Hunters often find themselves at a disadvantage with the changing conditions. The most unpredictable condition is the wind, which is something that your prey will base their entire life on. Smart prey use wind to sniff out danger, find love and even find dinner. With all of this important work taken place with the wind, where are you as the hunter through this entire process? Missing a golden opportunity to nab your prey because it outsmarted you with wind tactics can really put a damper on any hunting trip. Playing the game has always been a vital part of hunting, which is why understanding the wind is an important tracking technique. And if you haven’t yet mastered it, there is still hope.

Wind Detectors Can Get You That Perfect Shot

Wind Detectors are available so you can stay downwind and avoid tipping off your prey. The gist of it is that a small bottle can be purchased with powder in it that you squeeze when you want to check the wind. A small plume shoots out of the bottle, and voila! You get a good idea of where the wind is blowing, and most importantly where your scent is going. These simple bottles all have their little ingredients here and there, but in reality, it’s nothing special. Any good hunter knows how to economize certain things, and this is definitely one of them.

Homemade Wind Detectors

Rather than purchasing a bottle of powder you can make yourself, hunters have started to make their own manual wind detectors. Some hunters use corn starch, unscented talcum powder, crushed white chalk or even baking soda. Add it to a bottle that you squeeze and you have a homemade wind detector. Bow hunters have it a little easier and usually just tie a feather or a string to their bow, giving them up to date information on the wind by the minute. This of course takes skill, so don’t think that you’ll become Daryl Dixon overnight. Even with these approved methods, change was still needed in the industry. The hunted are always evolving, and always getting one step ahead of the hunter. And at this point that is when the wind detector industry got really interesting.

Innovation Beyond The Bottle

Electronic wind detectors are much more effective than both homemade options and the regular powder in the bottle. They have a much broader range and feature set, and are 100% accurate. Since the tiniest mistake can ruin a hunt, leaving your entire day up to a manual wind checker is not a viable solution anymore.

CIRRUS Wind Indicator– Cirrus Outdoors is a Texas based company that has been perfecting their automatic wind indicator device for years. The little USB rechargeable unit puffs vapor into the air and is able to detect changes in the wind or thermal currents. Rather than running out in a few trips like the usual powder in a bottle method, this electronic wind detector lasts thousands of puffs per cartridge. And since there is very little power being used, the battery can last for half a year without even needed to be recharged. With a 100% organic cloud with no smell, it’s one of the many new perfect solutions to testing wind.

Firefly– When this product first came out, people mistook it for a flashlight. The firefly is actually a very brilliant wind detection device that has a simple push button use. It’s waterproof and comes with a protective case. What makes this different from the other devices is that it comes with a built in compass to show the cardinal direction of wind. Powered by only two AA batteries, the small device can be attached to your wrist with a lanyard ring and loop. All of the functions are electronic with the Firefly, which means there is no smoke or powder use while it is active. It’s a lot different from CIRRUS, and works as a worthy alternative to their cloud system.

WYNDSCENT– Is another vapor based wind detector, but this time with a twist. It masks your odors while sending out deer attractants in the air. There are also a lot more options compared to the CIRRUS model, including adjusting the disbursement interval and being more resistant to damage and weather. The refillable wind detector does so much that it is almost a shame to call it a simple wind detector. Other than the Firefly, it may very well be the best option for hunters that don’t want prey to outsmart them.

Caldwell Crosswind Professional Wind Meter – It’s a bit cumbersome to carry along on your journeys, but the handheld wind meter provides some seriously geeky information to the user. There is even a 90 degree rotating anemometer attached! The device measures crosswind, altitude and barometric pressure and also wind chill. A great all in one device, the company even went so far as to make the screen backlit. The saving grace of the unit is the included holster, but only a few diehard hunters will find this the most acceptable unit to use while hunting. There are better options listed, but the Caldwell device is still pretty cool to have on hand.

All of these devices have their pros and cons, and then of course there is the price factor. But every single one of these seems to be an improvement over the old bottle and powder method. The WYNDSCENT method alone has made thousands of hunters happy with the results, bringing success with accurate results and odor masking. The great thing about all of the listed products is that they’re competitively priced. Even if you are used to getting homemade materials, the price is still pretty good since the devices last for longer periods of time.

Use What Works Best

No matter what, it’s all about finding what gives you the best results when hunting. There is no perfect way to hunt, just like there is no perfect way to test the wind. The only thing that is definite is that bottled powder is a thing of the past, as more effective solutions have shown up. Now it is up to you to decide which one of these new solutions works best with your hunting style.