# Deer - wind - how do deer use wind when they travel ???



## cenochs (May 2, 2007)

Do deer travel with the wind in their face (upwind) or at their back (downwind) ?


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## cenochs (May 2, 2007)

Come on experts help me out


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## gatorbait42 (Jun 17, 2007)

most of the time they will quater the wind, although I have seen them walk into the wind and walk with the wind at their back.


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## 3DLord (Aug 7, 2008)

Neither.. they go were ever they feel like it. The wind doesn't play a part in they traveling. But when they come across something or place that doesn't feel right, they will circle the wind to smell it and find out what it is.


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## scrapejuice (Dec 1, 2003)

3DLord said:


> Neither.. they go were ever they feel like it. The wind doesn't play a part in they traveling. But when they come across something or place that doesn't feel right, they will circle the wind to smell it and find out what it is.


I mostly agree with that.

I would add I have seen several times bucks purposely swing out of there normal line of travel to the down wind side of a thicket/doe bedding area and use their nose to find whats inside by skirting it rather than go bulldoging through the middle. Mostly older bucks. Much more efficient this way.


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## 1smoothredneck (Jan 14, 2005)

I also think that deer usually just go where they want to. I know many "experts"
say they quarter into wind, or travel against the wind, or travel with the wind...
I have seen deer going all the above and that includes mature deer. 
This is NOT saying they don't use wind to their advantage. And they do 
circle to get the advantage to "wind" anything hokey. Sux when they do that!


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## wilkersonhunter (Dec 12, 2007)

i think it all depends on hunting pressure


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## IndianaArcher7 (Sep 10, 2009)

3DLord said:


> Neither.. they go were ever they feel like it. The wind doesn't play a part in they traveling. But when they come across something or place that doesn't feel right, they will circle the wind to smell it and find out what it is.


I'd have to say this is most accurate. If deer always headed one direction they wouldnt be able to feed and bed in the same areas day in and day out. 

Just to share something with you on wind direction and deer...I'm doing a study on rutting behavior of white-tailed deer here in indiana. We have a prevailing westerly wind and i'm looking at the spatial distribution of scrapes and rubs within my research area. I"m only about a month into the study so everything is preliminary but results so far is showing the bucks to be making scrapes on the west edge of the two biggest bedding areas in the area, thus making the wind take the scent of the scrape right into the doe bedding area. Its pretty interesting to see, i'll attach a pic of it (blue marks are scrapes and many waypoints, especially in the north actually have multiple scrapes in one spot).


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## brushdog (May 11, 2009)

they certainly can not walk up wind down wind or quarter wind or they would be walking in a straight line all the time. they will use the wind to their advantage when checking for doe, hear you grunt or rattle, or fell something is not right, they will proceed down wind of such things to smell what their eyes are missing. other than that they walk from here to there no matter what the wind is doing


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## Nolanoutdoors (May 3, 2009)

Never say never or always when you are talking deer. My experience has been they will use the wind to their advantage most of the time. When given an option they will travel into the wind. I have seen it way to many times, they go out of their way to stick their nose into the wind. 

Just as an example, I spent 7 days straight sitting on a ridge in Colorado elk hunting last year. We could glass an area about 1000 yard wide and 2000 yards long with a good bit of aspens and pines, snow on the ground part of the week. During that week I must have seen 50 deer and 15-20 elk come and go. Some were pushed by other hunters and some just passed by going where every deer and elk go.

Every deer and elk we watched that week was moving into the general direction of the wind. Not a single critter traveled with the wind, even some that were pushed by hunters, they escaped via moving with the wind only to circle around and move back into the direction of the hunter, moving back into the wind either east or west of the “danager”.

You asked about deer but coyotes are the worst. I have called and killed a few over the years, okay more that a few. I would say that 85% or more will circle the call and come in from down wind. Only a few young or very hungry yotes will come to a call with the wind to their tail. They are geared to smell it first. When calling coyotes, as painful as it can be on a cold windy day, I always sit facing the wind, cause the critters are going to be coming from that direction more times than not. At least that is what I have experienced.


