I think there may be a disconnect somewhere.... I am speaking of "playing the wind", sounds like you are speaking of "hunting the wind". I also have a limited amount of days to hunt and hunt deer movements - I am speaking of setting up stands based on deer movements and hunting them with the correct winds. I don't set stands expecting bucks to tailwind... I set stands on where I know they are going/coming and hunt those stands with the correct winds.
I enlarged the key part that I know is my biggest caveat towards guys that only care about hunting the wind...and share my campfire example again. How many times does the smoke shift around the fire...despite one reported wind if you look at a weather app.
I do feel "playing" vs. "hunting" the wind is a misconception and causes confusion sometimes. Just to play devil's advocate even further though is that I've hunted with success winds that many hunters would deem an incorrect wind? :D
This is when you use natural terrain or obstacles to your advantage. Maybe a road, or river...houses, ect. Learn the land, learn the deer, and you already have a huge piece of the puzzle figured out. Man it feels good to have a real hunting discussion!
bahahaha! On a serious note though our homestead has horse pastures next to it...I usually smell of horse crap on one stand that is right beside it (at times regret stepping in it quite as much as I do).
I have a stand in a creek bottom that usually has swirling winds. Very similar to your campfire example. I am very cautious about my scent when hunting this stand and rarely get busted by deer. Could thermals be the explanation? Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
Love bottoms, and could be thermals in the morning for sure...could be your scent precautions...could be height of stand...could be the way the creek actually sucks the scent down it with certain winds So many variables, but one, many or all could be reason
I don't know how thermals work as well as I should. Can you explain why the thermals would work in my favor in the morning over the afternoon? Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
If a deer is really downwind of you, they will smell you....period. Many people think a deer is downwind of them if the wind is moving from them to the deer......that is simply not accurate in most hunting situations. Thermal currents affect the wind and can push ones scent over or around a deer, thereby making people actually think they can fool a deers nose.
I try to play the wind, but I really think that is over stated. In a forest or even an edge there are so many currents, eddys, back drafts and lifts created by trees etc it is almost to know where your scent is more than an arms length away. However, I do try to guess. tips..... seriously, from a month or so before the season until the last day.... I only use un scented antiperspirant, soap and detergent. I also keep my safety vest, ropes, stand seat, gear bags, hats and clothes in a tub full of old leaves year around even during the off season!!!! I don't think you ever eliminate scent, but reduce so they think you are further away than you actually are.
Nose jammer is not a cover scent. It effects the deers ability to smell anything at all. You spray it all around and you become non existent.
I'm only on page 4 on this discussion. ..there's a lot of good points being said here...I gotta find more time to read the rest...but this is what this forum should be about hunters helping hunters having a great discussion on things...to answer the question I do both play the wind and scent control...keep up the good discussion here..I am now subscribed to this topic! Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
I am not an extremist either way like I said. I do try to at least minimize my scent so walking in I don't leave too much of a scent trail. I know entrance is important but sometimes deer come from an unexpected direction. Last season the mature doe ("only" a doe I know) I shot got pushed by another hunter and came out on the opposite side I expected it to. It walked across my trail, sniffed the ground, and continued to feed. Mistake of course. I know this is not a mature buck and I am 100% sure she smelled where I walked. Sometimes I think these scent reduction technques mask just enough that maybe deer don't recognize us as a threat...that's out there I know. But in the past anytime a deer cut my trail it was game over. That has happened twice now to me, both resulted with meat in the freezer. Of course both cases I was down wind so maybe since they couldn't smell me, just my trail, they assumed it was ok? Who knows but I will stick with my basic strategy about scent control lol.
And Coop brings up the rule of doubling as I call it. If possible I try to not allow a deer to hit both (double up) of my scent trails (1-entrance trail & 2- being my scent stream in the air). Not always possible but I do attempt that as much as possible.
This is off topic... But if that product truly did do that to an animal, would you consider that hunt fair chase? If it did work as the marketing department spews at you, you would be disabling the deers main line of defense in staying alive.
