The yearly average wind in Eufaula, Alabama, barbour county.
Yearly average wind speed where I am, in northwestern South Dakota:
If you want to learn how to shoot in the wind, you go to where the wind is... and the wind isn't in Alabama.
This isn't meant to take away from what barbour creek is doing. I have no experience with any of their training program... never been there. It's just a big of perspective for those looking on. Wind reading skill requires local knowledge, at its apex. Reading wind in alabama, is not the same as reading wind in the great plains, but someone that learns to read wind in the great plains can read wind anywhere on the planet.
Reading wind in a 20mph condition, is not the same as reading it in a 30mph ripping condition that shows you a valley of 15mph and a peak of 38mph. Even a ripping wind at 20mph with a 12mph peak to valley delta will humble the saltiest shooter from the southeastern USA. (calm place) They just aren't used to the wide open spaces and lack of trees. (or any meaningful structure)
Here, it breaks 30mph so frequently, we don't even say it's windy unless it's pushing 35mph+. It breaks 50mph nearly every month at most stations here locally, and 60mph is not entirely uncommon. We have storms that produce straight line winds in excess of 70mph that last for hours on end. The peak straight line sustained wind force sets records for the nation during big storms.
There is NO reading mirage out here in the wide open spaces with a spotting scope (any spotting scope) on an overcast day, in any real wind. (5-10mph is not a real wind) It's absolutely not happening. Even beneath 10mph on a true overcast day, there simply isn't enough humidity or thermal variation in the monotone cold central/western north to even dream of being able to see it. Often times, the humidity so low, and the ground moisture so low, that even with direct sunlight it can be difficult to see the mirage up here due to the lack of any meaningful structure (trees,etc) to contrast the monotone brown everything stretching on without end.
Overcast? Forget about it. No way are you reading mirage under any circumstance with any optic... and I have every expensive toy imaginable for doing so. A fleet of swaro bino's and spotters, $25k vectronix LRF's, 35x Tangent Thetas, etc. On those days, none of the optics will pick up mirage under any circumstances.
Again, to be very clear and emphasize this... I'm not taking anything away from barbour creek. I bet every single shooter would learn something if they went and took a course there. (and folks should go get training somewhere) They are obviously doing a lot of good for the discipline and should be encouraged to continue to do so. This is not to be combative, but just a quick reality check.
Yet that doesn't change the fact that a very windy day in alabama doesn't even start to twitch the needle here in northwest South Dakota. If you're going to shoot in alabama, go to alabama to learn to read wind. If you're going to go to the big expanses of the west to shoot, you better go there to learn to read wind.
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Yearly average wind speed where I am, in northwestern South Dakota:
If you want to learn how to shoot in the wind, you go to where the wind is... and the wind isn't in Alabama.
This isn't meant to take away from what barbour creek is doing. I have no experience with any of their training program... never been there. It's just a big of perspective for those looking on. Wind reading skill requires local knowledge, at its apex. Reading wind in alabama, is not the same as reading wind in the great plains, but someone that learns to read wind in the great plains can read wind anywhere on the planet.
Reading wind in a 20mph condition, is not the same as reading it in a 30mph ripping condition that shows you a valley of 15mph and a peak of 38mph. Even a ripping wind at 20mph with a 12mph peak to valley delta will humble the saltiest shooter from the southeastern USA. (calm place) They just aren't used to the wide open spaces and lack of trees. (or any meaningful structure)
Here, it breaks 30mph so frequently, we don't even say it's windy unless it's pushing 35mph+. It breaks 50mph nearly every month at most stations here locally, and 60mph is not entirely uncommon. We have storms that produce straight line winds in excess of 70mph that last for hours on end. The peak straight line sustained wind force sets records for the nation during big storms.
There is NO reading mirage out here in the wide open spaces with a spotting scope (any spotting scope) on an overcast day, in any real wind. (5-10mph is not a real wind) It's absolutely not happening. Even beneath 10mph on a true overcast day, there simply isn't enough humidity or thermal variation in the monotone cold central/western north to even dream of being able to see it. Often times, the humidity so low, and the ground moisture so low, that even with direct sunlight it can be difficult to see the mirage up here due to the lack of any meaningful structure (trees,etc) to contrast the monotone brown everything stretching on without end.
Overcast? Forget about it. No way are you reading mirage under any circumstance with any optic... and I have every expensive toy imaginable for doing so. A fleet of swaro bino's and spotters, $25k vectronix LRF's, 35x Tangent Thetas, etc. On those days, none of the optics will pick up mirage under any circumstances.
Again, to be very clear and emphasize this... I'm not taking anything away from barbour creek. I bet every single shooter would learn something if they went and took a course there. (and folks should go get training somewhere) They are obviously doing a lot of good for the discipline and should be encouraged to continue to do so. This is not to be combative, but just a quick reality check.
Yet that doesn't change the fact that a very windy day in alabama doesn't even start to twitch the needle here in northwest South Dakota. If you're going to shoot in alabama, go to alabama to learn to read wind. If you're going to go to the big expanses of the west to shoot, you better go there to learn to read wind.
-----------
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