Hailing from western NY, I have hunted whitetails all of my life. Wind is a factor in hunting any big game. I have judged the wind by my breath on a cold day, a powder mix and just watching the trees. I have switched to a new method that works great for quick judgment. I tied a piece of blue/green frayed string (very thin, like a yarn strand) to my stabilizer. Now I can see when the wind is blowing, which direction and how hard it’s blowing. It’s free, easy to install and you have a permanent wind meter.

The drawback is that you can’t tell when the wind is swirling, so I still keep a powder mix in my pocket. Just a quick tip that might help you judge the wind quicker in the field.