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How do you play the wind if you are limited to one location?

HuumanCreed

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
2,654
Location
Westminster Maryland
I plan to hunt public lands in Maryland. We are required to reserved most location in advance and can not reserves more then one place in a region. So usually I'm cement to where I will hunt a week in advance. So how do I approach the hunt? During scouting, if I find a trail or location that I want to 'sit on', should I be looking at setting up on both side of the trail? Plan out 2-3 separate entrance routes? This is one of the location I plan to go to. X is where last year I found good scraps and saw a few does. Any advices? Thank you!.
 
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Yeah man, you pretty much answered your own question.

Find best access for multiple winds, if possible.

Set up on the best side of the trails for a given wind. Best to not cross the trail, but if you have to, set up so you can shoot that spot, if the deer stop on it shoot them before they bust, bigger bucks I’d shoot before they get to your crossing as they will blow out without hesitation sometimes.

Depending on how serious you are, I wouldn’t hunt it if the wind isn’t favorable or you can’t work around it.
If the wind is flat out bad for a spot you likely won’t see much if anything and are doing damage to your area. Stay home or go look at other areas


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How many other people have the option to Hunt that place? Can someone blow it out the day before you? You can do everything right. But if someone was in there the day before you and dropped a giant scent bomb all over? Maybe hunting the obvious spot is not the best answer. They may shift based on pressure. Can you see if someone hunted the area the day before?
 
the wind is flat out bad for a spot you likely won’t see much if anything and are doing damage to your area. Stay home or go look at other areas
I agree and disagree. I've killed a lot of downwind deer. Depending on how much pressure they're under, how much cover they have, how far you can shoot, time of year, weather, what you consider a shooter, and other variables, it's doable.

If you CAN play the wind, statistically you're better off doing so. But if you're limited on spots and time, smoke'em if you got'em. Hunts with time constraints are way different than hunts in areas where "there's always next time." I'd set up with wind blowing on my neck in a good spot before I moved off of good sign to hunt a "meh" area just because the wind was right.

But, to OP I'd say have a spot in mind for the prevailing wind and then one for the opposite wind if you can. That's about the extent of worrying about wind for me.
 
I plan to hunt public lands in Maryland. We are required to reserved most location in advance and can not reserves more then one place in a region. So usually I'm cement to where I will hunt a week in advance. So how do I approach the hunt? During scouting, if I find a trail or location that I want to 'sit on', should I be looking at setting up on both side of the trail? Plan out 2-3 separate entrance routes? This is one of the location I plan to go to. X is where last year I found good scraps and saw a few does. Any advices? Thank you!.
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I agree and disagree. I've killed a lot of downwind deer. Depending on how much pressure they're under, how much cover they have, how far you can shoot, time of year, weather, what you consider a shooter, and other variables, it's doable.

If you CAN play the wind, statistically you're better off doing so. But if you're limited on spots and time, smoke'em if you got'em. Hunts with time constraints are way different than hunts in areas where "there's always next time." I'd set up with wind blowing on my neck in a good spot before I moved off of good sign to hunt a "meh" area just because the wind was right.

But, to OP I'd say have a spot in mind for the prevailing wind and then one for the opposite wind if you can. That's about the extent of worrying about wind for me.

I agree, I have as well. Like you said, depends on the spot and how important it is to the hunter. I’ve had horrible wind and still seen, killed, or could have killed, deer, but usually younger deer. Old nanny doe or big buck is much less likely.


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If you CAN play the wind, statistically you're better off doing so. But if you're limited on spots and time, smoke'em if you got'em. Hunts with time constraints are way different than hunts in areas where "there's always next time." I'd set up with wind blowing on my neck in a good spot before I moved off of good sign to hunt a "meh" area just because the wind was right

Agreed....we usually only get 3 days. No way rain or wrong wind is keeping me from going. I just try to do the best that I can with what I got to work with. Deer are pretty dumb sometimes and u may get lucky
 
How big is each area you can reserve? How far in advance do you reserve it? How long does the reservation last? Are the reservations chosen lottery style?

Whoever call the management office first to request a slot, they usually try to allow 20ish acres per hunter depending on the area.
 
I’m not sure the area, but I’ve been able to find solid spots & have 2-3 trees picked out for cover wind etc, then adjust to movement anyway. These spots out here can get full but there’s plenty of non signin access that yields great results as well. Feel free to tag along this season if you want.
 
I’m not sure the area, but I’ve been able to find solid spots & have 2-3 trees picked out for cover wind etc, then adjust to movement anyway. These spots out here can get full but there’s plenty of non signin access that yields great results as well. Feel free to tag along this season if you want.

Thank you for the generous offer! I might take you up on that. I usually am in the Central Region but am willing to make the drive for a good experience!
 
I hunt those areas & could always pop down for a fresh spot. Or meet in the middle I’m less than an hour from you. If I’m remembering correctly you we’re getting close last season & had a lot of gun/ML pressure around you. That can be a huge advantage if you can figure out how to capitalize. I could walk you to a tree that’s in an otherwise terrible spot & has very little sign, but if you hunt there with the correct wind & a lot of surrounding pressure you’ll be dragging before 10am every year. Those are the things that you just have to get in there & observe to connect the dots.
 
I agree with the above advice, but I also wouldn't sweat the wind direction too much. I'm much more concerned with swirling winds in my area than a "wrong wind." In my area (Middle TN), deer bedding is far less concentrated than on those big midwestern farms you see on TV, so deer can come from anywhere. Sure, I have an idea of preferred bedding areas on the places I hunt, but I see (and kill) more good bucks on a "just off" wind (deer is approaching from 12 o'clock, and the wind is blowing toward 1 or 2 o'clock, not toward 6 o'clock), which I attribute to the fact that mature bucks generally like to walk toward the wind, not walk with it at their back. So, I would just pick the best spot/feed tree/trail you can find and set up wherever you have good concealment and comfort so you're not moving around a bunch. Swirling winds make it tough for any deer to get in bow range without smelling you, while straight-line winds only screw up maybe 30 or 45 degrees of your 360-degree viewing area.
The two exceptions to this suggestion that come to mind are: (1) if you're hunting a buck bed, watering hole, or super-specific spot--make sure the wind isn't blowing straight there; and (2) if you've observed deer approaching from a specific spot consistently, such as moving east on an east/west trail--again, make sure the wind isn't blowing straight there. Hope this helps.
 
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