How many times throughout your deer-hunting career have you had a deer blow at you because you hunted a treestand with a bad wind? We all have. Summer scouting reveals a nice buck is cruising that food plot down on the back forty, and without another thought we’re there on opening morning, and likely that afternoon, and then day after day to no avail.
Paying no mind to wind direction has spoiled more hunts than we’ve ever known about, and some we do. While the does will stand inside the wood line and blow until they’re out of breath, the bucks, especially the old mature heavy horns that have been around a few years, will retreat without the slightest sound. And while it’s nearly impossible to ever completely eliminate the human scent, what can we do to combat these busted hunts? To me, that answer seems rather simple: show patience.
I have long considered patience the most important attribute in this little aspect of life called hunting. Whether it’s sitting another ten minutes to see if that old tom will come ‘round or waiting days or even weeks for the right wind to present itself where big bucks find refuge, patience is the virtue.
With all that said, I realize that time is of the essence for many of us who deem ourselves the weekend warrior. You might have just a spot or two where you get a kitchen pass to spend a few hours on the weekend in peace and quiet. But imagine, just imagine, doing it right to where you leave your little honey hole alone until that perfect wind shows up. Maybe it’s beginning to get colder, and the warm southern wind has given way to a chilly breeze out of the north. Your hunting area is untainted and maybe those bucks are getting a little more fired up about the pending rut. At the end of a season, it only takes one hunt in the right conditions to get a shot at that buck of a lifetime. I hope you’re there when it happens.
Tired of sitting in a treestand? Try a little sneak hunting for those late season bucks.