High Winds

[Musky Buck]

Rumored report is high winds for the weekend, 20-30 out of the south/southeast sound about like what you are hearing ? Post on here if it helped, didn't help, etc. deer seen and were they walking on their own or were they likely skittish due to them scenting other hunters, etc. I'm of the opinion that high wind isn't generally good for us or deer movement, but who knows. It'll be tougher to hear them or for them to hear us, that wind is tough on the eyeballs and have that gun in a semi-ready to rock position, they could be in your shooting lane and out in a hurry, good luck guys. If it were 1983 again I'd be poised to stalk into the wind.

[Phunnyfarm]

That doesn't seem to be a very -hunter friendly forecast...warm and windy opener. I'm betting they'll be bedded down all day. I'm going to hunt next to a grassy marsh and hopefully find some heads popping up from the beds!

[elkhuntingfan]

The deer will still be moving. They will move early and late, and they will get pushed by impatient hunters who are out wandering.

[certified jumbo]

Some deer will be kicked up by hunters for sure. Some deer will still move. But no question deer movement as a whole will be down imo.

Harverst will be down slightly the first 2 days because of the wind. I for one will probably not sit all day if i'm getting blasted by a 30 mph wind.

[Musky Buck]

Right on guys I concur, I was just analyzing the last rifle buck I took in 2008 it was that Sunday of opening weekend and I believe Saturday and Sunday both were medium breezy with some patchy snow showers on and off. That buck was by some thicker than thick cover and it seemed as though he just came to the edge was going to circle back in there when the 30.06 stopped him, however I'm thinking the wind this weekend may be double what 2008 was. I think the wind like last year Muzzy last day was howling pretty good and the deer were moving all over the place, but the air temp was also -8 which made the difference, I'm thinking the warmer it is the less they'll move in the daylight with high winds. I'm not sure why, but lets say in the 1980's I used to see tons of deer plenty before dark, I took my son out last night and we saw a doe and 2 fawns, 25 years ago the report would've likely been 119 seen, 17 bucks and half of them chasing does, in our area the locals are really talking about how few deer they are seeing and last night was calm(er)so maybe the wind will get em going, I hope, but not likely.

[Gissert]

I dont like the wind, but the biggest buck I ever shot was mid morning on a day where the winds were gusting from the SE to 30 MPH. I was just getting ready to hunker down on a swamp edge and field intersection, when he came striding out into the field with the wind on his rump.

Go figure, the old adage applies that I would not have got him sitting in my living room. Thus, I am prepared to spend the day in my stand tomorrow.

[JIvers]

I don't mind hunting in the wind as much as many people do.

I've never really noticed less deer movement on windy days that aren't also really warm days or heavy snow days, and this afternoon was no exception.

I was out bow-hunting tonight in the same stand I'll be in all weekend with my shotgun, and I had a doe and two fawns eating clover eighty yards or so upwind of me at 4:30. Then a basket-buck, probably a six-pointer, chased them away. He headed back in the timber and popped out again an hour later, probably to check his scrape line. Before the buck made his second appearance a fawn came bolting down a waterway and in to my timber at a dead run.

I actually like some wind because it makes it harder for deer to see or hear you if rub your nose or sneeze at the wrong time. On days like today it is much easier to draw a bow, raise a gun, or just look through a pair of binoculars without being busted than it is on a calm and still morning.

[harvey lee]

I will hunt on a windy day but overall, it has stunk pretty bad comapred to a day with little to no wind.

This past weekemd was one of my worst hunting ever in over 40 years with winds up to 48mph and nothing under 20mph.

What I have noticed over the years is that when it is so windy, deer will move way less as it take away their sense of smell amd sight.

Just like a full moon, I simply don't bother. There are better times to hunt.

[swamptiger]

Tough hunting this weekend for sure - wind is still gusting this morning. Very little shooting in my area, which is probably a good thing because the population is also down.

[JIvers]

I had plenty of deer activity around my stand opening morning, 20-30 MPH SSE winds and all. I had two deer down ten minutes in to the season, and could have taken two more, if I had the tags and it was legal.

I also had the little six-pointer I mentioned earlier here and in the "tales from the stand" thread chasing a doe around at 8:00 AM in plain sight, and other people shooting in my area.

[harvey lee]

At coffee this am I talked to 6 different guys whose groups were out hunting locally and they saw next to nothing in the wind in good areas with next to no sign of any rut.

I am sure there are locations where one can shoot a deer but overall I would guess the harvest was down for much of the state from the hunters I have talked to.

I have not talked to one hunter out of all that I have talked to from numerous parts of the state that said the rut was going on big time. A few bucks chasing I am sure but it has a ways to go I would guess before they start to run hard. Cooler temps may help that change some.

