Compact, easy to use wind meters are handy and valuable hunting and shooting tools. Many hunters have used them for years; the long range shooting legend the late Ian McMurchy often mentioned his regular use of wind meters. Whenever wind is a factor, a small, light, hand held wind meter (anemometer) can give you a far better idea about what is going on than the more subjective reading of grass-bending. Clearly, today's light units bear little semblance to the old fashioned Robinson Anemometer of 1846.

The Caldwell Wind Wizard gives wind speed readings in a variety of measurements, though most American shooters will likely settle on the familiar miles per hour rather than feet per minute or knots. It has a few features above the basic anemometer as well, automatically giving you wind-chill temperature when the temperature drops below the freezing point of water. It also has a handy back-light to its LCD display. Pressing any button will give you 12 seconds of back-lit display, repeat when desired. The Wind Wizard comes complete with a common CR2032 lithium three volt battery and also has a neck lanyard to keep it handy in the field. You can hit “both buttons” to immediately turn it off, but if you forget it automatically turns itself off after 14 minutes of inactivity.

On the negative side, it has no case, although various knife or eyeglass cases that most of us already have lying around will be found suitable. The instructions are minimalistic, being printed on the back of the cardboard insert that serves dual duty as product label, hand tag and bar code. This is no great cause for consternation, as what it does is self-evident. In no way does it need the elongated programming sequence of, for example, a Timex watch.

What you’ll like most about the Caldwell Wind Wizard is the price; it runs around $40 or so from www.battenfeldtechnologies.com or from Midway USA. A comparable Kestrel 2000 goes for well over double the price of this unit at about $95. The Wind Wizard makes no pretense about being a “weather station”; it isn’t. However, it also doesn’t sell for the $250 - $350 that the full-featured hand held weather stations go for, either.

The Caldwell Wind Wizard works and works well. It has obvious utility for muzzleloading, bowhunting, boating, fishing, or anytime you want a better understanding of wind conditions. It’s got a permanent spot in my range bag and, as a matter of fact, I bought several of them from Midway USA for gifts. The Wind Wizard is very affordable and I can’t help but recommend it. For additional information, visit the Battenfeld Technologies web site at www.battenfeldtechnologies.com