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Moved By The Wind

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Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 18, 2017 •  [Post 1]

Regardless of the tree we choose or how high we place our tree stand, sometimes the wind is a problem. In truth it can be a huge problem. I believe the biggest bull I never got, busted me by a sudden cold down draft. Who knows if I could have anticipated that sudden down draft. It doesn't matter now as it is all history. Still there are things I can control, and need to consider in the future, when I plan a tree stand hunt.
I have often said I try to go up 25-30 feet when I place a stand in a tree. I consider ingress and egress problems especially wind when approaching my stand. Time of day and diurnal winds are potential difficulty areas, and prevailing winds can be a problem.
So, help me out. What do some of you do to avoid being scented? Do you ever avoid a stand for awhile, or leave early as the winds are too much to deal with?
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 02 22, 2017 •  [Post 2]

I'm all ears on this topic and am interested in hearing comments from those who have experience with TS hunting for wapiti and how they best deploy their "death from above" gear to maximize their opportunities considering thermals, wind, etc., both during the actual stand hunt and relating to ingress/egress (getting in there/getting outa there). I think this discussion may also provide some insight on hunting those elk areas that are two directional, you know, straight up/straight down (I have more than a few of those) ;) .
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby olympushunt » 02 22, 2017 •  [Post 3]

I have a buddy who will wait on "the patch" he kills a lot of deer in. He waits for the right wind direction that comes from a storm from the south. He won't enter it any other time as it does more harm than good. I believe some spots (and tree stands as well) should be left alone during certain conditions. Most normal days with predictable wind flow (down hill winds in the evening and early morning, uphill during the heat of the day) a hunter can stay with with wind in their favor. If it is unpredictable (usually before a weather system change) I really think you might be shooting yourself in the foot rather than shooting an elk. A guy can get lucky sure, but if that wind is swirling and shifting bad....you might just run elk out of the area if you just waited a day or two for things to go back to the normal patterns. It becomes hard when you take 5 days off or 10 days off to hunt and sit on your hands though. We have all had days where we knew we should not press but did it anyway with suboptimal results. But...then again every dog has his day and a wise man once told me "Manure will do for brains, if yer lucky." Those "bad" wind days maybe it would be better to be in Lamriths party? lol...sorry I got that from the ATT Vs Verizon thread. So Swede....when you have days with bad downdraft go to town and restock and do laundry.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 22, 2017 •  [Post 4]

I got to thinking about this as I looked at a few waypoints RJ showed me. I am not familiar with the country, but some spots look easy and others not so simple. I need to check them out. One thing that comes to mind is the value of holding off rather than running in at 0 dark thirty. Maybe have a good breakfast or go do laundry until the wind is right. Maybe just go to a different stand location for awhile.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby stringunner » 02 22, 2017 •  [Post 5]

The wind is a tricky thing in the elk woods. This thread has got me thinking for sure about it from a TS perspective. Knowing your spots and having more than one is probably a key thing to consider if TS hunting is your primary. Many of the spots I sit have multiple directions the animals can come from. At different times in the day, one spot can be sending your scent in different directions. So do you wait all day knowing in the morning if an elk comes from A direction you are good and from B direction you are in trouble? And be okay with that? Knowing that later in the day those two directions could be swapped?

There are a handful of stands I sit that I know I can't sit during the day when thermals are going up and the elk are likely, if in the area, coming from above, and vise versus if coming from below. Hard to say for spots where they could come from either direction. Oh to find the spot where it would be ok all day? Is that possible Swede?
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 22, 2017 •  [Post 6]

Stringunner, you ask an excellent question.
I have found spots that I come in from below in the morning and from the top midday. Some of the spots above a river, and below some bluffs are like that. Sometimes a hunter comes in from below in the midday because they can pop over a hill and get into their stand within a short distance. Sometimes we come in from above in the morning, but drop straight to the stand. This minimizes the area contaminated with scent. It is not perfect, but can work.
Some spots you know of are great to access from below in the morning as a road is just a short ways off. You have disturbed very little area going in. Where I sat in your stand in another area, while you and your dad were gone; it seems good anytime of day to access. In the morning your scent will drop down the bottom of the nearby drainage and disturb very little area when you access your stand. Soon after elk can easily come from either side. In the afternoon you can go in and your scent just goes up into the nearby rocks.
At any rate, use drainages to your advantage where you can. Use bluffs and ridges to your advantage. When you have none of these features to help you, then either wait, or go in quickly and quietly and stay all day. The idea is to minimize disturbance to your area and not push out the elk. One thing in the hunter's favor is that the elk move around a lot. They leave their night feeding area and travel to a bedding area. They get up and travel in the afternoon. If you go in early and are not close to a feeding area, you are probably well ahead of them, assuming you are sitting in or near a bedding ground. Another advantage we have is that scent usually dissipates quickly.
I usually know when I really messed up. I hate the thundering of hooves and the sight of elk rears as I approach my stand. It hurts. They won't be back that day, and there most likely will be no replacements. If reasonable, I will turn around and go somewhere else. Then there was the time I left a good place where you and you dad were packing out your elk. The elk came in shortly after you left and I saw nothing all afternoon where I went to. :roll:
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby cohunter » 02 22, 2017 •  [Post 7]

