Hunting Windy Days

[dh.hamilton1]

Mostly public land hunting due to being so far away from family with land. Married with a toddler so hunts are around what days I can get out and weather dependent.

Seems like a lot of days I get out, it is windy and I struggle to see anything.

The area I hunt has pretty unpredictable wind that switches a lot.

I know there are deer cause I see sign but it’s definitely low numbers.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!


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[UA_Blake]

My only advice, you can’t kill em from the couch. Wind shifting is frustrating but you can’t control the weather. Check the wind direction before you leave, pick a spot, and the rest is out of your hands.

It’s an odds game, the more your out there the better your chance of filling a tag. If you have scouted enough to put yourself in a good position it will come together at some point.

 

[Chris in TN]

I use the Windy app and do my best to pick routes in/out that allow me to hunt looking over feeding areas where my scent hasn’t blown into nearby thicker bedding areas.

It’s common for me to choose between stands based solely on wind direction, on private land. On public, you can’t control what other people do, but over the course of time I believe you’ll maximize deer sightings by playing the wind.

Also - windy days tend to be poor hunting days. Stay in thicker areas when it’s windy; the deer usually will too.

 

[Robinhood21]

I’ve got 3 heads on my wall from 20+ mph windy days

 

[WCB]

Two options as far as setup. Get up HIGH or get tucked into thick stuff close quarters on the ground. Have a stand myself or my dad have sat in this year that deer can come from anywhere and they do. We have never been winded out of it with a number of deer including very mature bucks coming in straight down wind. It is 25ft maybe a bit higher.

I have killed a good number of deer in cedar thickets or thick areas where even when the wind was 20mph or so...it is or sems to be dead calm down low. you can get drifting or swirling a bit but it is what it is.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I don’t pay any attention to the wind. I just still hunt. The wind swirls around me and every time I feel good about it being in my face, it shifts again. Just go hunt and worry about things you can control. Move slow, keep your eyes open, kill.

 

[J_Fish]

Wind can be your friend too. Helps cover movement and sound. In the plains states, if deer didn't move in the wind, they'd never move.

 

[rclouse79]

I have seen a lot of animals in sheltered places out of the wind. I have also found it is much easier to stumble onto an animal when it is very windy, as the noise and moving vegetation can hide your movement. People always talk about how wary coues deer are. Years ago I was walking up a trail on a very windy day, not trying to be particularly sneaky. I stumbled on a buck at very close range. I had not moved my scope from max power and when I pulled up for a shot all I saw was hair.

 

[Ditt44]

New property this year but even so, I have consistently seen deer in the middle of the day with high winds/gusts. This year in November, I hunted a lot of windy afternoons and on one occasion, saw 13 deer over a couple hours. During the rut, I am convinced nothing weather-wise matters to them. The only thing that keeps me home on windy days are winds high enough to make the trees crack and twist. Otherwise, you just never know. Too many factors to count, but as noted, you can't shoot them if you're not out there.

 

[Rich M]

Biggest buck i ever missed was on a super windy day. 25-30 mph. I no longer ever let wind dictate hunt or not.

Yeah, a frosty still morning is still my fav, even if just for the sparkles and crunches while walking in.

 

[PredatoronthePrairie]

I pay very close attention to what the wind is doing, and what it will be doing later in the day. If you don't, you are missing a major part of the game. Don't like above 22, 8-16 is the sweet spot.

 

[Eship]

If you look at the research, they say that light wind days are beneficial for movement, however higher winds decrease movement. I’d say what is more important is what is relative to your area. If average winds are 20mph in your area, than deer will be used to it and probably unaffected. Anytime the wind is significantly greater than usual for that time of the year, expect it to affect movement, with the exception of the rut, in which case bucks will move regardless of the wind.

I’ll add another thing to consider though. Some wind is fine, but very high winds are dangerous. You’ve got a family, and no deer is worth your life, so if it’s 35mph winds out there, I’d stay out of a tree. Anything higher than that, and I wouldn’t even be in the woods. I’ve got young kids as well now. My dad was killed at 36 when a tree fell on him while he was in his tree stand. My siblings and I were 11, 9, 7, 3, and 1 at the time. It was 40mph winds that day.

 

[EdP]

Don't let the wind determine if you hunt but how you hunt. Get high if possible, on a ridge or in a tree, preferably down wind from their expected direction of approach. The idea is to have your scent carry above where they can smell it. Another alternative is a box blind or pop up to help keep your scent from spreading as much.

 

[omicron1792]

Research shows the windier the better for deer sightings.