Is it a myth? GPS Data Reveals Whether bucks use WIND DIRECTION to Travel! *You may be Surprised*

Do bucks REALLY use wind direction as they travel? If so, do they walk with the wind to their face, to their back, or a crosswind? We asked Dr. Brsonson Strickland of Mississippi State Universities Deer Lab, who looked into this question using years of GPS collar studies on wild deer in Mississippi. Subjects:
Using GPS collar data to see how bucks use the wind to move from their afternoon bedding location
Does a Buck use a head wind, tail wind or cross wind most of the time when moving?
Study shows bucks using wind direction two different ways to move with an even 50/50 split
How do thermals, terrain and habitat affect buck movement
This is a clip from The Southern Outdoorsmen Podcast EP. 594 - • UNLOCKING BUCK Travel ...
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[@willliammiller5700]

I think sometimes we over think all this stuff. I have hunted for over 50 years now and have come up with a conclusion. They go where they want!

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

@@willliammiller5700 wise words! Thanks for watching

[@ec9697]

100% people try to humanize animals .animals are reactive

[@HalinMississippi]

Absolutely, we overthink it and buy into so many things only intended to sell us more stuff. I have killed and not killed a lot of deer in nearly 50 years. Don't need expensive camo or attractants etc etc. Some common sense when getting ready, picking spots and entering or leaving. Certainly wind plays a big role in success but so does being. Still and quiet and alert

[@Red-vn4xq]

And natural cover. Use it.

[@1stcivdiv81]

The day I realized I was overthinking and trying way too hard I started having success. Amen brother

[@RushOutdoors]

I agree with your friend with the tailwind info. I have documented the tailwind approach many times over the last 20 yrs. great podcast guys. Also Dr. Strickland is great to have and talk with.

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

We are glad you enjoyed the conversation.

[@vtcrafter6626]

Lot of the hillside farm land I hunt has a lot of days of swirling wind. The buck I’ve seen were on nights of due north or north west winds. They typically work with the wind in their face but they’re also beded to the east of the fields. Cheers great conversation

[@davidjackson9712]

In my experience, the situation/time of season dictates this more than anything. Excluding what the terrain may do to the wind, and only taking into account general wind direction, I’ve noticed two patterns. When bucks are moving between known destinations like food or bedding during the late/early season, using a head/tail wind to sense danger seems to be more prevalent. It seems like when they are cruising for does in the pre-rut and rut, they tend to travel perpendicular to the wind, on the down wind side of food or bedding that is readily used by does, at least until the scent they are seeking is picked up, then they tend to head straight into it again. One method is used for security and the other for searching.

[@ChilcoteForestryServices]

Heres another thing to think about, if there are does between the buck and a feed area, they will use the does for downwind warning system and keep the wind at thire back.

[@ralphdeniscojr6198]

I feel when all the testing is done deer using the wind is determined on landscape and if the deer at that moment figures he need to use the wind for a threat. My point is the wind is not a determining factor of buck movement he uses it when needed. Thank you for your podcast

[@banjohappy]

Walking downwind, the deer can see ahead of him and to the sides with his eyes and "see" behind him with his nose. His ears are swiveling independently to pick up any odd sound in all directions to either confirm what his eyes and nose are picking up, or to alert his eyes and nose to something they didn't pick up. Stay still, stay silent, and mask your scent, and make sure you are where deer are likely to be. This is your best chance regardless of which direction the deer are moving.

[@zzz7zzz9]

two days ago was our season opener. i had been hiking all morning in way-too-warm-of-weather for september 1st, and was sweating the entire time. i jumped two bucks that day, one at 1pm, and the other at 6pm. the first, i was definitely upwind of him for a duration, then, as i cut his track and began following, we were both walking with the wind at our lefts. but he for sure had me upwind for awhile. i caught up to him and jumped him at 25 yds. the second, i had the slight wind in my favour, but had to hike up a big, rocky hill to get to where i jumped him at maybe 30 yds, but i was sure anything but silent getting there.

