wind in the high country

[mattstanton]

When you are above timberline, sitting above a bedded buck for what could be hours waiting for him to get up, how steady are the winds in your area. the area I hunt in oregon is about 7500' and is above timberline. I have seen some huge bucks on these ridges and am going after them this year. I am used to the thermals coming up most of the day and shifting down in the evenings to early mornings.

 

[bohntr]

They seem to be fairly steady.......until you crawl in close enough for a shot.

 

[ckleeves]

I check the wind constantly on a stalk and if it has been super consistent all day I will wait him out to stand up but if it has been shifty all day I will force the action by throwing a rock past him. I wouldn't recommend it unless your pretty sure the wind is gonna getcha but it does work sometimes.

As far as steady winds I think it's kinda day to day some days the wind hardly changes from 10am to 6pm other days it goes every way but the right way!

 

[J-Daddy]

They seem to be fairly steady.......until you crawl in close enough for a shot.

Roy I sent you a PM...Thanks man

 

[BuckSnort]

It seems the only predictable thing about the wind in the high country is that it is usually unpredictable...

 

[bohntr]

Roy I sent you a PM...Thanks man

Answered.......

 

[robby denning]

Agreed, when it comes to the wind, there really aren't any formulas. Thermals rise/fall is about as close as you can get. Wind has it's own personality on any given day.

Having said that, you can usually approach from above when the thermals start to rise and be fairly confident it will stay that way...

 

[larryschwartz]

One thing to remember about thermals, especially down in the valleys, is that they only start moving once they have either heated up and cooled down. I know this sounds like common sense but a lot of folks think that if there is enough light to see that the thermal currents will be moving up when in reality they probably won't be doing anything until the sun crests the ridgeline and can start warming things up. The same goes for cooling in the evening.

 

[Jared Bloomgren]

It seems the only predictable thing about the wind in the high country is that it is usually unpredictable...

Jason, I like your analogy! You hit it on the head. On most stalks I find myself saying inside, "Come on wind, work with me the right way today!"

 

[Evan Williams]

Jared and I say the same things to wind gods I do think that certain areas have a greater percentage of producing patternable winds (approx. speed and direction). But just when you think that things are going your way and you are in the RED ZONE ... SWITCH!!!!