If you are a long range shooter then you would understand what you don't.
Thats not a dig either.
You don't just fire, you formulate, look at what you see through your optics, and fire a shot with correction. That confirms or denies your correction.
You can SEE changes through optics. If you see another change, then you don't fire or have to correct and check again possibly.
Most of the targets we strive to hit in long range shooting are at least MOA or smaller.
But if you don't get all that, then you don't shoot IMHO.
If the wind is inconsistent as you note, there are two options, my first choice is to pass on the shot. Good hunters do that regardless the distance.
The second is you dial it in, wait to see something you can recognize condition wise and time it, yes count it out, if it holds for whatever you deem long enough, then you shoot it and or for the killing shot you wait until you see it again.
Wind comes very much in cycles and waves.
There is a LOT more to long shots than most think. Which means you have to do a lot of work to make one.
The ability to use scopes to shoot wiht, we ran irons our whole time in competition, makes it a lot easier to shade the changes a tad too... I know most folks will dial, but as you see a minor shift its easy to shade... national champions shade....
The whole key is knowing your ability. And then having to ignore others comments mostly.
I really still feel strongly that responsible LR shooters wound much less than "normal" shooters do because they understand what can happen.
Truth be told in LR shooting, holding and breaking a shot with a top gun, is not that hard. But understanding windage takes more than a few weekends plinking at rocks. And if you are not out there shooting in bad conditions you'll never understand all this.
I often refer to wind as invisible water or smoke... just sit and watch water and smoke flow... how they react to things in the way... its flat amazing... see how a river can run upstream in areas...
And if you don't understand the separate effects of things like time of flight, spin drift, rotation of the earth, and a simple one, mirage, then don't shoot at game.
Bottom line is always going to be knowledge, if you knew as much about LR shots as you do about hunting the dunes, and those mega muleys that I"ll never have a chance to even see or shoot, you'd be a hell of a LR shooter and know when to and when not to... And thats a superb compliment in case I didn't come across correctly.
Jeff
