First, there are no absolutes.

With that being said, knowledge is out there about deer typically traveling with the wind to their back. This way they can see dangers in front of them and to their sides, and smell dangers coming from the back.

 

I agree completely that I've noticed they tend to bed with wind at their backs looking in front for danger also feeding with the wind at their back while they are occupied with food. As far as travel I've seen them go all directions I have noticed I shoot more mature bucks on an quarting wind where they can almost catch my scent

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You should look up Dr Karl Miller from the University of Georgia deer lab. There studies have found that deer use there sense of sight and sound to avoid predation way more than smell. Deer are curious creatures they will investigate a new smell. I watch a small spike a few weeks ago while grazing come across the track I took through that area, he actually followed my exact path to with in 10 yards of my stand and never spooked. Now if that deer has been educated that my smell meant danger I'm sure it would have been a completely different story.

 

Perfect wind for us hunters is one that is almost right for the deer and almost wrong for the hunter. So many variables but the one thing hunters will never fully master is thermals and currents from terrain changes. Deer grow up,live,survive and avoid predators 24/7. The way they move thru certain areas and terrain depending on the wind is second nature. And yes i believe deer do move with the wind at their backs as they can not come close to having it in their favor all the time but i will say damn seldom do they run that chance. In the cover of darkness they may do it a lot. But when daylight starts to appear they seem to make adjustments to move with a cross wind or in their face. I believe human pressure has a huge effect on that movement as well. A buck heading to bed in an area humans don't ever intrude will be much different than areas heavily stomped on by humans.

 

I find this to be true. Dan Infalt speaks about this religiously too

 

Thats who taught Boonerbrad everything he knows.

 

They sniff it

 

Definitely bed with wind at their back and some type of blocker behind them, with a good view out front.

Someone mentioned a quartering wind, this is simply deadly, let them think they have the wind in their favor and take advantage, had some killer set ups over the years using this.

 

Hilarious

 

This has to go down in history as the fastest derailed thread. Back to the point cell cams can show you a lot. The biggest buck I had around I'm guessing 4-5yold 10 on pressured public land. Every daytime pic 6-7 of them I would check wind he was traveling into the wind. And every time it was about the only wind I couldn't hunt that stand. I don't think I overly burnt it out but can't help but think he knew something was up.

 

Interesting what you noticed using the cam. We often see guys lamenting about the big buck that went by their stand when they were at work or hunting elsewhere, moreso now with cell cams. It's very possible that deer wouldn't have gone by if the hunter was there due to the wrong wind, or other things that can happen.

 

Looks about right to me. In wolf country I see them traveling with the wind more often than not. But just as soon as you think ya got it figured out, they change it up...

 

Looks about right to me. In wolf country I see them traveling with the wind more often than not. But just as soon as you think ya got it figured out, they change it up...

Like any other species, deer are somewhat individualistic in their habits and reaction to changes in their natural environment. Some are more natually curious....while some are almost paranoid. Some are more aggressive.... while some are quite timid. They are hardwired for survival and the unique events or encounters they have will likewise shape their reactions to the odor or sight of a predator such as a coyote or a human. Especially in farm country where stands of timber are limited, they cannot always head into the wind and get where they want to go. More often than not they will use terrain features as much as possible to give them cover, but if the wind is "wrong", they still get to where they are going since they have all the time in the world to get there. Bucks will frequently wait out entering a crop field until almost dark....or after darkness falls.... while doe groups with fawns have been out feeding for a period of time in daylight. It is not unique to see them utilizing a cross wind if that is to their advantage....but again, nothing is written in stone.

 

They dont , most the deer that I have killed over the years are down wind from me but if you tell people that they get pissed because they THINK it cant be done !

 

I killed and saw quite a few travelling with the wind at a place I used to hunt. One guy was always amazed. I can still here him exclaiming, "And he was going with the wind?!?"

 

In my experience they seem to sometimes travel or quarter downwind when they come off their beds. Maybe because they've been facing that way for hours? Approaching a bedding area it's almost always into the wind. If they are being pursued like on a drive they're heading into the wind if possible. Almost every buck I have shot ran off into the wind. Like someone said before, find a place that's almost perfect for the buck but not quite. I feel there are no "always" when it comes to mature deer.

 

Sounds good in theory, but often I see deer do the opposite of what is printed.

When they are familiar with their surroundings, their general behaviors can change.

The way landscapes are continually changing, so are the critters expected habits.

Bottom line, when talking about farmland pressured Whitetails, they’re some seriously crafty animals.

 

I've heard people swear bucks only travel with the wind at their back and I've heard others swear bucks only travel with the wind in their face. The truth is that I don't think there are any bucks out there that limit themselves to straight line travel and let the direction be dictated by wind only.

In my favorite spot to hunt I regularly see bucks walking a roughly north/south line with a west wind. That west wind is coming off a bedding area so the bucks walk just to the east to scent check for hot does.

Terrain features will also dictate travel direction regardless of the wind.

Maybe you could say in an ideal world bucks will prefer to travel with the wind but an ideal world doesn't really exist.

I will agree that they did sure tend to bed with the wind blowing at their backs so they can danger behind them and see it infront of them

 

I believe most legitimate whitetail research, this included, has some merit, though it is the woods and there are probably not any hard fast "rules". Probably more generalities than anything, in my experience and in my opinion.