[@TheBuckPsych]

I hunt super pressured deer in flat lands with swamps and marshes. I always set my afternoon hunts up referring to that days mornings pre sunrise winds. It works out more than it doesn’t. Older bucks in flat country live and die because of the winds.

[@tonyviers-de9qi]

Very interesting. Especially with the smoke lingering in the spot . Was that spot frequented by the deer in the area? Especially bucks?

[@southernhood5145]

like everything. the answer is when they want to

[@benbearkiller]

Regarding this study with the mobile weather stations you have the prevailing winds with the closest weather station then you put the information you found from that and match the study days with the similar wind speed and direction and be able to tell how he was traveling in concurrent with the different swirling winds.

[@whitetailrealityoutdoors958]

This may be the case early season but while seeking does I witness more than not they travel with a cross wind with the wind blowing from doe bedding to them while walking the edge of that bedding.

[@johnnyballgame7339]

Anyone who has been hunting for more than a few years (45 years here) would conclude that the absolute answer to everything deer hunting is "it depends". My experience has shown that usually if unpressured they walk so they can wind check the thickest surrounding cover, and trust their eyes and ears for what they perceive to be the less threatening direction. But if they are bird-dogging does in the rut, or there has been a month of hunting pressure, you can pretty much forget the wind as it pertains to bucks, and pay attention to not spooking the does. I hunt mainly Michigan farm country with big ag fields and sporadic thickets and woodlots...but when I hunt Southern Ohio and Kentucky hill country, I see most unpressured bucks bedding on and traveling the mid-line on ridges with the prevailing wind coming from uphill where they can't see, and they seem to use their eyes and ears to watch the bottoms. So if you can avoid hunting the hilltops and bottoms and get halfway down the hill with your wind blowing into the bottom, you up the chances of maybe one traveling the ridge under your scent cone. Just gotta be far enough down the hill that you aren't skylighted.

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

We appreciate your insight and thank you for watching!

[@bch5513]

Man I hunted wv one time in the Ohio river and those "ridge runners" definitely are how they do it as you describe

[@richstafford1245]

It also depends on how far they can see. I think people underestimate the importance of visual security when it comes to mature bucks.

[@MarthaTorres-gu7vd]

From what iv noticed myself. I have lots of practice. If a big buck can stay in thick cover it will. A lot of the time. They will go 5 times out of there way to do that. People don't realize or even have a clue how many big bucks have simply passed right by them in the brush.

[@route-249]

My findings without GPS is they walk with the wind and more often than not, they like to walk towards the sun. Obviously they like entering a food plot in the shadows, but I'm talking about approach. My reasoning is that if they are spooked, when they run away, they are going back where they have already been (knowing that it is safe there) and they will have the sun behind them and their nose in the wind. All of those things to their advantage to run away.

[@TWB87]

did the barometric pressure have any affect on the smoke hanging in the creek bottom??

[@kurtmead2066]

Up/Down direction makes sense...Rut Loop either clockwise or counterclockwise.

[@kneesusforjesus2879]

I remember back in the day they would catch leaves in their antlers and use ‘em fer sails

[@joefico4801]

Common knowledge, the reason you hunt with the wind in your face, deer quarter the wind when traveling. In almost every scenario the deer will come in from behind and cross in front of you at some point. However, the variables are so numerous you can never be certain.

[@ryanglass3570]

In general the wind in the mountains blows down the canyons in the cool mornings and up when the temperature rises, scent is the best senses deer have besides their ears. Harvesting a buck with predators around this is paramount.

[@figandcloverranch5871]

Very interesting !! I see bucks with wind in their butts all the time . Def smelling what’s behind them & looking at what’s in front of them. Find. Military crest bedding is same wind preference

[@brian74081]

In the winter if bucks moved facing the wind only they would all end up on the North Pole.