I've come to the conclusion that popular water holes have notoriously fickle wind patterns. The hottest wallows have the worst wind and I don't think this is a coincidence. Sometimes a wallow that looks perfect and has consistent wind and travel routes just doesn't seem to be hit by the elk. Which leads me to a question: Do I continue to sit an amazing wallow or waterhole with lots of sign hoping the wind just happens to work out, or are my odds better by sitting a few dozen yards from the waterhole where the wind is more predictable? what if the wind is only predictable a couple of hundred yards away? Thoughts?
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 22, 2017 •  [Post 8]

I have found winds, especially in the morning, can be wicked in basins, where water holes and wallows often are. I will move back a ways if possible and like to go about 30 feet up in a large pine. Nothing is perfect, but it often works out because the scent is a long way out if it ever reaches nose level. On side hills and flats I like to go up about 25 feet and the winds don't seem to be the problem you have in the basins. Basins are sinks that cold diurnal winds fill bringing scent in. You can often observe how they are sinks by going in early where you feel the cold. Evening diurnal winds don't seem to be near as much of a problem, and midday winds may be an asset.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby ElkNut1 » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 9]

Wind is King no matter your setup! Back-out when not right or re-position until it's predictable. Can't buck it or you will lose!

swede, good luck on your hunt with RJ!

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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 10]

ElkNut1 wrote:swede, good luck on your hunt with RJ!


Thanks Paul.

Just think, RJ may need some good luck on his hunt with Swede. :twisted:
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Beendare » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 11]

I don't sit much for elk....primarily for that reason'; bad wind. Those low basins where you scent pools are just asking to get winded....and of course the morn and eve when the cool air pools and the elk are more likely to come in make it a double whammy.

I think those wallows more exposed to an open hillside with only a small concave depression ....and then exposed to a prevailing wind are the ticket. A guy can sneak in and sit a water hole/wallow at peak times for the wind he is getting...but the challenge is not to overextend your stay.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby stringunner » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 12]

In a situation where in my stand my scent is going up and not coming back down either above me or below me depending on the direction and time of day, until XXXX number of yards, what is the safe distance? We may not often even know at what distance it does come back down or even if it does.

So if I'm in my stand and my scent goes up (due to height in tree) and then back down say 200 yards from my spot is that ok?

Just thinking here, if wind is king even in tree stand hunting, there is no perfect place to sit because you cannot move to get the wind right? Is that what I'm hearing?

The elk also are not coming from any specific direction either in most cases (maybe 1-2 primary trails) so this too adds to the aforementioned question(s)?
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby olympushunt » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 13]

stringunner wrote:Just thinking here, if wind is king even in tree stand hunting, there is no perfect place to sit because you cannot move to get the wind right? Is that what I'm hearing?


I think that 320 inch 6 point bull you killed would argue with you on that if he was still alive. LOL! Obviously, as you have killed a number of elk out of a stand there are perfect places to get the wind right. I personally think sometimes you have to log hours in certain spots before you figure it out. I don't know Jer if you remember that spot I named "shart"? It has a massive rock outcropping (black basalt rock) above it. We have had a few elk come in and blow out and I wonder if the heating of that area doesn't disturb the prevailing wind current enough to make it more fickle. There are so many factors that go into scent dispersion and scent lingering that it can be very tough and just take logged hours to figure out some spots. Humidity even plays a key factor. My father in law used to hunt with hounds for bear and cats and would point out certain conditions that were excellent for their noses. I absolutely love when I am in a stand and have a coyote come by that doesn't detect me. So far, of all the critters I have had come by....deer, elk, bobcat, bear, cougar, antelope, rabbits...lol... the coyotes are the most cagey. Those suckers....if they don't know I am there I am GOLDEN. Anyway, I think you can pick a stand paying attention to the sun travel (not for scent control but roast yer buns control) and prevailing winds it will help you but logging hours is going to be the key. We have had to move several stands to find the sweet spot in a basin. Get busted...move it. Some spots might just be a major pain to find a sweet spot if there is one.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 14]

Stringunner, I don't think the diurnal winds take your scent up then bring it down. I have never observed where it did that. All else aside you have some excellent spots to tree stand hunt if the elk are around.
I understand what Beendare is saying, and there is some truth to it, but as Oly said, we can set up on excellent locations where wind is not so adverse that we cannot be very effective. We have basins where we have had great results. I pay attention to diurnal winds more than prevailing winds. The prevailing winds are don't vary as much during the day.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby stringunner » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 15]

I've been researching it myself but for education sake on here, Swede, let us know the difference between and what you mean by diurnal winds and prevailing winds?

