How do you judge wind

[QuietTexan]

IMO something often overlooked is target SHAPE. A 4" disc is easier to hit than a 4" diamond but harder than a 4" square. When practicing wind judgement IMO it's important to make it hard enough, but not so hard you can't get hits. What I'm trying to say is that concrete feedback is better than a miss or splash. I watch through my scope and see a lot of missed spots when a berm is 10+ feet behind the targets. Someone will call miss left but really it was a skinned miss on the right running with the wind.

My favorite target is a 20" gong with a 3" flapper. When I'm shooting alone I can catch all my shots because 20" is >2MOA out to about 700 yards - it lets me combine calling wind and range together with the small hole while giving easy to see feedback on every shot. Set that thing at a random distance and bang away.

I'll also hang strip targets that are roughly 4"x12"; if you hang them wide it puts a premium on dialing the drop/ gives you a lot of wind to work with to confirm drops if the wind is changing, and if you hang them vertically it puts a premium on wind call precision. Two ways to practice with one target. Squares you can put a hole in a corer and one in the middle of a side to get a square and a diamond look. Diamonds become progressively less forgiving on wind as your drop changes, so it rewards you for nailing the easier part (distance) in the same way a hunting look rewards you on the body of the animal. Basically the heart/lungs are wider than tall, so if you can hit the vertical nuts on you actually gain a couple inches of wind to work with.

Most 1000+ yard ELR targets I've seen are big gongs or big squares, but something as simple as turning a square 45* will drastically change the difficulty of a shot if you want to make things more interesting.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I am sure there are people that are very good at reading wind. Much better than I am. What I do know is guys have trouble reading wind with flags posted all the way along the range. Now throw in a flagless shooting position across a valley or even worse a canyon. I don't think it is possible to read that wind. You can guess the wind. In my opinion the only way to get an accurate wind call is to take a sighter on a rock or something that will show bullet splash near the target. Adjust your hold and make the shot. If the animal doesn't stick around, so be it. It was great to see it.

In all the years I have hunted, I haven't seen many animal stick around after a shots or two has been fired. Now over the years I have made several shots out to 500yds taking animals. Held to those distances. Now I was hunting Ground squirrels a great many years back from 200yds to 400yds. They are only about 2" wide at best. Not much room for error, and easy to miss. Those are targets to work on to get your eye in shape. If your groups are an 1/2" @ 100yds you have missed at 400yds. So skill and some good luck comes into play here. Getting your ammo to group in under 1/2" @ 100yds comes into play.
Now I have purchase the equipment to dope the scope with. Haven't tried it it yet. I will use ground squirrels and P. Dogs to final my practices in shooting longer ranges. Yes deer and other animals are larger, but placing the bullet on the money doesn't really work by taking sound shot to start with. That's what I would call it. That will make some people mad, but so be it.
I know it's being done at the ranges, but in the field I have to question it a lot. Many can't even shoot at 100yds.
I will go a long with there a lot into making long distance shoots, and most can't do it.
I'll read and follow this. I find it very interesting, learning.

 

[comfisherman]

Have the privilege of looking out a window all day long for months a year with an accurate wind reading from instraments in the rigging. Couple decades in, I'm good up to 40 on water.... but usually hunt on land in the winter. Started hunting where I salmon fish a little more, thar helped. Got to not only get better with how wind moves across alders, berry flats and grass but also see how canyons and ridges accelerate wind. Did some similar things with time afield in college in the high desert, but changing seasons always messed with the observations. Frozen sage with hardened snow doesn't give much to observe between calm an 30.

Could wax poetic about how I judge the wind, but it's not as important as how we bear it.

