Playing the Wind

[HarryToolips]

So I was out last night right after work, driving to my area is about 8 k's of bush roads, partially overcast day, windy and while driving see a big cow moose plus a whitetail yearling.. I proceed to my spot for a hunt til last light, knowing that a few animals are moving for water or whatever, it's a hike in of about 1.5 km, I'm taking my time trying to keep noise to a minimum, spot lots of deer sign all the way in, and sit down for the last couple hours of legal light..it's cooler temps (about 14 C), windy, and the wind was changing direction lots, the only direction it wasn't going consistently was southerly, other than that, it would blow one way for a while, then another etc..saw absolutely nothing, and a trail cam plus the sign I was seeing shows the deer do frequent the area..

My question for everyone is, would you have sat patiently like I did, or would you go the best direction the wind gives you, keeping it to your face and still-hunt? Or would you on a windy day like that, and seeing a couple critters, keep driving hoping to nab a WT buck or 4 point muley from the road?

[Wentrot]

Also curious about this as at my area the wind never seems consistent, always swirling around.

[Sofa King]

well, I always try to play the wind when I can, but sometimes you just have to fuggetaboudit.
some areas are impossible to approach with the wind in your favour, some days the wind is all over the place, etc.

my last trip out a couple days ago, I was happy as heck with my walk I was starting into.
the wind was perfect for my planned route.
a nice breeze right into my face, head-on.
but, after reaching my destination and seeing nothing, now I had the opposite problem.
to hike the other direction, the wind will now be hitting me square in the back.
I dropped a level, down to a lower area, and that got me out of the wind it seemed.
but after looping back up partially to get on the line I wanted to be on, it put me right in the wind again, with it blowing over my shoulders to everything that lay ahead.
I stopped for a second, wondering about a different direction to go.
but this was my plan for the day, and I decided to stick with it.
I laughed to myself that the deer in this area have all seen me several times lately, and a few were very close encounters, with them not getting spooked.
so I thought, hell, i'll just roll with the wind and they might just recognize my stink and not be worried too much.
well ill be damned if about twenty yards later I spot a deer in the dip ahead of me.
I duck down to be out of sight and then slowly rise up to see what else might be around.
she didn't see me at first, but had to have scented me already.
she was cool as a cucumber just slowly feeding up a little gulley.
then I dipped down again, and when I rose the next time, she wasn't where I thought she'd be.
and when I spotted her, she had spotted me now too.
but still, no worries at all.
there turned out to be five does, all about 50-60 yards in front of me.
half of them, yup, 2 1/2, saw me plain as can be.
I knew they could definitely smell me.
I watched them feed up a little more so they'd be a bit passed my route through, and then I continued on my way, no bucks with them.
I slowly walked right out in the open, right below them.
but I kept myself slightly turned so that it clearly looked like I wasn't approaching them, but was continuing along past.
I'd turn my head to look, and they all just watched and fed some more.
not a one got skittish one bit.
now why can't a buck have been with them that day?

[Sofa King]

and I hadn't even really planned to hunt that day.
I was busy for the morning, and ran out when some time freed up.
so I was already dirty, had mcdonalds or something on the drive out, and grabbed my gear and got to walking.
no scent-control, no nothing.

[Avalanche123]

Maybe you don't smell human SOFA? :) Or the does like the stink of MacDonalds....

[Backwoodninjajunky]

I ve had does walk down a path to our campsite, music pounding everyone's liqd up and stand there till one of the dogs notices, almost as if they know the regs better then some of us do hahha

[HarryToolips]

Good to know sofa king, I'm guessing they were mule deer, as WT generally are too skiddish to put up with us like that..

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Playing the wind is very tough in this country. Sitting in my late whitetail area is almost impossible to maintain. The right wind. Once the sun sets is about the only time when it stays consistent.

when I see the tv shows where they hunt deer on the prairies, I'm jealous of their consistent winds.

[HarryToolips]

Playing the wind is very tough in this country. Sitting in my late whitetail area is almost impossible to maintain. The right wind. Once the sun sets is about the only time when it stays consistent.

when I see the tv shows where they hunt deer on the prairies, I'm jealous of their consistent winds.

Ya no doubt..does it seem like the Okanagan in particular is a very windy place?? I've heard others mention it before that it seems more windy than other areas..

[Stone Sheep Steve]

It's really not that windy here . Merritt is a much more windy place .....which is a good thing as the winds tend to shift less. If we get a steady weather system moving through, winds tend to be more consistent.
Many place with variable terrain is subject to inconsistent air movement

[Walksalot]

Near the valley bottom where the valley narrows(Penticton) it is more windy. Once you get up the mountain a bit the wind is not such an issue. Having said that, wind currents in the mountains are dictated by topography and weather systems. One has to take wind direction into consideration on any hunt because we human beings, to the animals of the forest, smell bad.

[Fisher-Dude]

I just drive the truck a bit faster than the wind. The deer never smell me that way.