Questions about thermals

[sliceman]

I discovered this site a few weeks ago and cannot believe how much valuable information I have learned. Dan's videos are fantastic! My questions regarding thermals are:
1) How does a cloudy day affect them, with no direct sunlight hitting the ground?
2) How different are the thermals on a north facing slope (i.e. shaded) versus the south facing slopes?

Sliceman

[Jdw]

As a general rule thermals rise when the ground and atmosphere are warming and fall when cooling.
Cloud cover can slow or stop thermal effect.
North facing shaded hillsides are likely to warm slower and the timing of thermal pull will likely be different because of it.
If you think of thermals following the contour of the ground like water it will point you in the right direction.

When you add wind currents and topography into the equation figuring out thermal and wind currents can be very difficult.

The guys that are best at figuring it out have spent lots of time with milkweed in the areas they hunt and document their data.

[funderburk]

As a general rule thermals rise when the ground and atmosphere are warming and fall when cooling.
Cloud cover can slow or stop thermal effect.
North facing shaded hillsides are likely to warm slower and the timing of thermal pull will likely be different because of it.
If you think of thermals following the contour of the ground like water it will point you in the right direction.

When you add wind currents and topography into the equation figuring out thermal and wind currents can be very difficult.

The guys that are best at figuring it out have spent lots of time with milkweed in the areas they hunt and document their data.

That right there. If you can imagine the natural route of water at your stand location specifically as it relates to where the deer are coming from, you’ll understand the general rule of thermals quite well.