thermals on topo??

[G3s]

Thermals I think are fairly predictable rising when it warms and drops when it cools. The real problem is what is the wind doing, My best example is I have a stand in a small ditch on a ridge that runs NW-SE...I hunt that stand on a SW wind because when the wind is SW, for some reason it is always coming from the NE at that stand...the topography makes the wind do weird things so in my opinion only way to really figure it out is by burning some boot leather

[virginiashadow]

Part of taking thermal currents into account is accessing your stand sights from angles that allow for not only the least amount of disturbance via sound/visual wise but also limiting the amount that you walk through that lower thermal zone and sending your scent upwards to bedded deer. I have started coming in high on the terrain and working at an angle with the wind so my scent is blown outwards from the deer I am hunting while also not stinking up the lower thermal zone. It has paid off with a lot more deer encounters in the hill country I hunt.

[jlh42581]

You gotta also cover the avenue of ground scent, which if you sit down and reallllly think about it, you will beat your head on the wall wondering how you ever got a shot. In some instances you will say... no wonder I didnt see deer in that scenerio.

Ive got a new term, feel free to use it, I call it "The Perfect Storm"

What this means is you have the following

1: points which give multiple bedding options
2: some sort of funnel within the travel corridor
3: an unbeatable entrance, such as a creek
4: nearby food and or water
5: wind/thermal scenerio that will leave you undetected.

It takes a ton of map work, physical labor, scouting and understanding what is happening with food sources and the rut phase. But, I believe that there are a few perfect storms in every area but you really gotta look hard. I found one today in google earth, I have looked at that section for my guess is at least 5 hours over different periods before it jumped out at me.

[backstraps]

You gotta also cover the avenue of ground scent, which if you sit down and reallllly think about it, you will beat your head on the wall wondering how you ever got a shot. In some instances you will say... heck no wonder I didnt see deer in that scenerio.

Ive got a new term, feel free to use it, I call it "The Perfect Storm"

What this means is you have the following

1: points which give multiple bedding options
2: some sort of funnel within the travel corridor
3: an unbeatable entrance, such as a creek
4: nearby food and or water
5: wind/thermal scenerio that will leave you undetected.

It takes a ton of map work, physical labor, scouting and understanding what is happening with food sources and the rut phase. But, I believe that there are a few perfect storms in every area but you really gotta look hard. I found one today in google earth, I have looked at that section for my guess is at least 5 hours over different periods before it jumped out at me.

Interesting and makes "perfect sense" :) Meeting all five of those topics listed would for sure be tough to do, and require a lot of homework as well af foot work.

[Edcyclopedia]

You gotta also cover the avenue of ground scent, which if you sit down and reallllly think about it, you will beat your head on the wall wondering how you ever got a shot. In some instances you will say... heck no wonder I didnt see deer in that scenerio.

Ive got a new term, feel free to use it, I call it [glow=red]"The Perfect Storm"[/glow]

What this means is you have the following

1: points which give multiple bedding options
2: some sort of funnel within the travel corridor
3: an unbeatable entrance, such as a creek
4: nearby food and or water
5: wind/thermal scenerio that will leave you undetected.

It takes a ton of map work, physical labor, scouting and understanding what is happening with food sources and the rut phase. But, I believe that there are a few perfect storms in every area but you really gotta look hard. I found one today in google earth, I have looked at that section for my guess is at least 5 hours over different periods before it jumped out at me.

[glow=red]LOL - that's a great new term[/glow]

I say this alot...

[jlh42581]

I have to open a different campus this morning as everyone is on vacation. When I get back to my desk today I will try to show an example of the perfect storm.

[jlh42581]

As promised

Red = beds
Green = funnel
Did not note the saddles, didnt feel that was necessary

Revine funnel access shows you should be able to enter this area on a falling or rising thermal. I dont expect deer to be bedded here. If you put your stand on the edge the thermals would almost be a wash. On a NE wind you would hunt the south side only compromising a couple of the bedding areas. On a south wind you could hunt the north side and possibly come up that revine and compromise none.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I have found the thermals in my areas vary a great deal with foliage. Early season is way different than December; I never really seen how drastic this change was until I started using milkweed and jotting down notes from one part of the season to another.

[bigbob]

From what I have read I have the understanding that rising thermals are less affected by cuts, ravines, boulders or any obstruction while the cooler air of falling thermals is more likely to gather in low spots or be affected by these obstructions. Is that right?

[Stanley]

Great thread lots of very useful information.

[tim]

this is a great thread. im a firm believer that you cannot really truly predict what is going to happen from a topo completely, what looks good on paper doesnt always occur. i believe you need to go down that hill in different wind conditions maybe in off season to truly see what is happening cause that wind can start swirling funny in diefferent areas from trees etc...a good start is by finding out what the weatherman is predicting then i will work my way down the hill sometimes i get down into the pasture and realize the wind is already eratic then by the time i get further dopwn the hill it stabalizes or sometimes not. these bluffs will put a guy through fits trying to get it right. not all bluffs/hills are created equal thats for sure cause some of these bluffs are woods from top to bottom some have crops on top with pastures inbetween etc.... bucky is right , i agree this is why some of these bucks get so huge in bluff country . the deer are the pros

[Autumn Ninja]

When the ground and air heats up, thermals rise. When the ground and air cools down, thermals fall. Other than that, they pretty much follow whatever the wind currents are doing.

This is a good link to read.

http://www.firemodels.org/downloads/beh ... _ch_06.pdf

Theres a lot of interesting reading here also.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mechani ... 40&bih=799

[PK_]

Thermals are very simple. It is the wind direction and velocity that are bigger factors when dealing with topography. There are plenty of good books out there on aero dynamics. One thing to remember is that a steady wind does not just blow, it also draws air. A stiff wind can completely reverse(or accelerate) the predicted travel of thermals in certain areas.

[bowhunter15]

I once thought it would be a fun and useful project to write a simple computer program that would simulate wind currents based on imported topo maps based on steepness of the hill, relationships to nearby air movement, and temperature differences at the top and bottom of the hills, but then realized it would be a complete waste of time because like others have said, many other things factor into thermals that can't be found on topo maps alone.

[admiral04]

Thanks BigHunt

Ive become obsessed with trying to figure out enough to at least learn through my hunting season this fall, and become at least a little better come this spring scouting season. :)

im glad i could help

this may be an obvious, but why would you chooose to hunt that in the evening? Dont you want to be there when the thermals are rising(as shown in the pic). Which would be in the morning right, when thigs are warmin up? Just confused me or im misunderstanding something

[ Post made via iPhone ]