Kraftd wrote:WV Bowhunter wrote:funderburk wrote:WV Bowhunter wrote:Most mornings I don’t see the thermals having much effect until a couple hours after sun up. I’ve been known to sleep in and head out after the thermals kick in to get to certain spots.
Good thought. Are the Bucks typically bedded by the time you let the thermals rise? Or do you still catch them coming in to their bed?
Already bedded. I’ve had better luck getting close to their bedroom after they are back in it. I’ve been busted several times trying to set up on a buck coming back to his bed with the thermals dropping down the hill and the bucks approach from below.
For me I’ve had higher odds sits when I get as close as I can and hope for the buck to get up and move late morning or midday to browse around.
This. Agreed that light and variable is a total crapshoot and you're often just hoping for luck at the exact right moment. Also agree that thermals won't save you until things are warming after he's likely already bedded.
That said, my experience and theory is that the deer hate it too sometimes because they can't use it to their advantage when they are moving either. That may mean they are back way before light and tucked in to avoid it, or that they hunker down somewhere and come back once the thermals set-up or the wind gets more consistent so they know where to bed, unless they have a bed that is not wind specific. I've seen bucks sneaking back into bedding in that 8-9 range, generally in thick swamps, even out of the rut in those cases.
Can you do an observation for first light far enough back to not wind the bedding but see what comes home, then sneak in after the thermals set-up or the wind switches and hope he either gets up to browse, or adjusts beds based on the wind/thermal change, which happens quite a bit too?
Really great thoughts. Taking all that into consideration for sure. An observation sit might be the right thing.