[timberghost]

Question, how do all of you enter your stand sites? Do you all have more then one to accomodate wind direction, do you just get to the stand regardless of wind and ease of entrance, do you use weather reports to get an idea of wind speed and direction. Finally, if there is no real wind (calm) is there still the chance of a deer winding you? It's been bugging me lately and I think I'll use the weather.com site for the wind direction and speed to determine which way to go. Would that be good or bad? Any suggestions. Keep in mind that everything in my power will be done to be scent free but sometimes it doesn't really matter.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

I think the best entrance is to just get there and be done with it, especially during Bow Season I don't like keeping my presence at ground level any longer than I need to, So I just try my best to keep quiet and walk swiftly.
I've tried so many different ways to get to stands without scent issues but found it's just easier to get there and stop worrying about the "what if's", Even if I am trying to beat the wind while heading in the wind shifts and messes up my whole "sneak in" approach... Good Luck though..

 

[gfdeputy2]

I agree w/ you Bruce I hunt in a bowl (surrounded by mountains) so I get wind changes a lot. I used to worry too but now I just go for the stand & get there as soon & quiet as I can

 

[flexj]

I may be the odd man out here, but wind direction and speed play a big factor in both where I go and how I get there. I try to take into consideration wind direction to determine which stand you will hunt, and how to get there without letting the wind blow into the feeding area in the morning or bedding area afternoon. Also I try to not take game trails or cross major game trails on the way to the stand as I have seen deer approach the spot where I have crossed and pick up the scent. It puts them on alert when they smell something foreign...and alert deer are obviously much harder to draw on if they even keep going on the trail.

 

[joel the signman]

wind is very important if the path your going to take is going to blow your scent in before you arrive plan on a boring day of watching trees.i will walk in from the opposite direction or use another stand

 

[delbert]

i watch the weather in the morning at camp,, then go out on the deck to confirm...pick a stand and go ...in high water i can go thru the water ,,,or a dry path...i do pick a stand that the wind would be in my favor

 

[Hunting Man]

Hunting during the rut, I like to drag a scented pad behind me and refresh it a couple of times then set up the hanging wicks and climb up into my stand. Going to my stand doesn't concern me much with regard to the wind. I usually have two stands set up and choose one based on the wind direction for hunting, not walking to my stands.

 

[wmi]

I have the same opinion as flexj. There is no room for error with mature whitetails. I will walk 3 times as far to avoid bumping one. Sometimes it is just better to hunt a different location than to push a bad set up. I have waited days even weeks to hunt an area because of the wind. If you gamble the deer's nose will beat you 95% of the time. If you take these precautions your encounters with big bucks will increase dramatically. Good posting flexj!:wink:

 

[Southern Man]

I agree with Flexi also. A deer's nose is his best defense.... don't take the chance.

 

[Rozman62]

All my tree stands are staged next to bedding areas. Most are in thick stuff. I do not want my scent blowing into the bedding area so the wind direction does dictate what stand I will occupy and the direction in getting there. I will stay in the stand if the wind happens to change directions. You never know with the onslaught of the rut where the bucks can show up.

 

[Buckshot]

Ditto what flexi said. I try to have serveral options as to where I will set up for each area and let the prevailing wind dictate which one. Like wmi said I will go out of my way to not let scent drift into what I believe is a core area of a buck I am hunting.

With that said, some times there is just no choice bust to bust on through like Bruce said, if you jump deer it's not the end of the world. I have busted deer out from under my tree going in just to have deer(maybe the same deer) come back under me 15 minutes after get in the tree.

I said it before and I'll say it again I believe the most important thing about scent is to not leave it on the ground, grass or limbs you contact as you walk in.

 

[Annie Oakley]

Go simplicity, think you are way overthinking it. Dress appropriate, step in grease or molasses, and they'll come to you.

 

[tnrebelguitarist]

On the farm/woods I hunt, I have several stands all around different parts of the fields/ridges. There are about 2 main ways to enter the property as well. The wind always determines which stand I will climb in. If the field/ridge can't be hunted with a perfect wind (and there is evidence of a big buck) I will just not hunt the area. I'd rather wait for the perfect wind than to go in and leave my scent or make noise and scare the deer to another route pattern.

I use scent eliminating products, but risking going in and out of a hunting area to hunt without a good wind is just ignorant to me. You never know what may be bedded down right where the bad wind is blowing. Plus spooking deer going in and out to hunt without favorable conditions can cause the deer to stay bedded longer. This means that even the does and small yearlings move later or more cautiously....and the big bucks notice that.

At the same time, if you are hunting in the peak of the rut, you never know where the deer may be coming from so a bad wind can actually be a good one. Deer often stray from trails (especially if there is a lot of doe estrus/deer smell/deer noise in the area).