 

The problem is with that arrow........it'd be GREAT to have the wind blow in one straight direction like that. Then you really could hunt the wind. Some folks live in areas where that's doable and other not so much.

 

I've never really paid a lot of attention to the wind.
Air flow changes so often. I used to be a smoker, and found that 25' up worked great for me.
I still go 20'+, but mainly due to terrain now...nothing like having a deer come up a hill and looking you dead even in the eyes. LOL

 

There is absolutely no doubt that the wind influences every decision a mature whitetail makes with the exception being when he is trailing a hot doe or has one on lock down.

I do consistently find bucks bedding in areas where the wind flows across their back and their eyes allow them to surveil the the area below them.

That being said, I also have found bucks breaking this rule and choosing beds where they have EXTREME visibility for hundreds of yards in most directions.

I prefer to hunt deer on quartering winds where my airflow is 45 degrees or so off the deer's approach but I also like crosswinds on the downwind edges of bedding during the rut. Typically you will find exploitable features at severe bends or points on the topo lines that allow you to exploit their path of travel.

Anyone who doubts that mature deer prioritize the wind simply needs to start cross-referencing their trail camera pictures with the wind directions for that particular day. Wunderground.com offers a historical data tab and you can easily see that more mature bucks will be on eastern bedding edges with west winds and on western bedding edges on east winds during the rut. You will also be able to see what winds your bucks chose to move into food sources on and what cameras they came by as they approached the food source.

Cross-referencing your pictures with the wind directions will undeniably prove to keen student that these animals are more savvy than the general hunting public gives them credit for being.

All this being said, no property will always allow a mature buck to keep the wind at his back when he beds and in his face when he moves to food but they will absolutely do their damndest to maximize exposure to wind currents.

 

To many variables to come to hard fast conclusions when it comes to deer using the wind while traveling. When bedded it's a different story. Always wind at back with a field of view down wind. Sound is the least predictable. The sounds I see deer ignore, not even turn an ear compared to what they do is astonishing. Passing helicopters, cars, boats, falling tree limbs, believe it or not a cough not even a twitch but have a little grit on your arrow when you draw your bow and they turn inside out. Crazing animals.

 

I agree with everyone that the bed with the wind at the backs with some sort of cover and able to see in front of them but my experiences especially during the rut, I’ve seen a lot of bucks traveling with the wind at their nose, especially when checking fields. A couple of people have mentioned as well that the best wind is when it’s almost a bad wind for the hunter but they think it’s ideal for them. I’ve seen that a lot as well pre and post rut. Just my experiences

 

Trying to explain this to my newly hunting teenage son I threw out the analogy deer use their nose like we do a flashlight in the dark.

More right than wrong-
Deer bed with the wind coming too then through cover or limited visibility

Mature deer use thermals at least as much as they use wind and I don’t just mean in hill country.

Less than 5mph winds are a loss in most situations- stay home

Mature deer are aware of microclimates and wind patterns

Mortally Wounded deer typically run into the wind

Deer often J hook into their beds coming in down wind to verify safety.

If there is a significant predator presence they’ll watch their backtrack

Deer know that deer use the wind. IE a buck will take an estrus doe downwind of big travel and check locations to remain undetected or crossing water to lose followers

Deer usually trust their nose most and if that is paired with their eyes and ears they’ll act with surity.

Warmer and less moisture compromise their ability. High wind speed and rain not as much as we’d like to think.

Interdigital scent is more than an identifier

Don’t be surprised by a deer walking with the wind at their tail but when leaving sight of their bedding they like to travel into or quartering the wind

 

Wise bucks will try to get downwind of where they hear grunts/rattles/bleats.. they will typically cruise timber, hedgerows/windbreaks on the downwind side.. same for doe bedding areas..
Hunting from the downwind side of a funnel or pinchpoint should increase success.

 

I’ve hunted wide open areas for 20 years, I’ve Learned a lot in that time as I see it happen right in front of me. Big deer do weird things. Many do travel wind cross wind and wind at their backs but I’ve seen them make big swings and that’s where they get you. Those hunting wooded areas wouldn’t even know he got down wind.

 

there is tons of books out there that will help. i think wind is a big part but i dont think they used like we think. i watch a deer bed for 6 hours this year. he lay with the wind kinda to his back and used his eyes and ear for in front of him. every few minuets he will turn his head into the wind but for the most part he watch in front of him. after reading few book from hunter who kill big bucks on public land, watching the deer in my yard and what i notice this year their nose is just one part. change in the woods play a big role, if you put up a tree stand or a hut they notice. just like us if you walk in to your tree stand and you se a new tree stand, trees cut down, or cameras you want to know who is hunting your spot. deer do the same thing. they are there all of the time. think about this if you come home from work and a car is park in your drive way, you want to know who there? if a deer walk down a trail this morning and see a ladder stand up. he knows it was not there yesterday, so he will keep a eye on it for a long time. smell may have a part to it but does it really matter. i bet he will sneak in and check it out before inter that part or avoid it. yes empty tree stand looks deffer than a 6 foot man in it that is moving. what i have read they most of them says do as little as possible to your hunting spot and never hunt the same tree. watching the deer in my yard putting a bucket of water out will spook them for days, less the older ones. the closes you are to their bedding area the more cautions they are. so to answer you question, you can make you self smell like a deer but it does not matter if you put a 5x5 hut in middle of the woods where there was none there yesterday. a small deer may come in and check it out but the old buck will say F-you it did not grow over night