That answer came to me about a decade+ ago on a road trip. College buddy and I had done a barn stormer of a sleep deprived road trip across several western states. Some point around dawn we were hauling tail through Kirby Allen's home town and the wind was ripping. We'd been stuck behind a jeep jk that was trying to turn turtle talking about how next time we have a bad idea road trip we'd stop and try and see aps rifles in the flesh. Outta nowhere a big old sedan blew past us and the poor jeep in front of us. Dont recall what it was it moved so quick, maybe a Cadillac cts or some such thing. At any rate, it seemed unphased by the wind that was taunting our camry and trying to murder the jeep in front of us. My buddy remarked he'd figured out why the Allen mags existed. Big, heavy, sleek, and driven as fast as possible... that's how you beat it.

Sleek heavy bullets driven as fast as possible cover a multitude of wind judging sins.

 

[yobuck]

No they don't. I'd sure like to see that kind of accuracy at a mile though! One of my buddy's averages maybe a volleyball sized group average with his 338NM, can't fathom shooting ~ 4" at a mile that would be cool to see. We had a 4" popper at 800 and 6" at 1000, but they were taken down recently for a gas gun match and they put IPSCs in their place. We also had golf balls at 430 off a hanging frame with string, but those have not been put back up either since the last match.

Well point is that 1 shot into the dirt at a clay bird is worth a whole lot of them at a paper target or a gong plate when zeroing.
For some of us its simply finding out where your bullet hit.
And a splash in the dirt will tell you that.
Hopefully one more is all thats needed.
But again it all depends upon the mindset of the shooter.
Seeing the hit might be ok, but knowing what you did in order to do that is even more important ?
There is no doubt that techknowledgy is a wonderful thing.
But the fact is that we came from a far behind place and won WW2 against 2 well prepared and determined adversaries.
And we havent won one since, regardless as to how far weve come from a technical standpoint.
And thats due to mindsets.
How many more comparisons are necessary in order to drive home a point about mindsets?
Whats wrong about ( gettin R done ) ?

 

[Jeff Heeg osoh]

I don't even remember the details I posted towards the beginning but look at the picture of us at the shooting line, how much wind would you use for all the folks that said its all about the conditions at the muzzle - let me help look at the flag.

the targets in the second picture if you can see the white specks in the 2400 yards zone - the trees were thrashing. So at the muzzle the usa flag is hanging doing nothing yet on the mountain ridge if observed thru a spotter the tree were getting some good wind. 16 mph wind at full value to be honest. So your theories aren't really gospel as some are try to believe.

JH

 

[Barbourcreek]

Come see me www.Barbourcreek.com

I use rain angle and mirage (I developed a unique technique in 1992)
Wind meter is the last thing I use only when the other 2 are not available











https://youtu.be/SRo-momW_Nk?si=kwQFBBZOo2NwXdpk

 

[1eye]

its just a GUESS , you will miss more than a hit

 

[Lenny Foffa]

I must admit, I do not know how to judge wind at extended range's. Yes I look at tall grass and trees, but I cannot tell the velocity as so many of the guys on this forum can. I still have not learned to tell the difference between 15 or 16 or 20mph. I hope a session at Barbour Creek will help me.

 

[Lee7588]

I must admit, I do not know how to judge wind at extended range's. Yes I look at tall grass and trees, but I cannot tell the velocity as so many of the guys on this forum can. I still have not learned to tell the difference between 15 or 16 or 20mph. I hope a session at Barbour Creek will help me.

I'm not great at it, it is usually hit or miss for me(pun intended) the more I do it the better I get

 

[FEENIX]

It is pretty easy for me to judge the wind. This is one of my antelope hunts.

 

[Small Lady]

It is pretty easy for me to judge the wind. This is one of my antelope hunts.

