Right now my feeder is southeast of my stand. We have a south southwest wind most of the time. Problem with current location is sun rising in the morning. Thinking of moving it due south. Southwest and I think I catch the setting sun.

What's your set up?

All of ours are south-southwest of stands. Seems to work well.

NE & N

Northeast/east for north or southeast winds on a couple and northwest on one for north and west winds.

I put mine just off to the side of the road to wear I can hunt a south east wind

Depends on if you are bow hunting or not... I like having my stand southwest of my feeder if im in a blind... like watching the sun come up at an angle in the am.

Bow hunting, I want the stand south east of the feeder to avoid the glare.

1 facing west and 1 facing north. Don't think it matters to much but that just me... I can see multple directions while in both of them. Both my stand are also playing the wind.

Stand placement for us depends on geography and prevailing winds. Normally though feeders are set to the south/southwest. Bow season is a different story as well have a NE and SW setup. A lot depends on your cover, terrain and stand set up. Biggest deer I shot was with a wind at my back in a tripod, but shot was down a 40 foot draw and thermals kept my scent above. There was high humidity that day as well. I'll still play the wind first on set up as a rule, but at the end of the day it all depends on geography.

Geography is flat with lots of thick mesquites and cedars with senderos cut through the property. Right now my feeder is on the edge of the sendero and stand is 30 yards from the edge. Im strugling with the setup in my head. I want to put the stand on the edge of cover and move the feeder out in the open.

I have one stand set up to hunt N, W and SW. Other stand is set up to hunt S, E, and SW. I put my feed at the edge of the woods and stand in the open (or as close to the edge as I can). I try to use natural barriers to limit deer movement behind the stand; fence, pond, open country, etc.

If hunting a couple of trails coming in to the feeder is possible that's what I will do. Also, I like to put down some rye or oats to make little plots back in cover on the way to the feeder and hunt those. Often the bucks will mill about through those or cruise the does on those before shooting light starts to fail and offer shots I wouldn't get at the feeders.

How does one "hunt" over a feeder?

We sit our stands up facing either north or south to accommodate afternoon or morning hunters and furnish cardboard cutout to size to help block sunlight for either morning or afternoon hunters.

to the NW and NE

Same way one would "hunt" over an ag field, watering hole, or any other attractant

From a tall tree............

Most of my feeders have two stands, tripod and or ground blind, in different wind directions so regardless of what the wind is I always have somewhere to hunt. This is mainly because I bow hunt and wind plays a big issue at 30 yards.

I am bowhunting also. Thats why I ask.

Then IMO it would be more important to have more than one feeder also. Deer can pattern you better than you pattern them. You have to get into that one location and get out of it every time you hunt. The more trips the more likely you will have to spook a deer. You will leave scent every time in and out no matter how careful you are. The more you hunt that one location the more you leave.

question, stxranchman:

That buck I was after last year hit my feeder every damn day during the summer. I was out there all the time filling feeders, etc, but it never seemed to bother him. Every day, he hit the feeder 2-3 times.

Why did he completely bolt the one time he smelled me bowseason opener? I'm certain I walked up him at least a couple of times during the summer.

Perplexing.

Take away your rifle stands and hide a lock on WAY up in a tree... less human activity the better unless this is a working ranch that's being drove on everyday
This one I don't even have a ladder on so its just another tree...

They don't get old from being lucky!

I think jshouse would be better at answering this than me
Mature deer are just different when the seasons change and hunting season gets closer. If they are smart enough to get to an older age they have figured out the hunters in areas with a lot of hunting pressure. IMO peoples routines change when deer season starts or approaches. Those daytime trips now are in darkness and not in the daylight as much. In some instances the daylight activity is even more now that they are hunting. They just have to drive around to see what they might see. I have seen deer movement change dramatically after the first week of the season when hunters start running around in the darkness to head to and from stands. I try to make trips before daylight and after dark year round if I can to keep that pattern. I use a roadfeeder to help with that issue also. The more often I feed the more deer I start to see as the temps cool down and the rut approaches.

ouch