how much does wind play in deer activety?i have been told deer will bed down and pretty much kills the day of hunting is this tr

[Katrina Jones]

how much does wind play in deer activety?i have been told deer will bed down and pretty much kills the day of hunting is this true?

[JM]

It is true that they mostly bed down, but it does not ruin the day. A lot of people choose to still hunt on windy days(I have killed the majority of my deer still hunting). If the wind dies down after a day of hard wind deer are going to be moving, so look out for things like that. If there is a lot of hunting pressure(opening weekend etc.) in your area then the deer will be moving no matter how windy it is.

[DSMbirddog]

I think it does make them more cautious but they will still move around some. Still hunt into the wind. Early and late they still are looking to eat. You can't hunt deer if you're not out there.

[huntfishtrap]

In my experience it has a negative effect any time other than the rut. I have had a number of good hunts during the rut when it was windy, but very few good hunts outside the rut. If you can find somewhere out of the wind however, a south-facing slope with a north wind, for example, then being windy can help, as it usually concentrates the deer in those type of areas.

[ChuckfromGRMI]

Wind plays heavily in a deer's activity. If it is blowing hard and swirling, the deer have a greater tenacy to sit tight. It messes up their hearing and their ability to pick up scents. If your huntng is sitting over a bait pile. You're right. You're prety much done. But if you're really hunting or 'still hunting'. It's a great time to be in the woods. Because they can't hear you either.

[HuntingEditor]

Great answers, all. Whitetails will definitely hunker down in cover on the windiest days, so don't expect them to be feeding out in the open. Instead, spend the meat of the day still-hunting, and the answers here are right on - move very slowly and quietly into the wind, using your optics to spot deer before they spot you. Reserve the very last light for hunting edges of food sources. I love hunting mule deer in the wind, because as huntfishtrap notes, they will be concentrated on the lee sides of slopes, and as long as you keep the wind off your back, you can stalk in on them.

Andrew McKean