Wind and Confusion

[dh.hamilton1]

Still trying to learn and improve on using the wind to my advantage.

However, most places I hunt unfortunately have switching unpredictable winds or the wind just isn’t ever optimal.

However, I have one scenario I want to get some insight on.

Ridge running northwest/southeast with a bench on the eastern side half way down (leeward). Wind almost always coming from the south-west.

For a morning/mid afternoon hunt when the thermals are rising, if you accessed above the bench but below the ridge top : with the wind technically at your back, would it actually blow your scent out over the bench and not into it?

Bench has very thick bedding area and deer like to move along it but not sure how to access and setup without blowing it out?


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[Macintosh]

Scale matters. Is this a 3000’ vertical slope with a bench at 1500’, or is this a 150’ vertical’ slope with a bench at 75’?

Wind blowing over the top of the ridge will create turbulence and often a circular flow near the ridge top. Result being that on the leeward slope near the ridge crest, the west wind can actually recirculate and blow back up the slope (ie on the leeward side the turbulence creates an EAST wind), carrying scent from BOTH “upwind” and “downwind” to whatever critters are there.

Also depending on size and precise shape/slope of the bench the falling thermal could go in any number of directions. Also the thing with thermals is they curve to follow the topigraphy and air flow. It could
Very well fall to the bench, then turn and flow along the bench, etc.

Also the wind and the thermal interact. Depending on which one “overpowers” the other based on conditions (wind speed, temp, etc), the same wind direction + thermal direction could manifest completely differently in the woods. This is most often what results in “switching, unpredictable” wind ime. Some types of locations are particularly prone to this. Seems to me deer often like to bed in those locations.

All you can really do is make an educated guess, and use milkweed and watch it to see where it goes over a distance. I like to do this pre-season when scouting.

 

[Netherman]

All you can really do is make an educated guess, and use milkweed and watch it to see where it goes over a distance. I like to do this pre-season when scouting.

This is the best advice. From there you'll learn your area as well as the generalities.

For your specific case something to think about is stand height (assuming a treestand). if this is the tallest ridge in close proximity being above the crest may keep your scent "in the flow". If rifle hunting setting up on the top may work if you have enough wind speed or thermal pull.

I like to think of the wind like water in a river and the hills as rocks/boulders. In your case you'll get an eddy (swirl) on the back side of the boulder (ridge), but if the river is deep enough (height of stand) the top water will flow over relatively undisturbed.

All that to say I still get baffled with wind. Particularly when dealing with features adjacent to more dominant features and how the swirl from one impacts the swirl on the next. Even worse when it's a gusting vs steady wind.

 

[Skerhunter]

Can you not circle around it at all? Either stay low to the east and sit the SW corner or circle around to the north? Typically the best way to approach a bedding area is not the easiest.

I prefer to be directly down wind on the edge of doe bedding areas. Bucks will cruise back and forth to scent check everything in the evenings.

 

[dh.hamilton1]

Can you not circle around it at all? Either stay low to the east and sit the SW corner or circle around to the north? Typically the best way to approach a bedding area is not the easiest.

I prefer to be directly down wind on the edge of doe bedding areas. Bucks will cruise back and forth to scent check everything in the evenings.

Yes the overall ridge actually makes an upside down “U” shape with my grandparents farm sitting down in the bottom.

The property line is roughly at the top of the ridge(s) on all sides.

I can access this bench from the north or south as well as above it or below it.

Green is property lines, yellow pin furthest to the south is the bench location.

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[Yoder]

I would try that top spot if the wind was constant and more than 10 mph or so blowing straight up the valley. It might be ok if there was no wind and the sun was on the hill so the thermals would take it up the hill. I agree with the milkweed. It's the only way to know.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

The pressure those deer typically experience is a major factor. Some deer will spook when they smell a person, others that have been pressured hard will sit tight until you practically step on them regardless of wind.

 

[Macintosh]

Yes the overall ridge actually makes an upside down “U” shape with my grandparents farm sitting down in the bottom.

The property line is roughly at the top of the ridge(s) on all sides.

I can access this bench from the north or south as well as above it or below it.

Green is property lines, yellow pin furthest to the south is the bench location.

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You’ve got roughly 200’ of relief, with the little bench mid slope. On a SW wind the two hills are going to funnel and accelerate wind through that saddle, and for sure you’ll get some turbulence in the bowl above the bench. Hard to say how far down, but my guess is you arent getting a recirculating air current half way down that slope, any eddy will be closer to the top of the ridge. You WILL get wind wrapping around those hills a little as the wind has minor direction changes. Get yourself a pile of dried milkweed pods. Make a hypothesis on what you think the wind is doing and how you’ll approach. Drop milkweed one “seed” at a time on the way in to confirm your hypothesis on the way in, and when you get there. You can see the milkweed carried downwind a LONG way. Worst case it doesnt work and you try something different based on what you find.
Is it open enough to shoot the bench from the saddle? Its only 130 yards +\-. Or are you bow hunting?

 

[dh.hamilton1]

You’ve got roughly 200’ of relief, with the little bench mid slope. On a SW wind the two hills are going to funnel and accelerate wind through that saddle, and for sure you’ll get some turbulence in the bowl above the bench. Hard to say how far down, but my guess is you arent getting a recirculating air current half way down that slope, any eddy will be closer to the top of the ridge. You WILL get wind wrapping around those hills a little as the wind has minor direction changes. Get yourself a pile of dried milkweed pods. Make a hypothesis on what you think the wind is doing and how you’ll approach. Drop milkweed one “seed” at a time on the way in to confirm your hypothesis on the way in, and when you get there. You can see the milkweed carried downwind a LONG way. Worst case it doesnt work and you try something different based on what you find.
Is it open enough to shoot the bench from the saddle? Its only 130 yards +\-. Or are you bow hunting?

Sorry should have said so … this is for bow hunting … so needing to get as close as possible or close-ish to get in a tree with my saddle setup to intercept any travelers


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[brancher147]

If it’s bedding I would want to access from below early in the morning with dropping thermals and setup below the bench/trail I wanted to hunt. Then your wind is good before and after the thermals start to rise with any westerly wind.

Other option is setup as mentioned above then move above the bench after thermals switch but moving in a bedding area is risky.

There is no way to know if you can come in from above with rising thermals and get away with it. I think sometimes it may work sometimes not depending on wind speed and thermal pull. A lot of times the wind will go over the top then curl or eddy back down that leeward side before thermals take it up. Milkweed and trial and error can answer that.

If you come from the top early in the morning with falling thermals your hunt will be over before it starts.

I don’t do many evening hunts so can’t help you there.