If you’re like most deer hunters, including me, summer means preparing for deer season! From working on the camp to cutting roads or setting up new stands, it’s a labor of love. And there’s no better feeling than enjoying the fruits of your labor on opening morning.
Unless you wake up and discover the wind is wrong for the spot you spent so much time preparing.
Whether you have a lease, a smaller property, or simply that one favorite place to go, there are things you can do to maximize your spot.
Tip #1: Set Up for Alternate Winds The most reliable fix is planning ahead. If your property allows it, place additional stands to cover multiple wind directions. Your alternate stand doesn’t need to be in the highest traffic area; it just needs to let you hunt undetected. An average stand you can slip into without alerting your targets will out-produce The Spot hunted on the wrong wind. The last thing you want is one doe or maybe several starting to stomp, snort, and run off any good bucks.
Tip #2: Run Two Blinds on One Feeder If you’re locked into a single feeder location, consider setting up two blinds overlooking the same spot from different angles. It sounds like overkill, but it’s not. One blind for a south wind and one for a north means you’ve always got a viable option. The extra work upfront is nothing compared to blowing out your best setup.
Tip #3: Scent Control Won’t Save You In my personal experience last season, antimicrobial clothing, scent-away spray, and ozone emitters won’t help unless your feeder is 400 yards out. Experienced hunters know these are damage-control at best. These products may buy you a little margin, but it’s almost impossible to eliminate your human odor. The sensitive nose of your quarry will bust you in a hurry! Deer spend their entire lives trying to avoid predators and they were designed to do it well.
I live in Texas where baiting is legal, and I’ve been hunting out of one stand positioned to maximize the view around a feeder. Last year was humbling in the wind department and my best spot was almost always bad for the wind. None of scent-masking products worked, so I knew I had to do something different. This summer I moved two stands. One is dedicated to a bad wind and the other is a second blind on an existing feeder.
Don’t let all those hours on the road, the sweaty summer days full of hard work and mosquitos, and time spent daydreaming about your hunting season go to waste because Mother Nature switches the wind on you. Make a plan now to keep a bad wind from ruining your spot!
Happy Hunting!
Wayne Dunson, Managing Broker
