Draws/valleys and scent stream

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mheichelbech
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Draws/valleys and scent stream

Unread postby mheichelbech » Sun Apr 05, 2015 3:28 am

In your experience, assuming your hunting the top or head of a draw or draw that broadens out to be more of a valley, does this impact your scent stream abnormally? By abnormally I mean does the draw tend to have a vaccum effect or "suck" your scent down into it? Or...does your scent go wherever it would normally go with thermals and wind direction? I am thinking of days that are essentially calm or very low wind.
I've tried the seed pod things but the wind on those days was too strong to be able to tell much.

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iowa whitetail
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Re: Draws/valleys and scent stream

Unread postby iowa whitetail » Sun Apr 05, 2015 6:17 am

I love hunting draws, i would much rather hunt draws than timber. I've found that yes your sent can do goofy things in draws I try to hunt them on a day with a decent cross wind. Seems to work really well for me. If the draw runs north south I'll try to hang my stand just a little east of the center cause most times we have a west wind and I've found they will normally be crusing on the opposite side.

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JoeRE
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Re: Draws/valleys and scent stream

Unread postby JoeRE » Mon Apr 06, 2015 6:21 am

Early in the morning and late in the day thermals will tend to pull down the draw and your scent goes with it. To answer your question it is just the thermal activity that creates what you call the vacuum effect - one and the same thing. Mid day thermals will funnel up draws. The kicker is around here strong to moderate wind often overrides thermals and light wind and thermals push against each other enough to create a swirling mess unless they are pointed similar directions
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Thermals
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Re: Draws/valleys and scent stream

Unread postby Thermals » Mon Apr 06, 2015 6:26 am

Go toss out some milkweed and see what it does at different times of the day

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Stanley
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Re: Draws/valleys and scent stream

Unread postby Stanley » Mon Apr 06, 2015 6:31 am

I agree on the milk weed test. There are so many weird factors when dealing with thermals. On any given day things can be different you gotta use the milk weed to make sure your scent is going where you want it to be. I have had to relocate many times when the winds/thermals mess me up.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Motivated
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Re: Draws/valleys and scent stream

Unread postby Motivated » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:19 pm

On a calm day, rising thermals will be coming up and fanning outward as the elevation rises. Falling evening thermals should be drawn down and inward toward the lowest point. I think about that smart buck waiting safely beyond the lowest point of the field edge on those calm evenings, collecting scent flowing right down to him before stepping into the open.

Any sort of wind though (which is most days for me) and you should just check and be ready to move, as others have said.

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justdirtyfun
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Re: Draws/valleys and scent stream

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Tue Apr 07, 2015 1:42 am

To add to Motivated and his smart buck comment.
I scouted a few days ago and was in the low spot next to a corn field. It was a location where a buck could smell does but still be safely out of sight. It had lots of saplings and brush rubbed and gave confirmation to the activities I thought about.
A nearby tree had climber marks but when and why was the hunter there???
His wind and location seemed good.

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