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Milkweed substitutes

ThumbsMcGee

ThumbsMcGee

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2018
Messages
223
I just learned about milkweed and using it instead of a feather or other means to check wind direction. Problem is, I don’t have access to milkweed.

What other items do you use? I was thinking of ripping up cotton balls for the purpose.


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Cotten balls will work. But they are heavy compared to milkweed and won’t travel as far.

We don’t have milkweed around me either. I’ve picked thistle and it works well. I’m just very careful to remove all of the seeds as it is a pretty invasive plant if I understand correctly.
 
You can get dried milkweed shipped to you from different sources. Milkweed is available on this site with a youth group donation or you can purchase it on EBay.
 
I have used cotton balls, broom sage tops, whatever that was light and floated, but I will say this....Milkweed is pretty awesome because I like watching the thermals with it better. Not a necessity but lets you know what is going on at the moment.
 
I love watching milkweed. I have gone through some pods this year. Its amazing to see what the wind currents actually do and how much they change and are different from what they appear to be. I am always letting that stuff float down wind on every setup and very often.
 
I bought some for shipping cost from a member on here. I intend to plant some next year. It’s amazing how well it works. I was telling someone at work about it and they said how is it better than a string. I dropped a piece and it did just what you thought anything else would. Then it caught an updraft and last I saw it it was as high as our silo 50 feet then made a 90 degree turn headed south At that point I couldn’t believe this stuff isn’t growing everywhere.
Cat tail fluff works pretty good but it’s a dull tan and you lose sight of it easily.
 
I stuffed some cotton balls in an old film canister and cut a slit in the bottom. It allows me to pull tiny pieces of cotton off that float similar to milkweed. Bigger chunks don’t float well, but tiny little bits work great. I rigged it up so it is attached to my bono strap so it’s handy
 
Jgetch said:
You crack me up man.
Click to expand...
Life is too short to take it seriously. :)

Seriously though, I was blowing bubbles way before I heard of milkweed. It is very rare in my part of Alabama. Interesting to blow a stream and see the different paths they take. They are absolutely helter skelter most of the time.

I generally consider anything less than about an 8-10 mph wind as too fickle to really depend on. If it's less than that, I hunt a second or third tier stand, and accept the fact that the wind is swirling. If it gets above that, and is cool and clear, I play my best hand, and have faith that the wind will do what I think it will do.
 
Yea need a solution for thermals myself...I was watching leaves fall the other day and wondering if I could use them. May be too heavy I dunno.


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I save the cotton from vitamin bottles. Just peal some fibers and let them go. They float a long ways. Dandelion pods work well also.
 
vabwhntr said:
I love watching milkweed. I have gone through some pods this year. Its amazing to see what the wind currents actually do and how much they change and are different from what they appear to be. I am always letting that stuff float down wind on every setup and very often.
Click to expand...

Honestly, once you're committed to a particular stand, what's the purpose of knowing what the thermals are doing. Do you actually get down once on stand and the thermals are wrong and move locations to where you think the thermals might be right and then go through the thermal hope process again.

Once on stand and committed, is there a purpose using old school milkweed or cotton for knowing exactly where the deer are going to bust you from? Is there anything you can do about it once on stand?

Trying to be honest here. I haven't paid attention to wind in years but do remember using milkweed on stand for wind direction, thermals and currents to know if a deer came in from those directions I was screwed. I can understand using it to check wind direction before choosing which locations to hunt, but thermals and currents are different depending on terrain features and weather and you won't know until on stand.

Someone please explain this to me.
 
Ok, here goes nothing. I drop milkweed to so I know where the deer are going to pick up my scent then use that info to decide when to shoot.

In a perfect world I will pass the 30yd shot for the 25 yd shot every time, but if the 25yd shot is in the scent stream, which I know from the milkweed, then I will take the 30yd shot instead.
 
Observing the thermals for the conditions can help to better predict and plan future hunts for that area. As well as the timing of the shot as stated in the previous post.
 
I hunt tightly against specific buck bedding so I like to monitor throughout hunt.

Yes, I'll ease down and reposition when necessary.

Preparation on when to shoot a deer before he gets to a certain spot.

Knowing when to get down and leave, not wanting to blow out an area.





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