I believe in D & DH this month they said deer have 150 million scent receptors compared to a humans which has 5 million. Regardless, exit and entrance routes, is just as important as a deer catching your scent downwind. I don't believe it is possible to completely eliminate human odor but I do believe you can "dumb" it down enough that deer won't recognize how close a hunter is or how recent the smell was created.
May try going to weather.com and use a zip code closest to the area you're hunting. If you are using a climbing stand then the higher the better. If I'm worried about the wind then I may get 30+ feet up and that usually helps.
You can get an idea even before going out by checking a website like accuweather.com or weatherchannel.com. I would say you still need to check the wind when you get out of the truck/car and when you get to your stand and then monitor it throughout the hunt.
The higher you go the smaller the kill zone on the deer gets because of the angle. Just something to think about.
A piece of floss tied to my stabilizer works as a wind indicator for me. Honestly though, I will hunt the prevailing wind, but the wind can swirl and change direction a hundred times a day here in the mountains. What kills me is these guys who sit in the stand and smoke and shoot monsters.
I personally like step angle shots where the exit hole is lower to enhance the blood trail. You are right that shot angle needs to be considered as stand height increases.
two questions then... the kill zone doesnt get smaller, except for the fact its further away, the angle just changes, right? and secondly I have heard people mention watching the wind when youre already hunting....what does that do? If your in a tree stand for a north with and the wind changes south, theres not much you can do if youre in prime dusk/dawn hours, right?
Question number one... The liklihood of a single-lung hit increases, for obvious reasons when shooting from a more and more elevated perch... Question number two: To begin with, I'd suggest using an internet weather site that breaks down the wind direction on an hourly basis... the wind can and will change directions from one area to another just before prime time. You can wait to sneak into your stand just as the wind is doing this... OR, if it's changing on you AFTER you're in stand, you can always get the heck out. It's better to live to fight another day than to blow that stand for the rest of the season.
Like Pat said earlier, have other options of hanging different stands in different locations so that if the wind changes on you, you can quickly make adjustments!
I can only do the extra cases. I never sorry, I have to kill the right wind, I'm sorry but I have been hunting the wrong wind....
Watch the trees, use a wind indicater(powder). But do what eveybody else said... If the wind is wrong stay home or hunt another stand. Also if you are able try to set your stands up for differant winds By that I mean more than 1 stand for your particular set up.
Knowing wind directin constantly is extremely important.if it turns bad in a good spot get out now!I wrap abot 10 feet of sewing thread(white)arod my stabilizer on my bow,and leave about 6"hanging down.even the lightest air movement willmove the thread for a wind tell.I've even had it rise straight up with the thermals!
