Hunt the wind question

I only have 20 acres of woods to hunt and the property runs near a wildlife WIA (east side) with a decent size lake and woods. Its raining at the moment and supposed to be 32 degrees in the morning also the wind will be out of the west tomorrow which means it will blow to the area I think they are going to bed in. The other 3 sides are a standing corn field (south side) a bean field (west side) and plowed wheat field (North side).

It's still early in the season and I don't want to screw things up just because its going to be chilly and the deer most likely will move.

Do I just need to be patient or can I go in there tomorrow and still be ok? This has been my biggest struggle as deciding on when to hunt and not being patient and making poor decisions to hunt on days when the wind is i feel in the wrong direction.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

As bad as the urge to hunt is, if the winds going to blow your sent to where you think their bedding, then don't do it. I know it's going to suck because they're going to be moving, but being patient and waiting for the right wind is what you should do if you want to be successful.

I'm no professional, but I've made that mistake quite a few times because I want to be out in the woods so bad. And I know that has bitten me in the butt every time I did it.


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Thanks for the advice. In all the years I have hunted the property (10 to be exact) they always seem to come from the east or south east.

 

There are a lot of variables that play a big roll in your situation. Is there any way you can post above picture of your area? How far away are you deer bedding? My stands are set up the exact same way and to be honest i typically do not go off the wind. Deer will always surprise you when think you have them figured out. I would say give it a shot, 32 degrees this early in the year is hard to pass up. lay down a cover scent and hope for the best. You could have deer come from anywhere no matter where they might be bedding.

 

Here is a photo. Hope it works

 

Hunt. You will be fine. If they bust you that happens. Let me know how it goes.

 

I'd rather increase my odds rather than decrease them.

 

I'd still hunt. Even if it's not technically the right wind. I only get certain amount of days to hunt, like 1 every other week, so I'd be out.

 

There are a lot of variables that go into this question. The first thing we would need to know, is what kind of hunter are you? Are you looking to bag a smart mature animal, or are you looking to try and get lucky and put some meat in your freezer? Neither of those stances is wrong, but it will help us in aiding in your decision. If your trying to harvest a mature deer and you don't hunt the wind you will be disappointed almost all the time. If your hoping to get lucky and fill a tag and get some meat in your deep freeze, or if your main motivation is to watch the sun come up in God's Country, then by all means go sit and enjoy the time you have. It all boils down to where your priorities are man. I Want to emphasize that I judge no one for their style of hunting, there are many phases we go through as hunters and sportsmen. At the end of the day do what makes you smile.

 

Funny, I'm in the same predicament for tomorrow now too!!! I'm set up on a mature bucks run. It's a perfect setup for the predominant west wind. Tomorrow is the first day I was going to hunt the stand.
They are now calling for a south wind which will blow my scent right down his run he comes up.




I'm still going to hunt, but from the ground in a different area. I don't want to take a chance!!


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Well decided not to go out. To answer your ? Shoot straight, I have 2 tags to use was hoping to fill the doe tag early for meat then hunt the 12 point I have lurking around during the rut.

I haven't been in there in 2 weeks now and the wind is the same direction. Tomorrow but only at 5 mph. Still thinking I may sit in a different spot until it changes to an east wind Sunday.

 

This is the one I'm hoping to get. Do t mind the date and time as the camera doesn't record the correct info anymore for some reason.

 

How many others areas do you have to hunt? And how much time and how flexible are you on when you can hunt. Looking at the picture, you are setup between the bedding and the fields which is where they are probably heading. The days where the wind comes out of the east are not predictable so you might end up never having the right wind when you can get out. And with all the fields around, when the wind is blowing the other direction, it is quite possible the deer would head to a different feeding area and never pass where you are setup.

If you have enough choices in where to hunt, go ahead and wait. If not, I would think about adding a couple other stands in the area, because with the predominately west wind. I would have one further south for when the wind is more out of the NorthWest and one to the north for when the wind is more out of the SouthWest.

Also is there a chance to get in when the deer are not bedding and catch them on their return.

 

Small areas like that. I wouldn't be too concerned with the wind. I've used evercalm and had deer walking towards my wind. At first I was nervous that there gonna hightail on me and run. Nope there out feeding on the corn and wasn't aware. If u hunt hill country. The winds never perfect. The winds can shift anytime it wants to. Youll mess up more being too concerned with the wind. I learnd that the hard way.

 

This woods Is pretty much my only option and I really only get out on the weekends. I do have a mini plot close to that stand site also. That's where the pic was taken. If I'm lucky maybe a morning hunt during the week. I do have a stand overlooking the field line on the north end but it's maybe 10 yards into the timber and looks straight out into the field. I can surly move a stand to the south along a trail that we have mowed east and west for snowmobiling. The problem is that it's a really thick undergrowth in this woods and unless you have a good trail it's tough to get a shot.

I can get in and out fairly easy at any time.

Thanks for all the info guys.

 

Hunting only on the correct wind is crucial to success, on small properties or if you have limited spots hunting only on the correct wind is even more important. It's better to not hunt at all than hunt a small property with the wrong wind in my opinion.

 

Go the closest place you can buy Hunters Specialties "Fresh Earth Wafers". They should come 3 in pack for like $10. Open them and put them right in with your hunting clothes for 24 hours. When you get ready to hunt get yourself as scentless as possible, then pin one of the wafers to your hat, one on your jacket and one to the bottom of your hunting seat.. lastly get in the woods!

 

I find this thread embarrassing, looks like the hunting industry has really made many believe it is simple to beat a whitetails nose when this is far from the truth. Grab some scent wafers and hunt, serious? This is the advise we're going to provide? Looks like marketing has won out...

 

If it restores any faith back to you about not trying to think we can beat a nose I did not go out yesterday or today. I've opted to wait till tomorrow with an east wind.

 

I'm happy to see you waited, small properties can be ruined quickly when hunted sloppy. I wish you the best of luck, hope you kill what you're after!