Have you ever watched little kids play with bubbles? It always makes me laugh because it's one of the cheapest toys you can buy, but there aren't many things that make kids happier. What does that have to do with deer hunting? I'm glad you asked!

Neil Dougherty of North Country Whitetails told me about a technique he uses to improve hunting success called "wind mapping". First, he records the prevailing wind and other factors such as time of day and increasing or decreasing air temperature. Next, he systematically determines the wind direction at specific points on a property and records the findings on an aerial photo map.

For example, he stands at the head of a hollow running north and south with a prevailing wind out of the northwest in the morning hours while the temperature is rising. Then he draws an arrow on his aerial photo map at his location indicating that the wind blows straight out of the southwest under those conditions.

According to Neil, it's not enough to simply know that the wind is in your face. You need to know what the wind is doing at the other end of the field you're watching, or down over the hill from your stand. It's also imperative that you understand how the wind influences deer behavior and movement. When you know what the wind is doing on your hunting ground, and how the deer react to it, you increase your odds of success exponentially.

Oh, I almost forgot....the bubbles. You can do this for yourself. Take out your aerial photo map and blow some bubbles. Mark your map with an arrow pointing the direction that the bubbles flew. Move over a hundred yards and do it again. Continue repeating the process in a grid pattern on your property to create your very own wind map.

Go back and do it again when the prevailing winds change. Pretty soon you'll have a collection of wind maps for your entire property for various conditions, but pay special attention to the map that matches your typical hunting scenario.