[WalleyeChamp]

HOrrible operner for our group. Normally it's lights out. only like 5 deer seen all weekend. I'm convinced deer move less with high winds. I'm sure for some of you in areas with super high numbers of deer it's not as big of a deal but It sure as heck cant help movement.

[KG243]

I am sure they move less, but they don't pass by my couch!I had to work all weekend so I did not have the chance to get out, but had I been off I would have been out. Just to be in the woods is a treat to me.

[RK]

Very slow for us as well. 3 on opening day off our place, which is the fewest anyone can think of in recent memory. Deer guys did see had been kicked up by someone and were going 1000mph. Nephew did get a nice 8 point right away Sat AM, which was great. His first nice buck and he was tickled - very glad he was the one to tag it.

I just don't think deer like to move when it's that windy. They can't hear, they can't smell very well...and with the warm temps, I don't think they had to move to feed much. I didn't even bump into any out in the fields walking in in the dark. Did see some scrapes here and there, but can't really call it a hard rut yet. Maybe by the weekend.

Highlight of the weekend though was watching a fisher run around my stand for an hour. Man are they cool critters. And, good lord for coyotes. Saw 4 on Saturday. They will be hunted this winter...

I'm off Friday, so 3 more days to hunt. At this point I'll take any weather as long as it doesn't include 25 mph wind...

[WIMN]

We didn't see any deer on our 40. 4 guys hunting, not enough to kick anything up, and the neighbors weren't up either. Didn't hear many shots over the weekend either.

[mrklean]

the wind and warm weather was killer, the only time we saw deer all weekend was when the wind died down for a bit, we couldnt even kick up any deer after driving the whole property twice

[mainbutter]

Saw a dozen yesterday morning. Half of those walked within 10 yards of me. Wind was causing a ruckus even in the thick cover I was hunting.

Today was MUCH calmer, but it's almost bluebird skies. I saw 3 small does this morning, too far and too much cover for me to shoot even if I wanted to. Came back in just now to grab my second mug of coffee since I got up at 4:30, and to grab the blowgun and shoot some tree rats for dinner if the deer aren't moving.

From the reports of two neighbors that we chatted with yesterday evening, saturday stunk, but on sunday out of 10 hunters everyone shot a deer except the two guys w/o bonus permits. So far today has been slow, not just for deer but all the other wildlife as well.

Tonight the winds die down almost completely. Tomorrow it will be overcast. I'm predicting great hunting 22 hours from now.

[Musky Buck]

Poor. Saw a fawn and a small buck, answer to the wind ? is it was beyond what a lot of the deer felt comfortable moving around in. I saw more in 1 minute today than I did the whole weekend, a doe and 2 fawns bedded on the riverbank right by my house taking in the sun as I drove to work. I texted everyone I knew who was out and out of at least 15 guys 0 had a deer down through sunday night, than again those 15 guys are waiting a mature buck out.

[96trigger]

Wind had them hunkered down. It was a pretty poor opener where I was at. This morning was better. last night, it sounded like a freight train was rumbling by on top of the bluffs. I saw the most deer all weekend between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Had a little button buck bed down behind me yesterday, he didn't move, and he didn't hear me. He stayed there for 3 hours. I could have been doing jumping jacks in the stand and he wouldn't have noticed.

[bigbucks]

Poor weekend for us 4-19, that's with the only deer being passed on were a couple of small fawns on Saturday morning. There are a lot of deer on the property we hunt, but we just didn't see them. SE wind is about the worst wind for most of that property.

[HunterLee]

I saw a few moving at first and last light as what you can expect for the wind there was, but last night about half hour before dark they were starting to move good, must of been ready to eat and move after a stretch of wind, i expect tonight to be super good as tommorrow morning.

[Jarrid Houston]

Sitting in the bow stand last night, we almost got hammered by a falling tree. Out of all the trees in the forest the big tall tree just missed us by like 15 feet. Pretty scary!!!!!!!!!!! Other than that, no deer moving, but got to watch a bear. Just like almost everytime I am at my stand, a bear will come out!!

[MrCrappie]

The conditions aren't ideal but our camp is 5 for 10. I'm hopeful that a few more days of better conditions closer to the peak rut will help.

[JIvers]

I'm done hunting, but I'm betting there was some good action yesterday and this morning in Zone 3 for those who could get out. The wind died down yesterday, and we have a storm front with rain changing to snow moving in today. Plus, the rut should be peaking right now.

[JIvers]

I'm glad I'm done hunting now, because I'll take hunting in the wind, even on a warm day when I probably won't see any deer, over hunting with mixed snow and rain coming down. At least on windy days or warm days I can stay dry while not seeing anything.