38.97135298 MPH

 

[Mike Matteson]

Well point is that 1 shot into the dirt at a clay bird is worth a whole lot of them at a paper target or a gong plate when zeroing.
For some of us its simply finding out where your bullet hit.
And a splash in the dirt will tell you that.
Hopefully one more is all thats needed.
But again it all depends upon the mindset of the shooter.
Seeing the hit might be ok, but knowing what you did in order to do that is even more important ?
There is no doubt that techknowledgy is a wonderful thing.
But the fact is that we came from a far behind place and won WW2 against 2 well prepared and determined adversaries.
And we havent won one since, regardless as to how far weve come from a technical standpoint.
And thats due to mindsets.
How many more comparisons are necessary in order to drive home a point about mindsets?
Whats wrong about ( gettin R done ) ?

I think you are about right on there, and more. As far as wars going you are more correct. What you said about them is how I feel. The longer I live the more I feel I understand better. I hadn't given much though about the different wars until after Vietnam. Which I was there. The last war that I feel was done right was Desert Storm. Change of President and we lost it. Then we really got stupid. Finally we got Trump and he was putting the brake on things. Now we have Dumb Bast**D in their.
With what's being taught in our school this country is done for in a few short years. If we are lucky we might be able to pull it out of it's tail spend.
The worst of it, is we used our National Guard incorrectly instead of firing up the draft. Put those men and women in combat for a very long time. It's wasn't fair to them and let a lot of others hide.
Me being a draftee in 1968 and was in Vietnam for a year. I don't ever want to go back, but will fight if needed, but here on our shores, and not somewhere else.
Here why a few years later P. Ford let the draft dodgers back in free. Them Carter let the desester in free. I had men die in my arms. Did they get a second chance on life. Hell No! But the chicken Sh*ts got off free.
So ask why people don't join the armed forces. The next time somebody wants start a war, they need to lead the fight up front of the men.
My hat is off to Israel and there commards. They know how to fight a war. I told some of mind a long time ago. If there going to be another war I was going to Isreal and join them to fight. They fight a good fight, now I am to Old, and I would just be in the way.
I know we were called baby killer in Vietnam. They use babies to sheld themselve as a decory to get into a group of G.I's and blow themselves up and however was around them.
Now our men and women were are not signing up for the Armforces. I can't blame them either. We got a lot of people in college I feel are dumber than rocks. They should be the first to be drafted into the arm forces. Those that are on VISA. should be sent home and not allow back here again.
People don't know just how lucky to be living here, and can get ahead with hard work and using head other than a hat rack.

 

[JTComfort]

Well how far was the buck that responded to your yelling hey?
And assuming it was at a considerable distance, would he also have responded to a well placed shot at say a nearby stump?
And while were on this subject, would a shot have offered more information than simply shouting (hey)? lol
Ive been to quite a few of the 1000 yard matches over the years, mostly as a spectator, but a few times as a shooter also.
The drill is that there is a timed sighter session prior to the record target being raised, and the match officially starting.
The regular competitors will have left the elevation adjustments on their scopes from the last match.
When their sighter target comes up they will fire a few shots to confirm their zero. then they relax untill seconds before the sighter session is over before sending another sighter shot.
This is to simply check that the wind conditions havent changed.
Mind you, i said, they ( confirm ) zero, by firing a shot.
And they reconfirm zero by firing another shot.
Not by referring to some type of a device, or a chart, or by using somebodys lame opinion on how they confirm their zero.
Especially where wind is involved.

Never had the option of "sighters" in PRS matches. Reading the wind is a skill, some voodoo juju and a little luck. One bit of advice I learned that was useful on sunny/hot days was reading the mirage through a spotting scope or binos (cannot get behind your rifle unless on the shooting station) across the range by adjusting the parallax - this helps read the mirage from firing line to the target. It does help, when a Kestrel can only read what's happening at your position. Some ballistic programs allow for multiple wind inputs, but that becomes tedious in competition.

 

[manitou]

James Eagleman has an interesting approach. I'm hesitant to speak for him but as I understand it he relies heavily on reading mirage "at the target". He has a video demonstrating the technique and the difference between measuring at the shooting location vs at the target.

But you need heat/sunshine to have mirage... both of which can be a rarity during hunting seasons here.