Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting What Wind Direction/ Time of Day to hunt this spot?

Please help me learn how to attack this spot circled in red. Yellow are deer trails.



Photo of the red spot right in the center looks like this with several rub trees. This is the only spot on the aerial that is this clear with more than 15 ft visibility.




The orange "overgrown" spots look like 40 acres of this:



I can approach from the South-West or the North.

I can't figure out which wind direction I want for this. I have a lot of choice in the next 2 weeks with various fronts moving through.

I would try 2 different things in there. Both however are 100% dependent on the correct wind. If you can get in with a prevailing wind in your favor, I would still hunt that thick brushy schit.

If I couldn’t do that, I would try to intercept that buck on his way to the clearing, via a tree stand. If you get above that brush, you should be able to shoot into it.

If I worried about the wind and time of day(legal of course) id never get out of the house. Just hunt!

Come in from the South,on a North wind,before sun-up...

Brilliant

I'd also come in from the south with a north'ish wind or try the north with a south'ish wind. I'm assuming due north of the red circle is thick sheit?

Those deer could be laid up anywhere in that stuff. It's gonna take a little time to figure it out, but you can never go wrong with edges, dips and ditches.

I'd hunt it on a wrong wind, either west or east and try and stay just above where they are coming into the clearing so that they are not winding you but are getting false confidence that you're not there. It's tricky and risky but I find it to be successful. Be on the look out for a buck coming crosswind too

They are just using that as a safety travel corridor between two large blocks of woods.
I would only hunt the furthest north end and furthest southern end (wind depending) and not hunt the center.
See your two green squares with thick cover and mast trees?
That’s good place for food and likely come rut that’s where I’d be in a tree.

Have you used any game cameras? That'll help get an idea what time and direction they travel thru. But as thick as that is they could be anywhere anytime for sure.

A lot of guys say hunt the wind. What I find is that no matter how I try, I always find myself upwind of something. I guess that's how it works on a spheroid planet. YMMV.

Okay smarta$$ lines aside, I generally disregard wind. The reasons being that:

1) Winds change
2) No matter how hard I plan, I always find deer want to come from every direction.
3) Winds swirl a lot

. . . so what I do is do my best to keep my scent reduced as much as possible.

see Shamanic Baking Soda Method

The trick is reducing the scent just enough so that deer don't think there is a human close by. They may smell you, but they don't know you're THAT close.

Next, when I hunt a new spot, I worry about how to see the most and not be seen.

I get in early and I leave late.

I stay as still as possible. With turkey, I can have hens peck at my bootlaces. On the ground, I've had to shoo deer that were going to step on me.


Bottom line: I try to make myself as much as a part of the environment as I can and I wait.

^ agreed, I have rarely seen a a good hunting day where the wind truly holds in any direction for an extended period of time but that is the SE coastal zone. I hunt where the deer are period. To the op, with that amount of browse in the form of those cut overs it will be tough unless you have a good mast crop to center in on food. Personally for me I would attempt to hunt the SE tip of the hardwoods or that bend in the road if Muzzle loader or rifle, probably same for bow. The trails will tell the tale.

It is hard to figure out I have always tried to keep the wind in my face, however, the biggest buck I ever killed (200 non typical) came up downwind behind me. Surprise! I had sprayed down well with scent killer so I guess it must have worked or he thought the girls smelled better.

Phil

Tomorrow I will hunt the northern tip of my red circle, on a northeast wind. Any deer trying to get from the top-left to the top-right section (or opposite of that) will likely travel through that area, and depending on scent dispersion I might even catch a deer coming from south (the trampled spot in my original photo) to north.

Plus, after walking 2.1 miles the other day to "get away from other hunters" and finding out when I left that I was the only vehicle in 3 parking areas on a weekday, I am looking forward to this 0.5 mile hike with my tree stand on my back instead. I definitely need to get one of those frame packs.

I would set up on the N end of the oval and stand hunt to see when the deer are going through the area. I would only still hunt it if I was not hunting the area for awhile or if hunting with a partner where one still hunts and the other waits to intercept any deer coming out. Stand hunting on the East side of the oval at the point of the thick cover could be good for a windy day or right after as it will knock down mast crops and the deer will not want to move in the open areas with windy conditions.

Like others have mentioned I’d throw a camera up and see when and if they are still hitting that area. It might be at 2AM and you’ll be wasting your time. I’d find where the does are feeding and monitor them as the bucks will be doing the same. Likely in that NE quadrant where the mast trees border your heavy cover. Leave the heavy cover alone as sanctuary so they stay on your parcel and quietly hunt the edge of cover and mast trees. The does will feed openly into the mast trees and the big boys will hold up in the transition edges. Put out some doe lure near a natural funnel or run with the wind advantage and see what happens.

I also favor cross winds. On this set up, I would try to hunt this spot with an east/west wind from the south side. Hopefully having a view of anything coming out of the northern cover toward a deer trail.