5 Ways to Beat a Variable Wind

[buckhunter21]

OHunter, I must say I'd love to have your misfortune as well...Those pics that you posted of your 'wall' is quite impressive to say the least!
 
Great post Ben as always!

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: 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.....

Bear in mid, Goose, that this is a THEORY on my part. But I base it on the many times that I've used the colored smoke bombs on my scouting trips, and have lit one at the various locations I hunt under light wind conditions for the very reason you spoke of above. Rarely, if ever, do I get the smoke to react like it frequently does around a campfire. Just a thought.
 
You also have to consider humidity levels and barometric pressure, as they can have a very pronounced effect on how air currents and scent move. I hunted with Setters for many years, and local scent conditions due to these factors plays a big part in how well a dog can find birds on a given day afield.

[msbadger]

If you were to go to Tree Lounge web site...you could watch their video using smoke bombs to show wind direction... They use them out of the stand at differant hights as well as the ground.......they use to send free videos to ppl interested...I have a couple...rather fun to watch.... this was years ago but they may still send out free ones..

[Goose]

Thermals-another piece of the puzzle! Anybody notice that deer don't scent you as much in the a.m as in the p.m?

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: Goose

Thermals-another piece of the puzzle! Anybody notice that deer don't scent you as much in the a.m as in the p.m?

YUP!
 
And a big part of that is the reverse airflow that occurs soon after the sunlight is no longer on a given patch of ground, this, combined with the damper evening air makes it very tricky. It seems to be more pronounced in the evening than it is at dawn, for some reason, under most conditions. What makes it especially tricky, is that the airflow may be heading downhill where you are, but 10 yards away from you it can be going the opposite way, and THAT will change within a few minutes!
 
When I ground hunt in the afternoon, I will usually hunt the side of a hill or gulley until  the sun goes down on that particular spot, and then I'll move either down into the bottom, or up onto the ridge top until shooting time ends, depending on the prevailing winds.
 

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: Woods Walker

[size="3"]Two points, Goose.[/size]
[size="3"][/size] 
[size="3"]#1. Don't guess what the wind in your hunting area's doing, use the colored smoke bombs and find out. They work.[/size]
[size="3"][/size] 
[size="3"]#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...[/size]
 

Smoke bombs are heated smoke, just like a campfire.

The temperature of smoke is going to be hotter than human odor in both situations, so the comparison to how your scent will travel is fairly limited. I contend that human odor will sink and swirl far more than colored smoke from a smoke bomb.

[Woods Walker]

Good point, but I also carry wind-puff squeeze bottles, and I get simliar results with those. The advantage that the smoke bombs have is that you can see them farther than the powder. The puff powder I use while actually hunting, whereas I don't with the smoke bombs. Although maybe if they had phermone scented smoke bombs.....hmmmm..........
 
Granted, it's not EXACTLY like the stink molecules coming off your body, but it still gives you a pretty good idea of where it's going. It sure beats guessing.

[JOEL]

but I also carry wind-puff squeeze bottles,

me too i use it all day long

[DoeEyed]

What's in your wind puff squeeze bottles?

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: DoeEyed

What's in your wind puff squeeze bottles?

Secret herbs, passed down for generations since the time of Natty Bumpo. I can e-mail the recipe to you for a mere $63.27. I take plastic....[;)]
.
.
.
.
.
. Seriously, it's just unscented talc. I've made my own after I saved the empty squeeze bottles with unscented talcum powder and baking powder. But the stuff is so cheap to buy anyway, it's probably not worth the effort to make your own. Hunter's Specialties, H/S Products, makes them, as well as others.
 
Milkweed down works well to, and are free, but them you have to use a plastic bag to out the ripened pods in, and I don't like to use plastic bags when I hunt because they're noisy.

The other thing I use for wind detection, is to tie a several inch long piece of unwaxed dental floss that I've unraveled halfway to the end of my bow. The "puffed up" part of the floss will move on the slightest breath of air, very similar to a piece of goose down. This way I can tell wind current with only moving my eyes. The puff bottles tell you more, in that you can see the powder from 5 to 10 yards out, but the floss is more unobtrusive, as the puff bottle requires that you use your hand and arm. I keep a puff bottle attached to one of the burlap strands on the front of my ghille suit with s piece of cord so I don't have to keep taking it out of my pocket.