Deer movement during East winds?

[Skychief]

I have a spot that I plan to hunt that is best suited to winds coming from the East.

Have you seen deer travel much with an East wind?

I'm sure a lovesick buck during the rut will be on his feet, but, how about outside of the rut?

Best regards, Skychief

 

[wattlebuster]

I have never had much luck seeing deer with a east wind.

 

[silly goose]

Some of my best hunts are with an east wind. Granted, I don't like to hunt in high winds, but I have locations in mind just for east winds.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have a friend who commercial fished for catfish in the TN river all his life. He taught me how he did it as well as how to make jump boxes and tie up trot lines. His saying was "wind out of the east is least", in other words, when the wind was out of the east the fishing would be poor.

We seldom get an east wind where I hunt so I don't know if my friends saying pertains to deer hunting as well.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I usually hunt into the wind. In this region (south-east of the great lakes) we have a very much prevailing wind from the west. Occasionally north (like currently).

But what this does on the ridges gouged buy glaciers and rivers in between means you have wind up the west-face of the hills and on the lee side you get an eddy up the hill towards the summit in the morning (increasing as the sun warms that lower air) that can change to a downdraft as the sun sets - so it blows both east and west but depends which side of the ridge you are on and the time of day.

In other words - if you wait for the proper wind you'll miss a lot of hunting. Hunt with it rather than wait for different. And if you plan on hunting a ridge from a lower altitude you might want to arrive from the south or north depending on the prevailing wind.

 

[George]

I'm not aware of any reason deer would move less with an east wind. Or any other particular direction, for that matter.

In my part of the country the weather patterns mean that the prevailing winds are most frequently westerly, northerly or southerly, in that order, so easterly winds are less frequent, but I've seen deer, shot deer on easterly wind days.

We've all been taught that deer travel with their nose into the wind, but I doubt that. I've seen deer walking downwind as often as upwind, I think. and I've had deer walk straight at me from upwind. I've also seen deer many times walk straight upwind toward me, close to me, and never catch my scent.

I have been told deer don't move on windy days because the noise means they can't detect danger, but then have seen deer out and about on some real howlers.

As an ambush hunter, I always try to set up for my hunts so that the wind is blowing toward me from wherever I expect the best chance of seeing deer, but I never let the particular direction of the wind stop me from hunting.

Spence

 

[Spikebuck]

We've all been taught that deer travel with their nose into the wind, but I doubt that. I've seen deer walking downwind as often as upwind, I think. and I've had deer walk straight at me from upwind.

Agree Spence. I see deer walking with the wind all the time, even mature bucks and does.

I have been told deer don't move on windy days because the noise means they can't detect danger, but then have seen deer out and about on some real howlers.

Dr Dave Samuel, A Bowhunting Magazine writer, and PhD in Wildlife Biology, quotes studies that have concluded that when winds reach a certain speed (don't remember what it was) movement slows down. But then at some point of higher wind speeds, movement picks back up. The theory was that at some point they don't like the wind as it makes it difficult for them to detect danger, but with very high wind speeds, it makes them so spooky, they tend to move. :idunno: My own personal experience is that deer don't like to move in wind...moderate or high, but that's just my own observation over the decades.

Skychief:
East wind....HUNT IT! I've never noticed direction to matter, but clearly I hunt stands based on the wind direction in an attempt to keep my scent from streaming where I THINK they will come from.

 

[smo]

I have never had much luck seeing deer with a east wind.

Same here,around the area Wattlebuster & I were raised in we got winds usually from the NW. But occasionally West wind or South warm front wind coming in . The North winds usually brought cold air in and sometimes the deer would just lock down and wait on warmer weather to move.. But from my experience... on an East wind I'll not expect to see alot of deer movement. :idunno:

 

[Skychief]

Appreciate all the replies guys. :hatsoff:

 

[George]

I'm curious why you thought there might be a problem with an east wind in particular. Care to elaborate?

Spence

 

[sidelock]

Hunting western NC ML season about 30 years ago I found a small heard of deer crossing a ridge just at or just before day light. Wind every morning was down slope as usual with thermal drift, but followed either left or right side of holler (that's mountain talk) to lower ground below. I crossed the ridge well before light one morning and checked the drift and picked the opposite side. Walking down the ridge (without showing a light) on the left side I took off my glove and rubbed my scent on the brush as I moved along. About 9 am I heard the deer coming to me following my scent line. There were 6 of them, all does and some walked to within 9 feet of me. I passed on them and 2 days later killed a nice buck on the other ridge shot at day break at 15 feet and had to pick between him and his buddy who was no more than 6 feet away.

