Stand Placement 101 Part 3: BLOW, BLOW, SEMINOLE WIND No Cheating Considering the wind direction, a stand site should never be sacrificed. That means NEVER hunt it when the wind is wrong for it, especially if you don't bathe in scent killing soap, wear scent free camo and rubber boots, and spray down with scent killing spray. The biggest bucks are mature bucks - living, breathing BUG OUT machines, and they never err on the side of caution when they suspect or smell something is not right. For this reason, I'll develop another stand(s) for that site area allowing me to hunt any of the possible prevailing winds. Hunt the wind. Always. Having several choices of stands to hunt also prevents stand burn out, meaning it's being over hunted - hunted too often in a short period of time. Mature deer can quickly pattern you after a hunt or two. Of 20 stands I have placed, I never have to hunt one over and over in a short period of time. Plus, a third of my stands cover preferred food sources, a third cover core rut areas, and a third cover travel corridors between bedding sites, food sources and core rut areas. All my bases are now covered. A couple of stands I hunt only once or twice per 100 day season, they're that specialized. 270/90 Rule I view prospective stand sites and how I can hunt them like a compass. I'm the needle pointing into the wind, the site around my stand is the compass rose with eight possible wind directions within the 360 degree circle. The best stands offer me at least a 270 degree shooting opportunity (we're thinking wind, forget the shooting lanes for now). The other 90 degrees are behind me, and is the area I don't want the buck to be in because that's where I could be scented. This step in the process of choosing a stand site utilizing the 270/90 rule is as important to me as being in the Zone and able to become the Invisible Man.
Try it, your shot opportunities will skyrocket with this tactic and you won't jeopardize a site area because you hunted a stand when the wind was wrong. The following diagram of the Cross Creek stand locations illustrate what is in my mind as I select stands within a hunt site, and is the layout of the site I'm hunting at the beginning of this article. As you can see, two stands cover this site, allowing me to hunt the
predominate fall and winter wind directions for our geographic area, typically
Northerly's and Southerly's. Except for NW or W winds, I can hunt
this site without worry. Therefore, when I've done my homework, the
buck should never be in the 90* zone behind me. But, like what happened
to me with this buck, they don't always cooperate with our best laid plans.
Fortunately, the wind held a steady breeze keeping my scent up high and
the buck walked almost directly underneath me as he angled in crosswind
from behind.
Like it or not, you stink! If you don't do something about controlling your scent while going to and from your stand, and while hunting it, you're wasting your time. No sense going through all the trouble we're talking about if you skip on this subject. Any deer with a brain over 6 months old simply won't tolerate your presence, so you better get as scent free as you can afford. That means your rubber boots, camo, gloves, hat and bow need to be "sneaky" clean. There are many methods and products to help you control your scent, and much has been written on the subject. Do it! You'll see deer like never before. Next: Part 4: ENTRY ONLY - NO EXIT - Zano |
Hunt Recorder & Notes book, by Zan D. Christensen "No other piece of hunting equipment has the potential to build your hunting skills and increase your successes afield like THE HUNT RECORDER & NOTES BOOK." |
Most
of my stand sites offer at least two (of the three) huntable wind directions,
giving me greater flexibility to hunt it. Thus, having multiple stands
throughout my hunt area allows me to hunt the four primary winds:
Southerly winds (SE/S/SW), Northerly winds (NE/N/NW), Easterly's (SE/E/NE)
and Westerly winds (SW/W/NW). I now don't have to worry about where
I can hunt. Also, having 2 or 3 stands placed in the most coveted
areas means I'll have complete freedom to hunt the most active sites during
any phase of the season, regardless of wind direction.
