Combined signal from wind speed, direction stability, terrain, and thermals. Higher score means better, more predictable conditions for hunting smart with the wind.
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0–30: Poor • 31–60: Moderate • 61–85: Good • 86–100: Prime
Wind is the most influential environmental factor in hunting. Deer rely on it to survive, bed, travel, and detect danger.
How Deer Use Wind
Wind speed changes everything. Light winds swirl. Moderate winds stabilize. High winds push deer into cover—but can also spark midday movement when gusts settle.
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Movement Patterns by Speed
Thermals rise in the morning as the sun warms the ground and fall in the evening as temperatures drop. In hill country, thermals can override wind direction entirely—pulling scent up or down valleys and slopes.
Thermal Rules
Wind interacts with ridges, bowls, and saddles in predictable ways. Understanding how air flows over terrain lets you pick stands where your scent is carried safely away from deer.
On ridges, wind lifts and curls over the top, often creating a leeward side where deer bed just off the crest.
Wind determines access, stand choice, bedding approach, and how deer will use the landscape. The best hunters don’t fight the wind—they hunt with it.
Wind-Smart Strategies