DIY wind checker?

Joined
Sep 9, 2012
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BC
A couple of 6” pieces of old style non-waxed floss (lots of strands) tied on the bow riser where it can hang down is all I use. Simpler than a bottle you have to get out and open. Works best when it is real frizzy. Carry a small roll in your pack for replacing the wind threads when they wear out or get snagged off the bow, also for sewing thread and even flossing if you ever wash your hands...LOL.
 

Paisano

FNG
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Jul 7, 2019
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Texas
+1 for baking soda in whatever small plastic bottle I can find laying around the kid’s art supplies!
 

Steve O

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Feb 29, 2012
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Michigan
My favorite wind checker is dyed floating fiber. It's possible to watch the fiber for a long ways out. Obviously wind currents and directions can often change farther from your location. In fact, once the fiber gets out of visual range I've watched the fiber through my binos. White milkweed against a bright sky may be somewhat tough to see. If you could somehow dye milkweed a bright color that would be even better!


Where does one find this dyed floating fiber?
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
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For me, nothing is quicker or easier than a bottle of fine powder when stalking an animal. If I want to be entertained while sitting in a treestand I'll pull out my little plastic coin purse which is full of thistle down and float a few of them. Pretty educational to watch one float out of the tree downwind, only to swirl and reverse course ending up in a totally different direction.

About 20 years ago I had a baggie full of goose down salvaged from an old vest. That worked great. I opened the bag to test the wind while deer hunting one morning. The open bag slipped out of my cold hands. I made a desperate lucky grab and nailed the catch, only to watch about 5,000 down clusters poof out into the frosty air and start a slow descent all around my tree. I'm down with down.
 

Jimss

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Mar 6, 2015
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I can't seem to find the container with the floating fibers. I have some stashed in about all of my hunting clothes pockets. Here's a link to an article about fibers....and what fibers can be used:

 

Wrench

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Aug 23, 2018
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WA
What's that like....a swimming pool?

Lol. I use them with west epoxies for rifle stock fillers.
 

tdot

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Aug 18, 2014
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BC
I picked up an 8oz bottle of micro balloons on eBay for $8.89. Filled up 4 2oz bottles. Works great.

Love micro balloons, use them all the time with epoxy, but not sure if your aware of the health risks of breathing them in. In case you aren't, they can lodge in your lungs and cause a type of cancer that miners used to get. I personally wont use them without a proper mask on.
 

justin84

Lil-Rokslider
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Apr 12, 2019
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167
Location
Wisconsin
Love the idea of milk weed for being able to track it further than a powder.

Yea that's the key. Any powder is only going to tell you where the wind is blowing right in front of you, which you probably already know anyways. You let some milkweed fly and you can follow it as far as the eye can see, and it'll give you more a much more accurate idea of wind,thermal activity, swirls, etc.
 

pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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Mar 12, 2014
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Thornton, CO
What's that like....a swimming pool?

Lol. I use them with west epoxies for rifle stock fillers.

More like yard waste garbage bag size (its in a more robust sack but I have a few garbage bags over to keep the inherent "dust" as contained as possible). I had a big composite project a while back and it was cheaper to buy one huge sack than many small containers.
 

Nate_Beres

Lil-Rokslider
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Mar 27, 2016
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169
Excuse me if already mentioned but clean and dry out an old afrin bottle. Boom! Done

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

CutBait

FNG
Joined
Aug 12, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Minnesota
Another milkweed seed user here. Most of my pants and jacket pockets are full of the seeds by the end of the season here. Whether its from plucking a few seeds during a walk, or stuffing some in my pocket quick for a hunt. Also have used cattails as well, but they aren't as light and don't float as well as milkweed seeds in my opinion.
 
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