Confusion about wind

[BlackpowderGuy (AJHS)]

Folks - Relative rookie here, and I fear that I've been hunting the wind wrong. In the attached picture, I've been hunting a north wind, so that I can walk across the narrower field and reach my stand-marked in yellow, with the wind blowing in my face...hoping that the dear will come from further north, west or east...knowing that the deer do not hang out in the open field, so not being afraid that the deer will smell me in the field.

But it has occured to me that if it is a north wind, the deer may be cautious about even using that field (they enter these fields in the direction of the red arrows) because they cannot smell what is in it before they enter. Is that right, in which case, what IS the best wind to hunt this field...and say if it is a south wind or a west wind, which will blow the scent of the field into the woods...how do I place my stand so that it is along the red arrows without getting busted by the same wind that is carrying the smell from the fields?

 

[Plebe]

North / North-East wind looks good to me. (on paper)

 

[CooterBrown]

To me either try the John Eberhart way of no scent or the Dan Infalt way of playing just off wind so the deer dont have the favored wind but you dont either.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

It will be really hard to give you too much real advice off just a map so I will give you what I would look at if this were a spot out of state that I knew I would be hunting in a week but never set foot on before.

The first thing I look for with fields are inside corners and low spots in the field leading out of the woods. Deer love to skirt inside corners and hang out in the woods at inside corners. Also, I feel that deer will often come out into fields on the lowest spot or the highest spot along the field edge and I feel like they prefer the low spots. That narrow green strip between the two larger fields is likely a shallow drainage ditch. This would be the low spot.

With a North wind you should be good entering through the field for an evening hunt. If you go in during the early morning in the dark, you are likely to kick deer off the field.

I would check the inside corners for trails. I also like the look of that neck of woods separating the two fields. The dotted orange lines are where I would assume deer travel to be. I would also check the dotted line to the right of the little field that crossed that creek. I would not be surprised to find a trail following that shallow contour of ground off into the inside corner of the narrow field.

These are all guesses based off past experience and none of it may hold any water. You just have to put boots on the ground and see. Hope this helps.

 

[gumby]

If your walking across an open field, your already busted.

 

[kyler1945]

Observe the field from afar for an entire season. Make a spreadsheet that notes time, date, wind direction, and location in relation to the field of each deer that walks out into the field. Pattern will emerge. Hunt accordingly.

 

[BlackpowderGuy (AJHS)]

Observe the field from afar for an entire season. Make a spreadsheet that notes time, date, wind direction, and location in relation to the field of each deer that walks out into the field. Pattern will emerge. Hunt accordingly.

That is a good suggestion- but not practical at this point since the season is well underway and this is one of the few spots I have permission to hunt, so I have to make some calculated choices.

 

[BTaylor]

It will be really hard to give you too much real advice off just a map so I will give you what I would look at if this were a spot out of state that I knew I would be hunting in a week but never set foot on before.

The first thing I look for with fields are inside corners and low spots in the field leading out of the woods. Deer love to skirt inside corners and hang out in the woods at inside corners. Also, I feel that deer will often come out into fields on the lowest spot or the highest spot along the field edge and I feel like they prefer the low spots. That narrow green strip between the two larger fields is likely a shallow drainage ditch. This would be the low spot.

With a North wind you should be good entering through the field for an evening hunt. If you go in during the early morning in the dark, you are likely to kick deer off the field.

I would check the inside corners for trails. I also like the look of that neck of woods separating the two fields. The dotted orange lines are where I would assume deer travel to be. I would also check the dotted line to the right of the little field that crossed that creek. I would not be surprised to find a trail following that shallow contour of ground off into the inside corner of the narrow field.

These are all guesses based off past experience and none of it may hold any water. You just have to put boots on the ground and see. Hope this helps.

Agree and just based on the map, I would think a relatively mild w or sw wind would work, esp for that eastern inside corner on an evening hunt. Thermals should pull your scent south down the draw.

 

[neonomad]

Not sure if you’re assuming a bed to food pattern, but another consideration is bucks may simply cruise the southern edges of those woods to scent check what’s in the timber with the northern wind. Approaching timber from open fields is tough because often the deer are sitting along the woods edge wind to back watching you approach. But right now we’re in a period where does are generally hunkered down in thick spots or in the process of being chased, so the typical patterns don’t really apply. Make sure you’re near what you assume to be doe bedding or on a travel path between em. Right now the deer most likely don’t care about the fields, although the does may try to feed on em in the evenings, and may pull a buck in accordingly.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Are the fields in standing corn or beans or have they been picked?

 

[BlackpowderGuy (AJHS)]

Are the fields in standing corn or beans or have they been picked?

Standing corn and soybeans, not picked

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Standing corn and soybeans, not picked

Ok, that should make it easier to access. The bucks may actually be bedding in the corn. John Eberhart has some really good videos on his Youtube about hunting in and around standing corn. Check them out.

 

[BTaylor]

Ok, that should make it easier to access. The bucks may actually be bedding in the corn. John Eberhart has some really good videos on his Youtube about hunting in and around standing corn. Check them out.

Or maybe go in there with a bushhog and cut some travel lanes. Take your check book.

 

[Robert loper]

In my experiences and opinion Deer especially bucks dont bed just anywhere.
they bed in spots mostly along some sort of really thick transitions.
Does will bed anywhere along this and bucks will be bedding close by where the transition or edge breaks up into something. A inside Corner, bowl, points, fingers.
this gives the bucks the advantage of senses. Wind over back looking out-in front and hearing everywhere.
It will be or usually will be really thick to behind and to the sides of them.
That seem like a good spot for really any ne or north winds but indside thst woods is there any transitions? If not thats where u gotta figure that the deer will be coming from.
now just because its a north or north east wind doesnt mean they will bed there all the time. Especially in smaller areas with hunter pressure.