull it to you. Throw in the fact that your simply being there creates an air eddy on your lee (fire) side, and the smoke then seems to "go right for you".
 
Just something to think about.

[Goose]

interesting.....I was thinking the smoke is heavier than my odor so in turn my odor would even be worse than the smoke but you put a wrench into this thinking.....