Your hunting area (Tricks)

[Adirondacks]

Well I'll tell you about the areas that I hunt most often.
Around here it's mostly mountain hunting.
Hard wood ridges with brushy areas along the slopes where they bed often.
One thing I've learned over the years is
to hunt the wind. I don't mean the obvious. Hunt with the wind in your face.
I mean that in alot of these areas the deer seem to bed on the lea side of the hill just over the edge out of the wind.
I had read about this a few times and low and behold time and again I've seen it to be true. One time comes to mind.
I went hunting with a bud who had never hunted these mountains. We hunted hard all morning without seeing squat.
Naturally I was disappointed for both of us since I was unofficially guiding. As we met up at lunch time on the far north end of a long maple ridge a snow storm started up. Just then he said "look" pointing down the very steep hill side to an area about 50 yards down.
There were about 10 deer that had gotten up and were moving to the other side of the hill to get out of the storm. The wind had changed with the snow and the area that had been offering shelter was now right in the wind. We watched as a parade of does marched up the hill about 20 yards down from us. A 4 pointer came up and I let him have the shot.

I've remembered that ever since and it does work. I try to hunt open areas in the morning sun especially on calm mornings. When it's cold and windy I look to the side of the hill out of the wind and that is usually where they are bedding.

[Jack]

Adirondacks, I've seen the same thing Up North- especially on a windy, nasty day.
Deer will lie up on the lee side of a small hill or ridge side, looking downwind. Downwind is the area they can't smell you from.
If you try to approach them from the upwind side, they'll get your scent, and you'll never know they were there.
Particularly on one of those blowy rainy days, they're spooky, but, they are also looking straight down wind. You can use the noise of the wind as cover, and approach from the side ( crosswind).