[@matthunter1667]

The hunter is the one who must use the wind more than anything. The deer is going to move around the woods and do deer stuff 100% of the time. It's up to us to get right in the middle of that action and blend in undetected. The wind will be the #1 factor for success. Not how the deer use the wind....but how we use the wind to get into their world and punch tags without getting busted out.

[@C.Fowler]

Really good information

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@shaunjayjames]

They will travel perpendicular to a food plot scent checking does, that's from 40 years of hunting experience.

[@jasonteebo1437]

I will say at least where i hunt in the north i find this to be absolutely true except during the pre rut or scrape time to call it..not sure if its cuz of heavy pressure or what but ive only ever killed 1 buck on a scrape all the rest where 50 to 75 yrds down wind wind checking them while walking parallel

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

That’s cool to see that you have found the same thing! Thanks for watching!

[@whitetailrealityoutdoors958]

What time of day was the smoke pulled into the thermal hub ? Mornings usually the scent or air rises even in a hub until up in the morning ing then thermals drop into these hubs.

[@jamesgarner8188]

Could the swirling wind work in the same way as a thermal hub where they get scent from every direction? Being favored by the deer for travel?

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

We’ve had past podcast guests say the same thing so some people are seeing that. Doug White explained on the podcast a few years ago that big deer in his area of florida uses inside corners of clear cuts to scent check a bigger area where the wind is swirling.

[@jeffjames9568]

Im with Infalt they really check everything out really good when they bed but when they get up they just go

[@nathanbailey9153]

I wish the interviewers would have let him talk a little more about the wind question.

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

Make sure you watch the full interview for more details!

[@nathanbailey9153]

@@thesouthernoutdoorsmen Hah, I just found it. Thank you. I will. I really appreciate the interview(s), just his discussion on the wind got cut a little short on this snippet.

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

@@nathanbailey9153 yes it got cut in the segment but we cover it more on the full interview. Thanks man for watching!

[@chrisfaller4968]

If it is 50/50 head or tail wind wouldn’t the conclusion be more likely that they move towards known food sources regardless of wind direction?

[@SuperDave-pe1zw]

I've watched bucks for many years and does. From what I've seen deer move with the wind behind them from some direction, i think the only time the rely on the wind if they're trying to come in to a grunt , doe groups looking for love ❤️ or there's a bunch of hunter's and they're sneaking around trying to find safety. Just my opinion.

[@scottmcfarlane8991]

Is the direction of walking depend on the time of the day?

[@kurtmead2066]

Noticed more mornings bucks traveling perpendicular checking does.

[@ec9697]

If he can see in front of him..he may walk with scent coming from Behind him.if the woods are thicker they’ll rely on nose more

[@HighTimesTrader]

If, then statement haha. Programming can be introduced into almost anything

[@curtismerriman9956]

I doubt they use there sense of feel to find corn piles and does but once they find them then no need anymore.

[@NorthAlabamaOutdoorSportsmen]

🦌🦌

[@paulcrave3112]

What does SMZ mean?

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to WHITETAIL HUNTING TERMINOLOGY - Everything You Need to Know to SCOUT/HUNT DEER kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYPEc6SJrLiWodE

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

SMZ is Streamside Management Zone. We should examples in the video above so check it out.

[@chrisgoodwin8146]

🦌

[@acadian101]

it doesn't matter what the DEER is doing ,,, regardless , YOU as the hunter must be downwind of him ,, and if your still hunting , you still have to do it with the wind in your face no matter what. And when you shoot something out of a stand or blind , you are hunting there because the wind is in your face ,, that means that every buck you saw that day in front of you came in a tail wind ,,, so every buck you shoot out of a stand mostly came with a tail wind

[@stevecooper8121]

A Buck knows what he knows from instinct. If they see, hear, smell a possible predator which a human is they are on alert. There is no scientific way of figuring out what his next action will be. Doesn't matter how many hours of case studies of deer patterns you do. Simply put, they are of free mind and body and each one does what he dam well pleases to do on that particular day, period. There is no knowledge to be gained from these studies or watching a you tube video like this. You have to set yourself up for the best chance at a mature buck and have some luck on your side. I have personally witnessed some of the best deer taken from areas that you would have never believed. Deer are wild creatures with a mindset that only suits them, all the information and studies will never change their mind 😊 My best advice, do all the little things perfect, have a little bit of luck and ask the good Lord for a opportunity and be ready, good luck this season and may God bless y'all with a deer.