 

[Critter Getter]

I LOVE an East wind as my #1 stand is setup perfect for it. Of course I have taken many nice bucks with a North wind there as well ! I don't see any difference with wind direction other than I pick my stand location by what direction Mother Nature blows that morning or evening! Good luck and remember..... You can't kill 'em if your napping on the couch! Greg

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm not aware of any reason deer would move less with an east wind. Or any other particular direction, for that matter.

I agree. I can't think of why a deer would have any concept of a cardinal direction.

What I've observed, is yes deer don't seem to like a moderate or heavier wind at their back when they are moving. ("Moving" meaning a moderate to slow walk while also eating or going to water. ) My theory is that it interferes both with their hearing AND sense of smell, which are the two primary ways they detect danger, plus when they move I think they are more cautious than when standing still or lying down as the advantage goes to a predator lying in ambush.

I've noticed that in a steady wind, say above 10 mph, plus with a cold air temp, they tend to move to sheltered areas, and then stop, or if they are in the sheltered area when the wind picks up, they don't move much if at all. I think this is simply from comfort. It's colder if they moved, and if they are inside some thick brush (and can feed right there) it's warmer and they have food so no reason to leave. Plus I think they instinctively know that a predator has to come to them, so they have more of an advantage in detecting the danger that way.

I see the most movement in deer when it's cold, and not much wind, or better, when there is a slight drizzle of rain or it rained earlier in the day and they got soaked. The falling rain tends to knock down scent, but the deer get wet, and need calories to keep up the body heat, so they have to move. In cold conditions but clear, again they need the calories, so have to move.

Now a PhD studying cervids probably would tell me my sample is too small so I'm full of error. I've seen on blustery days deer so set on staying put that they didn't move until somebody actually stepped on them...., some biologists would say the deer should be moving in those conditions, and then the deer bolted at warp speed. Not what you want when taking a shot.

:idunno:

LD

 

[Patocazador]

I deer hunt in all conditions and never noticed an east wind being good or bad.
I have killed most of my deer with a NE wind. However, the wind is out of the NE more than any other direction in deer season here.

When bird hunting with my dogs, the hunting is definitely worse with an east wind. I think it is because the conditions interfere with the dogs' scenting ability rather than a paucity of birds.

 

[Skychief]

I'm curious why you thought there might be a problem with an east wind in particular. Care to elaborate?

Spence

Sure. I've heard many hunters groan at the thought of having an East wind while in pursuit of deer. I've not noticed much difference in deer movement except with South winds. They seem to curtail deer movement here (unless, of course, it's the accompanying higher that normal temperatures that coincide with South winds).

The new hidey hole I've mentioned (the short shot hidey hole, that is :wink: ), is West of where I expect to find the deer. Another reason for asking about everyone's thoughts and experiences.

ff I will say without reservation, that fishing suffers during East winds. Still doesn't keep me from fishing though. :haha:

Best regards, Skychief

 

[George]

The new hidey hole I've mentioned (the short shot hidey hole, that is :wink: ), is West of where I expect to find the deer.

Then I'd be more concerned about a west wind. :wink:

Spence

 

[Skychief]

The new hidey hole I've mentioned (the short shot hidey hole, that is :wink: ), is West of where I expect to find the deer.

Then I'd be more concerned about a west wind. :wink:

Spence

Indeed. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

:haha:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Deer don't know east from west....But they do follow the sun and can tell when the weather is changing....Which can be signified by an easterly wind....
Some areas almost always have an easterly wind....I get a north wind every day...when the sun dips over the rise, a north wind flows down the valley.

I watch deer almost every day....They are extremely predictable.

 

[Patrick Thomas]

This is a very interesting discussion. I believe it depends on where in the country (world?) one hunts. In central Texas, where I hunt the most, the prevailing winds are east or southeast, so that is normal for the wildlife. A strong west wind, and accompanying lowering barometric pressure, would indicate an approaching cold front, followed by a strong northwest wind at frontal passage. The deer around here move well just prior to the wind shift, then lay low after.

I just returned from an elk hunt (first time) in northern New Mexico and the wind was confusing to me. As Clyde mentioned, it seemed to depend more on the time of day and sun position, or heating and cooling of the earth.

Interesting subject.

 

[smo]

I agree with what you are saying. Where I hunt most of the time our wind comes West to East so to speak. It maybe SW,NW or just West but that is the general direction.Deer have established trails that they use on a regular basis. I fell like when the wind comes from the East or an unlikely direction this disrupts their normal routine some what. Any disruption in my normal routine causes me to become more aware of my surroundings. I think deer do the same thing, if the wind is not favorable or from an unusual direction they become less active. I'm not saying they will not move ,but I feel they are less predictable in their movement. I usually would still go hunting due to my limited time off to hunt. However now that I'm retired and can be more picky...... :idunno: Of course weather,the Rut and other hunters play a big roll in some cases too. But one things for sure you can't kill em' on the couch.