deer hunting in WIND?

[soldoncass]

I saw this topic mentioned on another thread, so I thought I'd give it it's own "space". I always heard and read about deer hunkering up tight in strong winds, because their senses don't work well. I don't remember a time I have ever seen deer in those conditions either, unless I was in some heavy pines where the wind was blocked. This week I talked to a guy who was hunting across a road from us , and he was expecting "action" because of the predicted strong winds. Earlier in the week on a very windy day he had a chance at the 12 pointer he's been after all season(scope was off a lot so he missed) .SO guess what happened Sunday "in the wind"??????????????? We didn't see anything in the thick stuff we were in, and he saw 5 bucks (not the 12 pointer though) and 2 does within about 15-20 minutes on his side of the road!!!!!!!! Soooo... what can we conclude about the wind?? It makes me think it affects hunters more than deer, and you still have to be "in the right place at the right time" , wind or no wind.

What are your experiences??

[BDR]

I welcome a certain amount of wind. It means it is time to get out of that stand and creep up on one. A little fresh snow and I am in heaven. I like a wind with short gusts for this type of stalking. I will move short distances only when it blows and the scan my surroundings for a good period of time. I have walked very close to bedded deer many times doing this.

This past week was a good example. I went to my stand and sat for 2.5 hours in the wind. After seeing no activity I made a v-line for the previous nights feedinf area. Then I turned my nose into the wind. I move approx. 200 yards over the next 45 minutes(moving very slow), as I stopped for one of the pauses I see a nice buck 40 yards ahead working a ground scrape, I take the first kill shot I can. I dropped a very nice buck with 5 points on one side and the other is broke off above the brow tine. It was a wide and thick rack.

[Skunked-Rookie]

What do you mean by hunkering up tight? Do you mean they stick together in groups?

[Neiko]

I agree with you BDR. Nothing like some wind and a little snow or rain to cover your noise. I got a doe on the Wed we had the big winds. I was creeping through the woods and she was about 20 yards away and coming my way. She smelled me and started bounding so I snorted at her and she stopped but didn't give me the shot. Well there was another one that did and she was closer then 20 yards so I took her. I think it is a waste of time sitting in the wind. I have taken a couple deer this way. Slow and easy wins the race.

[DRH1175]

For stalking it is needed. Deer do tend to not move as much. However every now and then it really produces. I was bow hunting a couple of time this fall and thought it was a lost cause and actually saw several deer. Had a chance on a 6 pointer on a windy day but decided to pass. I guess there is more to it.

[sakazulu]

I got up Sunday morning to horizontal blowing snow and decided the 12 year old nephew would not make it past 7 am. Packed up, headed for home stopping for gas and 3 seasoned old guys had a pick-up truck loaded with fresh, steaming deer they shot at 7 am. I asked and they told me they knew the deer would be moving early because of the bad weather overnight. I will now hunt bad weather in the morning after forever.

[Steve Foss]

As I reported in "another thread" asking advice for hunting in a winter storm, the deer were active and moving around, not tight to cover, on Sunday when it was snowing like crazy with strong sustained winds and gusts to over 40 mph.

I've snuck bedded deer in North Dakota shelterbelts in blizzards, and figured they'd be bedded on a day like Sunday. As we all seem to be seeing, it weren't so.

[soldoncass]

skunked,

By" hunkered down tight" I was referring to the ideas I've read where they bed down in strong winds and don't move. I'm not so sure that idea is true anymore.

[Powerstroke]

The best hunting I ever had was 3rd weekend a couple of years ago when we got 8" of snow by noon when there was nothing in the ground at 5am. It was snowing like gangbusters and the deer were out.

I was also out on sunday afternoon bowhunting and I saw 5 deer while stand hunting. You just have to be in the right places. These deer were moving on the exact trails they were using the previous 3 days. The wind didn't affect them.

[bigbucks]

I've had good luck bowhunting in very strong winds on field edges that were on the lee side of a hill. Find a spot where the wind is blocked by a hill & there's food & that can be very good. If you find a spot like that it can be very predictable that if you get a really strong wind from that direction they'll almost always be there.

I have also seen deer move way out in open fields in very high winds, but have never figured out the pattern on when & where they did that. It's not too tough to hunt in crappy conditions if you're confident the deer will be there, it's much tougher if you don't think they will be.