Hey all,
I've been fighting with figuring the wind in this new spot I'm hunting.. I was wondering what you all prefer as far as wind checkers(indicators) go..
I was thinking of maybe just some dental floss as a checker, but have heard others liking feathers or thsoe powders..
Thanks in advance for your help..
Tux
unwaxed dental floss for me
doug77
I carry both,a feather is always ready and fast to check,but for more consistent reading the powder gives you a better reading.
Powder for me.
I use a piece of dental floss on the tip of my upper limb but I also carry and use powder in conjunction with the floss.
I just have a piece of red sewing thread on the tip. But I've been eyeing the powder in 3Rivers. You say the powder is a better indicator and I can see that.
The white fluffy milkweed seed you get out of the pods works great you can watch it float a long way. And the best thing about it It's Free.
i use a wind feather tied on my string with dental floss, but with a swirling wind i get a better reading with powder. i occassionally use a cotton ball and pick a piece of fluff off and let it sail away on the currents. That gives a good reading also.
QuoteOriginally posted by Littlejake:
The white fluffy milkweed seed you get out of the pods works great you can watch it float a long way. And the best thing about it It's Free.
X2 :thumbsup:
milk weed...or tearing small pieces of a cotton ball an let it go...if you are using powder try the h.s. strut it seems to be the lightest it really stays in the air as is cheeper than most..
QuoteOriginally posted by Littlejake:
The white fluffy milkweed seed you get out of the pods works great you can watch it float a long way. And the best thing about it It's Free.
And straight from nature. This is a great idea.
I use just a frayed up strand of dental floss taped to the inside of my upper bow limb. Don't really need anything else.
On occasion, especially in spots with wierd wind, I have used pieces of blaze orange or chartreuse salmon-egg-fly yarn. Keep a 6" piece in your pocket or tied to the quiver. pull off some fibers and they almost float with no wind at all. You can watch them float, sometimes 100 yards away. Heck, we have been doing that since the 80's or so.
ChuckC
I use the milk weed also. The cool thing about it is when you can watch it float off and change directions a few yards out from you. Gives you a much better idea of what the wind is actually doing than the powder.
Plain old baking powder in a squirt bottle from the Wallyworld craft dept. Have floss on the bow as well, but the powder gives me a better feel for the way the wind is moving away from my exact spot. Mike
Always used my senses (vision to see leaves, skin to feel). If that fails, I would suggest the down type feather on ultra-light string.
I carry a bottle of the powder while hunting for a better down wind picture. I also have unwaxed dental floss tied to the top limb of my hunting bow for quick reference at my location.
When I can get milkweed pods I use that too but I also use other similar seed fluff from weeds near my hunting area.
For powder you can also buy unscented baby powder and it works really well also since it comes already in a squeeze bottle.
Milkweed lasts for years,when you find some in fields stock up.
I like a piece of thread on my bow tip when stalking.
When hunting from a stand, I will tie a piece of thread on a branch out in front of me.
Why do you kneed to know where the wind is blowing from once you're on the stand. :dunno:
Still hunting - definately. Approaching the stand - certainly. In the stand . . . Just to know what direction to face?
I used feathers for years. Then found (after they rip off) the thread works about as well. So does long ear hair - the only advantage to getting old. Milkweed pods fluff is also great.
Anyone else notice - from a stand - that the wind at the top of the trees is often different from the ground breeze? I note in my spot a strong wind from the West - over the nearest rise - blows towards the East at the treetops and to about 25 ft off the ground but there is an eddy blowing back UP the hill to the West below that.
find yourself an empty squeeze bottle and fill it with corn starch ......... works great ,its cheap , and corn starch has no odor .
If you use milk weed be sure you take them out of your pocket before they go in the washer,failure to do this makes the wife a bit upset. I'm using powder but miss my milk weed.
I also tie a 6" piece of white thread to the front of all my stands. A quick glance down will tell the tale. No movement of getting a bottle or anything out of your pockets. In our thick woods the wind swirls and switches often.
Another issue with letting something go as a wind indicator like milkweed or anything similar is you are putting your scent on something and letting it go all around your setup. Not a good idea.
MIlkweed is where it's at. Not only does it tell you direction where you are but you can follow them and get a reading on the thermals. It doesn't work so well in a DB blind, I have found.
QuoteOriginally posted by Littlejake:
The white fluffy milkweed seed you get out of the pods works great you can watch it float a long way. And the best thing about it It's Free.
I have about a 10 year supply on hand. I use a small plastic container with a hole in the lid to extract them. Oh yea.....like mentioned before.....it's free!
I tie a piece of marabou (fly tying feather) to dental floss. You get a bag of like 500 for 5 bucks or so. It works extremely well
all the above are great and another one to add to the mix is just a reg. cotton ball saftey pinned to your jacket, pull a piece off and let it drift in the wind.
good luck
I use a 6 inch piece of sewing thread tied to the top loop of my bowstring.
Powder!!!! I need to watch that float through the air a bit to know exactly what the wind is doing,, I've noticed with anything on the bow if its swinging or showing the wind direction you can feel it anyway so whats it good for? I've got different types on alot of bows I traded for or bought and have yet to experience something that works good enough its worth keeping on the bow so I cut them off.
if the wind is that light then I go old school and have to wet the fingah first 8^)
Parts from the fluffy pods on top of cattails will also work.I do like milkweed better.Like someone else said the milkweed and cattail particles are visible for longer distances and will give you a better indication of what the wind is doing once it gets a few feet away from you.You will be amazed at how those things dip and dive as they sail away.
I have baking powder in a squeeze bottle. in my pocket... always worked good for me...
LIghter. All I ever use.
God bless you all, Steve
I smoke a big Cuban cigar and I can easily see the smog!LOL. :bigsmyl:
I used to hunt where I would occasionally meet up with a short, older man and he was always puffing away at a huge cigar. I couldn't stand it any longer and one day just up and asked him "doesn't that spook the deer?"
"I hope so, I hate gutting deer."
He just had a nice walk along the logging roads out in the woods with his gun slung over his shoulder to get out of the house and enjoy a cigar. I can relate to that view as well. :thumbsup:
Powder
I also use milkweed. Been using it for years, gives you a good idea what the wind is really diong. I also really like the price. I keep mine in one of those cheap plastic coin holders that you sqeeze to open, works great.
I use all 3. I have a piece of unwaxed dental floss on my limb tip, it gives me a general idea of the wind. I use talcum powder (NOT corn starch) to get an idea of what the wind is doing with a little more detail....it reacts to thermals, up drafts, etc. better than dental floss. I use the milkweed pods (my pockest are full of them) to watch what the wind is doing farther away from me.
To the poster wondering why you would check your wind in a stand...if the wind changes or becomes unfavorable in my stand, I MOVE.
What roger norris said X2....
I use both string on bow and powder.
I use the thread tied to the upper limb. I also have been refilling my puff bottle with corn starch for years.
QuoteOriginally posted by cacciatore:
I smoke a big Cuban cigar and I can easily see the smog!LOL. :bigsmyl:
A pipe or a cigarette works well too. :coffee:
I use both powder and milkweed. the milkweeds are free, and plentiful here, and the cornstarch won't break the bank either.
String on my bow tip. Also carry a ball of wool, I rip a piece off and let the wind take it.