Themal Tunnel Questions?

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Troutking
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Themal Tunnel Questions?

Unread postby Troutking » Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:59 pm

I have been hunting the thermal tunnel quite a bit this year. In many scenarios I feel like I am trying to thread the needle regarding the wind. Sometimes my wind is ok, then it will swirl. I understand the thermal tunnel doesn't really get going until later in the morning once the updrafts start to work. Here are my questions.

It seems all the deer activity is right in the 1/3 area as expected. However, when I get a little higher than this 1/3 section and try to get my stand up high and out of the tunnel I still feel like I am swirling. I always seem to be about eye level with the horizon above me. Do I need to be at a higher elevation than the horizon? In order to get higher I need to be farther up the hill where a bow shot seems unlikely.

In short I am looking for some rule of thumbs or advice for this scenario if you guys have any. I do see a lot of deer hunting the leeward side and deep cuts, it often times seems like they are skittish acting like they smell
me a little and can't quite figure out where it is coming from.

Thanks


The less you have the more you got so don't you cry for more--Widespread Panic
dan
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Re: Themal Tunnel Questions?

Unread postby dan » Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:49 am

Well thats a tough question. Every set up is different. But really its hard to get away from some swirling when the terrain is shaped like that. The best you can do is get as high as you can possibly still make the shot. Mornings are really tough cause its hard to guess how strong the thermal currant will be before daylight.
I like to be set up where I can shoot a cruising buck before he smells me or right at about the time he smells me. I generally set up above the deer trails. Hope that helps.
Troutking
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Re: Themal Tunnel Questions?

Unread postby Troutking » Mon Nov 08, 2010 12:29 pm

Thanks Dan, that does help. As always I appreciate the info.

Chris
The less you have the more you got so don't you cry for more--Widespread Panic
Wrinkleneck
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Re: Themal Tunnel Questions?

Unread postby Wrinkleneck » Tue Nov 09, 2010 3:39 am

This a GREAT post!!! One thing I have been doing lately in the mornings that seems to work for me is to find a good tree below the trail you would expect them to be traveling and sit on the ground behind the tree. This way my scent is going down the hill and the deer can't see me. Then as I feel the thermals start to rise, I will find a tree above the trail and climb up there until my milkweeds tell me that my scent is blowing over the trail. I found this to work really well for me. Just my .02 on something else you may want to give a try.
Troutking
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Location: Jefferson City, Missouri
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Re: Themal Tunnel Questions?

Unread postby Troutking » Tue Nov 09, 2010 4:42 pm

One thing that I have noticed Wrinkleneck is that early in the mornings in the area I hunt the deer are traveling the ravines right at the bottom or lowest elevation. The public land where most of my hunting is a bit different. Unlike most farm ground where the bottoms are the fertile farm ground, the crop fields are on the high ground and the ravines are deep and wide, sometimes 500 to 800 yards wide. These ravines are obviously there because they couldn't be farmed. I use the thermal tunnel and 1/3 from the top approaches. I believe the deer walk this lowest elevation because all the smell gets funneled to them. Kind of a tough nut to crack in my opinion in the early mornings. Yesterday I actually prepped a tree that I will hunt in December in one of these bottoms. It is a climber tree I can get 20+ feet in. Probably going to get busted in it but I am going to try once. What I am trying to find now are the better places where they compromise themselves unknowingly. My guess is these are probably places outside the deep ravines.
The less you have the more you got so don't you cry for more--Widespread Panic


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