[@donaldvonlintig8445]

They are Survival Machines, they don't just wander around, without a clue, or they all would be Extinct !! They live by their Nose, Period. You can fool their eyes and their ears, But you can't fool their nose.. (No Scent-lok, Scent-sheild, Ozonics B.S, etc. ) either learn to respect their Nose and hunt accordingly, or if not.... just "Pray for Luck" and maybe the Good Lord will throw you a Bone, once in awhile. Like the Old Saying Goes... "Even a Blind Hog, Finds An Acorn, Once in a Blue Moon"

[@curtismerriman9956]

Oh boy this one can be tricky but if they need to use there nose you can bet they do. The scent companies believe they come running into what they smell.

[@randydeskins9359]

Interesting

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

No doubt! Thanks for watching!

[@randydeskins9359]

I hunt in the Appalachian Mountains, wind directions from forecasts, is not really accurate. Long deep valleys make a difference. Very interesting topics as usual. Keep them coming. 🦌

[@fergieferguson2457]

I been hunting 50 years professionally and weekend warrior and I’ve always killed good target bucks every year..if I’m hunting target bucks I wait and know for a fact for me a mature buck walks with wind to his back..he can see what’s in front of him but not behind him!but he can smell what’s coming over his back..fact

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

We've had others say the same thing. Thanks for watching!

[@Bigpoppyj]

Personally EVERY Mature Buck I’ve encountered & harvested for several years now have been walking perpendicular to the wind. Could be the terrain and thermals or some other factor. But I have noticed more buck encounters when I implement into my setup that a could be traveling using a perpendicular wind. Also I’ve noticed weather wind data is almost never accurate. So I bet that could play into the data readings 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@thesouthernoutdoorsmen]

Agreed. Vegetation, terrain and thermals have a huge effect on wind direction at a local scale

[@stdavis22]

same here

[@Bryce825]

Yup. He mentioned the location specific weather vanes you can get now. So if you have the acres you could get 1 or multiple to setup and use for your stands

[@mattd8411]

Watch mark rober on dogs nose. Hes a nasa engineer cant beat a dogs nose. Id imagine the deer is as good or better. There is no beating it. Sometimes we get lucky. Ive killed the bigger bucks in the evening after working all day and being nasty having 2 to 4 hours left to hunt. I do however belive in code blue and ever calm. But seem to have about the same rewards using it or not. Thanks for the video.

[@user-kh8bp6ue8y]

If deer always walked into the wind they would all be in northern California

[@lorrimorseramos3333]

Pressure. WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING.

[@Jarhead1980]

As soon as you think you have the answer they change the question

[@FAA-DPE]

After a lifetime of hunting, I've learned deer will do what they wanna do at any given moment. There's no real pattern, and every deer is uniquely different, in the way he behaves. Also, scent control is overrated. We've pissed in deer scrapes.And it didn't even faze them. And blue jeans and a flannel shirt is the greatest deer hunting camouflage ever created. But that doesn't sell products. Deer behavior is not wholly universal.

[@craigbranstrom4749]

You are in the same room with the guy you are interviewing just across the table. Why do you need the head sets. It just makes a echo.

[@bryanbressem5026]

Douchbagaloos😂

[@zzz7zzz9]

they can't. terrain dictates how they will travel through it.

[@michaelyates2498]

ta da and we said?

[@edreeves6759]

It means nothing !

[@GMoney924]

He spelled the man’s name wrong? She couldn’t even pronounce it properly!