Oly- that bull scored 328+change but hey who's counting the extra 8 inches. :D
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby olympushunt » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 16]

My bad sir. I wouldn't want to short ya 8 inches. Lol
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby stringunner » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 17]

Lol. Short 8 inches....the story of my life. :lol:
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 18]

Diurnal winds are those that change during the day. When the sun heats up the land the diurnal winds start going upwards. Warm air rises. In the evening when the sun sets the direction of diurnal winds change and goes down slope. Cool air goes down hill.
Prevailing winds are those that are weather related. In our area they generally come in off the Pacific Ocean from the SW to NW. Sometimes we get prevailing east winds as in the Fall.

Now, D-urinal is a hunter's target in the men's restroom that guys use to check their aim on. They test to see if they can still hit it. Note, if you are having a hard time getting 90% or more in D-urinal, you are in no shape to go bow hunting. It is an easy pass/fail test.
Note to all guys here. After checking your aim, walk around awhile outside or on a dry floor before getting in your truck. The guy testing his aim before you missed a lot, and you were standing on the test sample material.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 02 23, 2017 •  [Post 19]

Swede wrote:Now, D-urinal is a hunter's target in the men's restroom that guys use to check their aim on. They test to see if they can still hit it. Note, if you are having a hard time getting 90% or more in D-urinal, you are in no shape to go bow hunting. It is an easy pass/fail test.
Note to all guys here. After checking your aim, walk around awhile outside or on a dry floor before getting in your truck. The guy testing his aim before you missed a lot, and you were standing on the test sample material.


Ref throws a flag. Blatant thread diversion (I guess it is your thread) and detailed visual which took the reader to a place I/we did not need to "go", LOL. :D..... Carry on.

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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby ishy » 02 24, 2017 •  [Post 20]

So I've starting sitting since hanging a camera over a great wallow in a basin. It's just off (100 yards) a North South ridge with a huge clear cut to the west. With bedding areas around the east finger ridges. First year I sat it the most with the stand below the wallow, 30 ft up and with all but one trail above me thinking I would have good wind with all but that one trail which was one of the lesser used trails. I found the hardest route possible coming in from the east. It is one of those borderline "needs repelling gear" to get in type hikes thinking I would not bump anything. Quietest longest season ever. I sat mornings, evenings, even a couple of all day marathons. I never saw an elk, never heard an elk??? Wind is every thing so I thought enough of this and moved it above the wallow and decided to only sit 10-4 and run and gun mornings and evenings the next season. Not as good of cover and some afternoon sun are the negatives, and wind in morning and evening is infinitely worse. I only had a few days to hunt that next year due to a new job, but action each time in. A cow and calf one day, and a herd bull following a hot cow that I have already cried on here because they didn't come into the water and walked 10 yards from where the previous stand is.
So I still have this internal argument going on-was that first year just an off year? Did I blow everything out (I doubt it not ever hearing any hooves)? Do I stick with it above knowing that's when I have seen elk, but it limits when I can sit? Like I mentioned the heaviest trails are coming from the sides and above- am I good below? I'm worse than my 7 year old in the candy aisle.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 24, 2017 •  [Post 21]

Ishy, I sometimes tell the story of finding an abandoned wood tree stand. It was about 12 feet above a wallow in a basin. I decided to sit and wait there. I never saw a deer or elk all of the days I sat in that stand. Oly saw nothing when he sat there either. When we were away elk came to the water every time while we were gone. It couldn't be just a coincidence. Well to make a long story short, I decided to hang a store bought stand about 30 feet up in a big pine the next season. Right away we both started killing elk there. To be fair, I know another person claims to have killed a bull there from a ground blind. My stand was there, but I wasn't.
I guess the moral of the story is that you do what you can, and make the best of it. There are no guarantees.
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby stringunner » 02 24, 2017 •  [Post 22]

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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby Swede » 02 24, 2017 •  [Post 23]

touché Stringunner
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Re: Moved By The Wind

Postby stringunner » 02 24, 2017 •  [Post 24]

:lol:
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