Deep thoughts while waiting on pigs... Sitting on a feeder last night. Expecting the pigs to come from a creek bottom. Wind is just swirling. N,S,E,W... I set up the best I could on the ground. Have no doubt that my scent was blowinng the way I expected the pigs to come from at least part of the time.
How long does the scent stick around? I know I've had deer hit my scent trail 4 hours after I walked in to a stand and blow out of there. Also had the same deer walk right to me from downwind.

Does anybody really hunt where the wind comes from one direction??

Best I've been able to do is keep as clean as I can and hope for the best...

Again. Just deep thoughts.. Waiting on pigs... :-)

Scent on the wind only last as long as the wind takes to blow it away and shift.  Scent on the ground can be smelled for days by some animals.  Blood hounds can track a two day old trail.

Smoke from a fire is small at the source and quickly spreads with a light breeze. If you can hunt from a tree stand in those conditions it might help. Most animals are going to come in down-wind, so be higher may help.

It depends on the humidity and temperature. Scent sticks around longer when it's cool and damp. Hound hunters hate hot, dry conditions- even a hound's nose fails then.

As far as the dogs go (Blood hounds), we had a lady lost on a tract of State land(350 acres) for two days , a place that has trails through it and that she walked weekly . Somehow her medication caused her to lose it and she spent all this time in the woods . Well it was a good guess that she went for a walk that day  - they brought in a slew of people and dogs but to no avail -dogs never picked up a scent and all women use some sort of perfume . She was found on the 3rd by a person like 10yds off a trail -she ended up fine . So it all depends - just play the wind and don't get caught up in all the BS that's out there .