Hunt the Wind: How to Pick the Right Land For Hunting

WIND & YOUR LAND

When seeking acreage to buy, lease, or even just hunt, look for a tract well suited to the prevailing winds of autumn and winter. Many landowners wish they had.

The Ideal Setup:

While no tract has perfect wind conditions at all times, this illustration shows an ideal property that provides solid hunting options in any wind. We're assuming most local fall/winter winds will have a westerly component: any direction from just west of due south on around to just west of due north. (Such winds prevail in most places, due to the earth's rotation.)

Perfect Placements:

Position most of your setups to work with prevailing winds and minimize stand burnout. Here, hunting almost any westerly wind would mean parking in the farm's northeast corner and moving west or southwest to a chosen stand east of the creek.

Backup Stands:

For rare easterly winds there are four setups on the creek's west side; all reachable from the parking spot near the south border. On no wind are you forced to be upwind of the most likely deer-holding cover.