PSA - Wind Checker Time

[Wile E.]

Those of you who like milkweed for a wind checker or are looking to try it, heads up that now is the time to collect it. Pods are dry and popping on roadsides in Brazos co. and should be elsewhere too.

[EliteDriver]

Yep...best there is!!!

[ThisLadyHunts]

Those of you who like milkweed for a wind checker or are looking to try it, heads up that now is the time to collect it. Pods are dry and popping on roadsides in Brazos co. and should be elsewhere too.

I have never heard of this. Will you explain?

[Death from Above]

Used to use them. Now just have a few bottle of powder called liquid smoke or something.

glad to see outdoorsman out there that know to hunt the wind lol

[Wile E.]

I have never heard of this. Will you explain?

Milkweed has fuzzy seeds that drift on the wind, similar to cottonwood trees, and they make good wind checkers for hunting. You just let one go, and watch it drift along to see the wind direction or swirling, etc. These seeds grow in pods, and they are only good if you pick them in the fairly narrow window when the pods have dried out but before they've all drifted away.

As DfA mentioned, there are commercially available powder bottles that do the same job, although I find the seeds easier to see after a few feet of travel. Milkweed's free/sustainable too.

[Snowflake Killa]

Thanks I'll be looking. Kyle sent me enough for the rest of my life but it would be cool to find some

[LivinADream]

Fields and road ditches are full of it. But around here they stay that way until early fall.

[dustoffer]

Was out checking my place and the pasture is full of them and cottonwood (?) fluff too.

[Chase4556]

My mom plants milkweed for monarch butterflies. Stuff grows like wildfire and she had TONS of those pods last year. She started clipping them all off before they popped so the seeds didn’t end up in the pool.

Grab some and put it in your flowerbeds. End up with monarch caterpillars and your wind checker! Just keep it away from the pool.

[Low Fence]

Thanks I'll be looking. Kyle sent me enough for the rest of my life but it would be cool to find some

I’ve got enough dried and collected to make 3 body pillows. lol. I’ll never have to collect again. I’ve got it stored everywhere

[Low Fence]

If everyone tried milk weed, the scent control industry would bankrupt overnight. Wind don’t always go where you think! And when “ I use xyz and smoke black and milds and the deer don’t know I’m there” gets fact checked they will learn the scent current never went where they thought. Even a bad wind in the right hours with a rising thermal is perfect. But that light wind at dusk … can ruin a set in 1 hunt and you never even know it.

It’s the most valuable hunting tool I own and it’s free!

[U.S.ArmyRetired]

Could someone please post a pic of a milkweed?

[Razorback01]

You can also use a cattail, like grows in the water. Cut the cattail off, let it dry, and pull off as you need. I shred mine and stuff into an empty pill bottle, just pull a few out and toss up.

[gonehuntin]

Could someone please post a pic of a milkweed?

Here you go

[ThisLadyHunts]

Ah, now I get it…wind checker.

We’re simple folk. We just bend down, grab a handful of grass, and drop it. No need to harvest and store. It’s just there.