Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer Bow Talk Swirling winds diagnosis

So I’ve got this lock on that faces Southeast… Well the past few days I have been out there with an easterly wind in the forecast and unless the wind is gusting, then it is consistently hitting me in the back of the head. I figured today would be ideal because it was blowing a little bit harder but the same thing occurred. Mainly hitting me in the back of the head out of the west with gusts out of the SE. I’ve got no problem simply moving my stand but I would like to understand why the wind always wants to come out of the west on this transition line. The swampy canopy behind me is lower than the hardwoods in front of me so I think it’s just pushing through a gap in the trees because of the variation of the tree height on the wood line. The elevation is very flat and consistent where I’m hunting. Do you guys frequently experience this or am I missing something?

More times than not it seems to change direction on me. Sometimes it's steady but mostly with a N wind.

One of the most enjoyable things about turkey hunting is being able to not worry about wind direction

East winds are never consistent.

Hate an east wind.

Where's the "just hunt the wind" crowd when you need them?

Lol. It’s funny you say that. I’ve killed 2 bucks this year and both of them were down wind. 😂

I don’t think you have any other choice with a bow in your hand. Kinda hard to “just hunt the wind” when it’s blowing every which way even though the forecast has it stiff out the east. .

Dont hunt when its doing its swirling. I would get on the ground at the base of your tree then above the stand and below the stand and see what its doing at ground level. Or It may be that the stand could be moved 50 yds uphiill and wind wont roll over you. Either way the spot will be ruined if you continue to hunt it with thw wrong wind.

Up here, you don't hunt if the wind is swirling and/or thermals are stirring , you ain't gonna hunt much or either will only hunt on top of the plateau.

^^^
If it swirls I go to house - leave the stand

Y’all may be Magical where the wind can hit the back
Of your neck and still hunt successfully but I can’t be successful that way - it never works for me

I try to hav stands for every wind especially the predominant wind

I was confused when I first read original post and never responded. If u are saying - the wind is supposed to be a certain direction but it always blows opposite when u get there because of the terrain - then do or hunt the opposite if u are able. If the wind is never right there it does not sound like a successful spot. If it just swirling that can happen - I usually leave when it swirls

Good luck dudewithabow - Maybe that helpful

Sounds like a terrain problem.

It is like that on my lease. It may say an east wind, and it will predominantly follow that, but then also it will come from the south or north. If its really inconsistent, I try to sit in a house. Or climb 35 feet up.

Thats what I would do. I cant stand getting winded and ruining a spot

Do you think that turkeys can’t smell?

When Bill Winke was with Midwest Whitetail he did a segment on a particular area on one of his farms that looked great but he couldn't hunt it due to swirling winds. He determined that when the prevailing wind blew over an opening and hit the trees on the other side it was causing the wind to such back the opposite direction.

If you look on the Midwest Whitetail site you can go back to previous years and watch the shows. This show would have been in 2020. Worth looking it up.

Most of my stand would never get hunted if I was worried about swirling winds. Mostly creek bottoms and if the wind is blowing it is swirling in those bottoms.

Sounds like that’s what I’ve got going on. I appreciate all the input. Hunting it from the ground proved to be more consistent but I’m just gonna have to move the stand. Pretty obvious as to why the deer are in there feeding at all hours. They can smell everything. Best of luck to y’all I’m off to Missouri tomorrow morning until the 15th.

Think of the wind like a stream of flowing water. When it hits an obstacle it can flow around it , over it , make an undercurrent and swirl. Then throw in hills and hollows with rising and falling temps , you have thermals. In mountains the wind is 3D. If you wait on a perfect , steady wind , you won't go hunting very much.

I hunt far Easter Fayette county where we have over 300’ of elevation change on 600 acres and south Walker county where there’s 30-40’ tall spoil piles over 100s of acres. I’ve seen the wind do some crazy things. Like someone else mentioned imagine water flowing but you have to look at it 2 ways. Thermals which are either rising or falling and then wind direction. I kill probably half my deer sitting on the ground. Sometimes you may even sit upwind of a spot knowing that the wind funnels a certain direction. Windfloaters are great because they don’t dissipate fast like powder. And use them regularly especially if temps are falling or rising.