There is no best wind direction, just the right wind direction for a given hunting site. There are always variables.
If the deer are coming from the left try to make sure the wind is coming from the left... However deer are not stupid they will travel into the wind also... Good luck Sent from my USCC-E6762 using Tapatalk
The best wind direction is the one that the deer don't smell you as they walk in towards you. If it's not favorable, I don't hunt a certain stand.
I put up 3 stands at each location to account for the wind. I always have a stand for an east wind, where I live when a front is coming in we get an east wind.
Try to determine what is the most prevalent wind for that stand based in the direction the deer normally come in.
i here of people shotting huge deer time and time again if therenis one thing that would be the gteatest contributer to consistently kill mature bucks what would that be?
Not trying to sound like a smart a$$. Being in the right place at the right time is the best thing you can do. Playing the wind is a very important part of this.
Try to keep the deer upwind of you and know what direction they are moving either from food or too bedding or where ever they are going. Then set up your stand the best you can to play the most regular wind. My stand usually has the wind blowing in the wrong direction but, the wind doesn't blow all the time. So far it's worked out well.
if the wind is going the wrong way don't hunt the stand....period. All it takes is one time of hunting a stand in the wrong wind and they can have you figured out. Deer are incredible smart that way. I had it once when I hunted a stand on the wrong wind, I left at dark, checked my camera that weekend and I had pictures of deer coming from the downwind not 20 minutes after I left the stand. They completely checked the whole area out, including the tree and my path that I walked in on. Also keep in mind that just because the wind is coming from lets say the east it can swirl and head north or any direction for that matter.
Where we live/hunt, the wind changes every 2 minutes anyway so scent control from the start is the best option. One minute the wind is hitting you in the face and you think this is gonna be perfect and then before you know it the wind comes from behind and deer are blowing everywhere
Every stand is different for me. some times it's in my face, some times at a 90* to how I sit. I even have stands where the best wind comes from behind me. It has way more to do with where the deer are coming from. Terrain layout, deer trail routes, tree structure, camera setup, back cover... these are the things that I look at when facing a stand.
I also hunt big woods, which means 9 of 10 times I'll be set up with the possibility of deer being downwind.
thank you for the info. i hunt a very small transition area between water and a bedding area. 11acres to be exact . i see several deer a season but want a wall hanger. very high pressurearea public land around should i switch off hunting the public land qnd my small parcel and what is tthe frequency i should hunt the small parcel one day a week or more or less?
I try to keep my scent blown away from the trail or funnel I'm set up on. Having a climber or several sets inables this. In the end though wind will swirl from time to time and deer will work down wind of you. Playing the wind isn't the golden ticket, but it does increase your odds. Your scent control and entry and exit routs are also important for keeping scent down.
One lesson we learned this year was play the wind in light of the deers desired location. The first day of season we had a corn pile out in front of us maybe 15 yards in front of us. The wind was blowing in our face and toward the left. The fawn and stupid spike came straight in front of us to the corn pile. The wise old doe circled out around past the corn pile and came directly to our left. She wanted to check the wind. She spotted us and blew out of there. We needed to be 25 yards further to the left so when she came to check the wind she would have got an arrow in her instead of busting us.
On small land less is better. I hunt a piece that is around 25 acres there are does on the property on a regular basis. You have to be careful because if the old herd nanny busts you once she will make a sport out of busting you anytime you are at the stand site. I have backed off my pressure and ignore the early season and wait till peak prerut and then hunt.