What direction do deer travel in the wind?

Asked by: Donald Weber

These deer tend to cruise leeward (downwind side) ridges. Furthermore, they cruise the top 1/3 of the ridge where the rising thermals and wind coming over the top (from the opposite direction) meet.

What is the best wind direction for deer hunting?

clockwise

One thing to keep in mind: based on my studies, a rising barometer associated with a wind changing from an easterly to a westerly direction (clockwise) is the best time to hunt. The stronger the wind speed, the quicker barometric pressure will rise and after it subsides is the time to be out.

Do deer always come in down wind?

Bucks don’t always walk into the wind, or with it to their back, and they certainly don’t always bed downwind of does. That being said, a buck will always be using his senses to keep him alive, fed, and to breed– and that often means using his nose in some way.

How do you hunt deer on a windy day?

Deer Hunting in the Wind

1. How Deer Move on Windy Days. A windy day dampens a deer’s senses, making it harder for them to detect predators. …
2. Scent Control. It’s always important to minimize your scent while deer hunting, especially when the wind is gusting and swirling. …
3. Stay Downwind. …
4. Consider Thermals.

Do deer travel upwind or downwind?

All deer travel downwind occasionally. But deer are always more wary in situations where they can’t depend on their nose. And most deer travel into the wind most of the time.

Is it worth hunting in the wind?

To test this, PSU undergrads performed a study in 2013. They measured the number of miles that radio-collared deer traveled during October, analyzing some 1,700 whitetail days and nights. They concluded that both bucks and does move more during windy days than calm ones, and less on windy nights than calm nights.

Is it good to hunt when it’s windy?

But the lesson here is just the same—hunt when the wind is blowing and observe your deer. If you don’t want to sit in a tree, get in a natural ground blind or still-hunt. With a good wind to cover your movements, the latter can be the most fun you’ll have in the deer woods all season.

Do deer like moving in the wind?

It seems that for both males and females, deer move MORE during a windy day, but theyll move LESS during a windy night!”

Is it worth hunting deer in high winds?

Wind limits a deer’s ability to detect predators, but perhaps more important, fighting heavy winds increases deer’s stress and caloric output when they are foraging and traveling. Therefore, in periods of high wind, deer change their pattern of movement to minimize their exposure to the elements and predators.

Do deer move in 40 mph winds?

Wind speeds were classified as 0-4 mph, 5-9 mph, 10-14 mph, 15-19 mph and 20 mph and higher. They found that deer moved more in light winds and movements dramatically declined when wind speeds reached 15-19 mph.