Calm October evening - falling thermals

[mheichelbech]

Anyone have an idea of how far our scent would spread out from the base of the tree in a calm evening, falling thermals situation? How far away from the trail on flat ground would I need to be in order to avoid being detected? I presume our scent would essentially be analogous to pouring a bucket of water from the tree, that it spreads out in most every detection but not sure far how far it goes once it hits the ground.

What strategies do you guys use to combat this? I know in hill country you could just locate or relocate to below the trail but was wondering what you do on flat ground or if you find a situation in hills that for whatever reason you can't get below the trail.

[Bucky]

Anyone have an idea of how far our scent would spread out from the base of the tree in a calm evening, falling thermals situation? How far away from the trail on flat ground would I need to be in order to avoid being detected? I presume our scent would essentially be analogous to pouring a bucket of water from the tree, that it spreads out in most every detection but not sure far how far it goes once it hits the ground.

What strategies do you guys use to combat this? I know in hill country you could just locate or relocate to below the trail but was wondering what you do on flat ground or if you find a situation in hills that for whatever reason you can't get below the trail.

I think most over think things... that is my opinion. I try it... if it fails, I move and try again. Scent can mushroom out 20-30+ yards from a tree without wind... throw in a slight or variable wind and things get even more difficult, I prefer a steady constant wind.

But waiting for those perfect conditions can burn ya too... the guys that kill big deer every yr don't always wait for perfect conditions, they take risks (just off wind, hunting from junk trees (no cover, too small, too big, too low), hunting in extreme temps - hot and cold, hunting low, hunting a barely safe wind, hunting in super thick bedding cover, making a move based off intel, getting out of a tree and attempting a stalk etc)

If you only have 20-80 acres to hunt... it is best to hunt with caution. But on public, I say get aggressive early and keep moving... that is key. If you get blown up, you learn from the situation and apply it to your next hunt

[BassBoysLLP]

There is no right or standard answer to this question. Every situation is different. As Bucky hinted, you need to risk it or adapt.

[Singing Bridge]

How far away from the trail on flat ground would I need to be in order to avoid being detected?

I agree with the previous statement that sometimes you have to make your play... if it doesn't work out, move on. Obviously you need to be within comfortable bow range of the trail. I sometimes find myself in this situation with a bad wind forecast, it happens all the time. If you have knowledge that it is likely to be a problem ahead of time (forecast) and it is one of your best stands, be patient and wait until all of the conditions are right.

[mheichelbech]

How far away from the trail on flat ground would I need to be in order to avoid being detected?

I agree with the previous statement that sometimes you have to make your play... if it doesn't work out, move on. Obviously you need to be within comfortable bow range of the trail. I sometimes find myself in this situation with a bad wind forecast, it happens all the time. If you have knowledge that it is likely to be a problem ahead of time (forecast) and it is one of your best stands, be patient and wait until all of the conditions are right.

Yep...I am thinking of my best place and best buck, it is flat ground, small acreage (40), and current thinking for best chance at a kill will be first sit, first week, first day of October (opening day) before he disperses or before the beans go bad. It is often dead still, hot and humid around here that time of year. Not a good scent scenario for flat ground.

[Bucky]

How far away from the trail on flat ground would I need to be in order to avoid being detected?

I agree with the previous statement that sometimes you have to make your play... if it doesn't work out, move on. Obviously you need to be within comfortable bow range of the trail. I sometimes find myself in this situation with a bad wind forecast, it happens all the time. If you have knowledge that it is likely to be a problem ahead of time (forecast) and it is one of your best stands, be patient and wait until all of the conditions are right.

Yep...I am thinking of my best place and best buck, it is flat ground, small acreage (40), and current thinking for best chance at a kill will be first sit, first week, first day of October (opening day) before he disperses or before the beans go bad. It is often dead still, hot and humid around here that time of year. Not a good scent scenario for flat ground.

In that case I would wait on the wind... I have a similar scenario early season... I wait for the right conditions and for two years in a row it has been an epic sit!

[Bigb]

Anyone have an idea of how far our scent would spread out from the base of the tree in a calm evening, falling thermals situation? How far away from the trail on flat ground would I need to be in order to avoid being detected? I presume our scent would essentially be analogous to pouring a bucket of water from the tree, that it spreads out in most every detection but not sure far how far it goes once it hits the ground.

What strategies do you guys use to combat this? I know in hill country you could just locate or relocate to below the trail but was wondering what you do on flat ground or if you find a situation in hills that for whatever reason you can't get below the trail.

I think most over think things... that is my opinion. I try it... if it fails, I move and try again. Scent can mushroom out 20-30+ yards from a tree without wind... throw in a slight or variable wind and things get even more difficult, I prefer a steady constant wind.

But waiting for those perfect conditions can burn ya too... the guys that kill big deer every yr don't always wait for perfect conditions, they take risks (just off wind, hunting from junk trees (no cover, too small, too big, too low), hunting in extreme temps - hot and cold, hunting low, hunting a barely safe wind, hunting in super thick bedding cover, making a move based off intel, getting out of a tree and attempting a stalk etc)

If you only have 20-80 acres to hunt... it is best to hunt with caution. But on public, I say get aggressive early and keep moving... that is key. If you get blown up, you learn from the situation and apply it to your next hunt

I agree with everything said there. Once I started to not look for the ideal tree with the idea height and just make due with the trees I had at the spots that looked promising my buck sightings went up. Last year I pushed the envelope more than ever and hunted closer to bedding with precaution and it worked out much better than I expected.

[headgear]

Even if you are in a flat area look around near that area, there has to be some kind of even subtle evelation change close by that could help shift those thermals a bit. It certainly could pool under the right conditions but just plan for it as best you can, very much agree with those that said you have to take chances sometimes.

[WKPTodd]

It sinks to the low spots like water in the bottom of a dried up creek. The problem with No wind however is that it doesn't just sit on the ground, it floats in the air like anything. That's when it's nice to have an Ozonic's pointed to the ground!

[JoeRE]

Maybe its because I don't hunt really flat land, but I have literally never seen "no wind" for more than a minute or two at a time? Wind or thermals are always moving somewhere, often the dreaded "light and variable" with a light draft coming out of a different direction every few minutes but there's always a current even if very light.

So I guess my answer to the question is the lighter the draft/thermal, the wider it spreads out from your tree downwind. If its shifting back and forth then its wider still. Like has been said keep in mind down draft thermals are always flowing to low spots, because that's where the cool air is that draws the thermals. Its not just hitting the ground at the base of your tree and setting there.