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## ruffme (Aug 4, 2005)

They go where they need to go...
but like others have mentioned depending on type of behavior....they will aprroach certain areas like beds and scrapes downwind so as to get a whiff of the does or recent activity. When they know something isn't right they will tend to want to circle to the downwind side as well.

But in terms of a moving relaxed deer, I've seen them come in all directions in relation to the wind.


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## Mohuntguy (Feb 13, 2008)

If deer "always" walked into the wind, and in most places the predominant wind is from the West, California should have every deer in the country.


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## Hartbraker (Aug 11, 2016)

I disagree with most on this topic. My answer is in certain situations. In low pressure areas or on well managed property deer are going to move where they want to move regardless of wind. But if you hunt public land or a highly pressured area, I believe they act a lot more predictable. 

People talk about prevailing winds, but the fact is it is partially a myth. The west wind might be the most common, but that doesn't mean that an east wind couldn't be a high percentage wind as well. Look at your areas wind percentages from month to month, you'll find that while a west wind might be blowing the most out of all the directions still north east and south combined blow way more than a west wind, so while you have maybe 35% of the time a west wind, that's not to say that you couldn't have a 30% east 25% north and 10% south in a given month. 

So on that note, I believe that during hunting season, when these animals feel highly pressured, they move either directly into the wind or quarter into the wind DURING THE DAYTIME. This isn't to say that there aren't exceptions, as a matter of fact there are. If the deer can see, a field or big woods with hardly any under brush, they won't stray from moving with the wind, they can see ahead and smell from behind. But in thick cover(which is where they spend majority of the day if not all of it) they will quarter into the wind if not directly into it. It's all a matter of safety for these guys. They like to feel safe and secluded if they feel pressure.

I saw the comment about all the deer being in California if they moved into the wind. I disagree because once the cover of night comes they feel very safe to move with the wind. And I think it's safe to say that these crepuscular creatures tend to move right before daylight or right after the MOST. So being that they can SEE 18 times better than humans at night(according to ugadeerresearch.com) they feel comfortable moving during these darker hours. But during the day and twilight hours these pressured mature bucks will move into the wind if they are in thick cover( which limits their eyesight and hearing since they are moving) utilizing their nose. This realization changed my life last year, if you don't believe me try it out, and see.


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## Hartbraker (Aug 11, 2016)

Also they do not feed and bed in the same areas day in and day out, unless it is a well managed property with little pressure. Public land a deer is going to move a lot more mostly at night in order to get the edge on predators, such as hunters.


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## solohunter (Feb 22, 2005)

I have seen them moon walk into the wind, quarter to the wind, I have seen them walk on their front feet, sometimes backwards into the wind with their head and nose trailing...I have seen them belly crawl, periscope up and even with night vision goggles. In other words they travel according to their instincts, and the information their senses is giving them at any particular time, they know WAY more than we will ever know about their surroundings and the deer woods. I use the wind to my advantage the best I can, based on accumulated experience and knowledge and what I have observed. Most of us know that we can play the wind and next thing we know a deer is sitting on our lap and we really have no clue how they got there without our knowledge, especially in early season. I love that feeling of awe in their ability to do that, it sometimes makes me chuckle under my breath or think WTPH. I lay the wind and nature happens.


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## Ryangreen93 (Feb 23, 2015)

The biggest buck I saw last year was traveling right down a dirt road with the wind at his face. Only problem was it was before shooting light so there was nothing I could do.


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## I like Meat (Feb 14, 2009)

Deer go where they want, when they want... yes, they will use the wind, but not always walking in to it. Ive had deer many times walking with it to their back. But they may circle an area to get a whiff before heading to a location. Ive had 'em circle when decoying and calling trying to get the scent of the decoy .... when they bed it will be so they can use their eyes/ears and smell to their advantage ...


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