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Rut hunting with bad wind direction

M

Mattyq2402

Active Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
164
My main target is on a piece of hill which the property line runs at the crest of the ridge. This allows for good north and east wind hunting. The projected winds during my upcoming week hunt show a consistent south to sw wind. I know there's some scent control guys here... Would you all throw a hunt at the buck with off winds? Hunt above or in the north based travel and bedding areas which would be ideal for those ideal winds? I only get 6 days a year to do this, whats your thoughts? I like to hunt the wind in general while practicing some insane scent control measures btw.
 
Are you sure he is bedding there on those winds? He may be bedding somewhere else that gives him that wind over back watch and listen all around advantage.
I could be wrong but mist times in my experiences the only place i see bucks bedding with wind in face is when they are under extreme pressure like deer drives.
marsh bucks along the coast will do this to
because there is just no other option.
Wind from anywhere on the marsh pushes the bucks way off into the marsh making them use their ears for safety.
I could be wrong but thats what i see alot but, hill country is alot different and im not really to savy on hill country but i know slot of behaviors relate to most all terrains.
 
Given the data we have and you having 6 days, I’d say hunt higher in the am and lower in the pm. That way you’ll catch rising thermals in the am which will dump your scent hopefully higher up and further down the mountain. Pm sit lower, maybe on a bench so your scent gets swept down the mountain below you with descending thermals and the deer will cross just above you. Is there a travel corridor, choke point, funnel, etc?
 
With just 6 days to get it done I would be aggressive and try to hunt a just off wind and use as much scent control as possible. You might also just hunt these spots PM and hope the thermals pull down hill during the last half hour of daylight. Dan Infalt talks quite a bit about hunting spots that are technically wrong winds, but he is more concerned what the thermals will do during that golden hour when the big deer move.

I look at scent control like this. It's sort of like stealth tech the government developed for airplanes. If a stealth aircraft flew low over your house, you could see and hear it. Stealth does not make the plane invisible. It makes its radar signature small enough to go unnoticed, making it a very effective tool for avoiding detection by our adversaries. That is what a scent regiment does. It makes your scent signature small enough to go unnoticed unless you have the misfortune of having the buck in just the wrong spot. I think it also makes any scent they do detect much less alarming. There are very few areas east of the Mississippi that are remote enough to not have some human scent at some time. If they smell a little scent and it is low enough to make them think it was left yesterday or the day before that is a lot better than a snoot full of fresh scent that screams danger is close.

I used to play the wind religiously. But here, especially early season, it just doesn't work well. The wind blows from all points of the compass within the span of an hour. I've always said just give me a steady wind, any steady wind direction and I will play it, but it just doesn't work like that. Two years ago, I had deer blowing at me right and left. After that I said what the heck, it's worth a try. I got serious about scent control and last season I did not have a single deer blow at me for scent. I did have one take offense to me climbing down at dark. This year, so far, no blowing for scent yet either.
 
A couple different times I have seen a buck pushing a doe like crazy all over the place. Wind was not a factor as they were going up and down wind. She was just trying to get away. I'd say the chance to catch a hot doe in this manner opposed to that buck roaming and sent checking bedding areas is not very good. I would make plan a,b,c and d for that week. Chances are the weather will shift at least one of those days and u will get a better wind. Play it day by day.
 
The setups would have to be on the non Leeard wi d side of the ridge if that makes sense. As far as bedding goes I don't have him pinned down but believe I've got a grip on him and I'm the only hunter on the property.

Do any of you hunt the non leeward side of ridges and set up down wind of known doe bedding?
 
I practice a pretty rigid scent control process on every hunt. I have had several deer show up this year and then move downwind of me. So far this season I haven't been picked once. Just play the wind as best you can and try to eliminate as much scent as possible.
 
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