Hey guys, I’m new here to the hunting beast forum and have done hours of studying already on buck bedding in hill country. However, I have a couple questions.
I know that mature bucks are going to position themselves on the leeward side of a ridge on the military crest so that they can see the bottom, smell whats above, and get the rising thermals from below all day until the last hour or so of daylight when the thermals start to pull down the hillside.
With that being said, where exactly is the best place to set up for this situation. Do you set up above, but slightly to the left or right of the expected bedding so that your scent isn’t blowing directly towards him? Or option #2, set up below him to the left or right side of the expected bedding since the thermals will be pulling up until the last part of the day to prevent him from getting your scent?
Sorry if this is pretty simple, but this is all new to me and I want to hunt in a position each time this season that puts me in the best place to harvest a mature deer. Thanks
Setting up for thermals in hill country
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Re: Setting up for thermals in hill country
For me that is a game time decision that is made by reading the sign, terrain and floating milkweed constantly upon approach.
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Re: Setting up for thermals in hill country
This is a really situational question in my opinion. My biggest obstacle when hunting hills has been battling wind swirls. Lots of milkweed and guesstimating, plus reading sign like PK mentioned help give you an idea.
Maybe this example will help... I’m chasing a good buck bedded on a ridge system running East & West, with a small bench in the center creating an “M” shape to some extent.. With Northerly winds the buck is bedded on the center bench, NW on the Westerly point and NE Easterly point. (Ridge is angled probably 30ish degrees so it’s not a true E&W)
What I didn’t anticipate was with each of the respected winds, I’m having a wind swirl going back to the bedded buck. My last hunt with a North wind, my milkweed never went South.. For example, with a North wind the swirl bounces off of the draw from the ridge system South of this one, swirls back up towards the bedded buck successfully allowing him to smell everything in front and behind of him. When the thermals drop, he’s staging in the thermal tunnel (smelling everything on each point E&W) then takes the draw up into an oak flat.
Outside rut; Hunt thermal tunnels below them. Some guys try “following” the thermals down but I’ll let them further elaborate as I’ve never tried this method. Divergent & Autum Ninja have really elaborate threads on this.
During rut; Thermal tunnel on leeward ridges connecting buck bedding with doe bedding. Scouting and sign will tell you where/when
Hope this helps
Maybe this example will help... I’m chasing a good buck bedded on a ridge system running East & West, with a small bench in the center creating an “M” shape to some extent.. With Northerly winds the buck is bedded on the center bench, NW on the Westerly point and NE Easterly point. (Ridge is angled probably 30ish degrees so it’s not a true E&W)
What I didn’t anticipate was with each of the respected winds, I’m having a wind swirl going back to the bedded buck. My last hunt with a North wind, my milkweed never went South.. For example, with a North wind the swirl bounces off of the draw from the ridge system South of this one, swirls back up towards the bedded buck successfully allowing him to smell everything in front and behind of him. When the thermals drop, he’s staging in the thermal tunnel (smelling everything on each point E&W) then takes the draw up into an oak flat.
Outside rut; Hunt thermal tunnels below them. Some guys try “following” the thermals down but I’ll let them further elaborate as I’ve never tried this method. Divergent & Autum Ninja have really elaborate threads on this.
During rut; Thermal tunnel on leeward ridges connecting buck bedding with doe bedding. Scouting and sign will tell you where/when
Hope this helps
Trust the Process~~ Lost Boys Outdoors ~~
YoutTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7TXknGut5WfZQ6CbddgqYg
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Re: Setting up for thermals in hill country
Twenty Up wrote:This is a really situational question in my opinion. My biggest obstacle when hunting hills has been battling wind swirls. Lots of milkweed and guesstimating, plus reading sign like PK mentioned help give you an idea.
Maybe this example will help... I’m chasing a good buck bedded on a ridge system running East & West, with a small bench in the center creating an “M” shape to some extent.. With Northerly winds the buck is bedded on the center bench, NW on the Westerly point and NE Easterly point. (Ridge is angled probably 30ish degrees so it’s not a true E&W)
What I didn’t anticipate was with each of the respected winds, I’m having a wind swirl going back to the bedded buck. My last hunt with a North wind, my milkweed never went South.. For example, with a North wind the swirl bounces off of the draw from the ridge system South of this one, swirls back up towards the bedded buck successfully allowing him to smell everything in front and behind of him. When the thermals drop, he’s staging in the thermal tunnel (smelling everything on each point E&W) then takes the draw up into an oak flat.
Outside rut; Hunt thermal tunnels below them. Some guys try “following” the thermals down but I’ll let them further elaborate as I’ve never tried this method. Divergent & Autum Ninja have really elaborate threads on this.
During rut; Thermal tunnel on leeward ridges connecting buck bedding with doe bedding. Scouting and sign will tell you where/when
Hope this helps
Okay thanks guys! That makes some sense, but I guess I stumbled upon the beast tactics a little too late because I haven’t scouted many of these spots looking specifically for buck bedding. I can look on a topography map and identify points, spurs, benches, etc but I’ve not actually pinpointed the exact bedding locations in these properties. Any tips on hunting new properties you haven’t scouted and topographic areas you are going to specifically set up on in hill country? If I posted up some pictures could you all help me identify some good spots to start out with?
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Re: Setting up for thermals in hill country
Hutch wrote:Twenty Up wrote:This is a really situational question in my opinion. My biggest obstacle when hunting hills has been battling wind swirls. Lots of milkweed and guesstimating, plus reading sign like PK mentioned help give you an idea.
Maybe this example will help... I’m chasing a good buck bedded on a ridge system running East & West, with a small bench in the center creating an “M” shape to some extent.. With Northerly winds the buck is bedded on the center bench, NW on the Westerly point and NE Easterly point. (Ridge is angled probably 30ish degrees so it’s not a true E&W)
What I didn’t anticipate was with each of the respected winds, I’m having a wind swirl going back to the bedded buck. My last hunt with a North wind, my milkweed never went South.. For example, with a North wind the swirl bounces off of the draw from the ridge system South of this one, swirls back up towards the bedded buck successfully allowing him to smell everything in front and behind of him. When the thermals drop, he’s staging in the thermal tunnel (smelling everything on each point E&W) then takes the draw up into an oak flat.
Outside rut; Hunt thermal tunnels below them. Some guys try “following” the thermals down but I’ll let them further elaborate as I’ve never tried this method. Divergent & Autum Ninja have really elaborate threads on this.
During rut; Thermal tunnel on leeward ridges connecting buck bedding with doe bedding. Scouting and sign will tell you where/when
Hope this helps
Okay thanks guys! That makes some sense, but I guess I stumbled upon the beast tactics a little too late because I haven’t scouted many of these spots looking specifically for buck bedding. I can look on a topography map and identify points, spurs, benches, etc but I’ve not actually pinpointed the exact bedding locations in these properties. Any tips on hunting new properties you haven’t scouted and topographic areas you are going to specifically set up on in hill country? If I posted up some pictures could you all help me identify some good spots to start out with?
Yeah post or PM me the aerial/topo I’d be glad to dissect them for you.
There’s also a lot of extremely valuable information on the stickied Tactical Thread section here in the deer forum. Always good to refresh there as well
Trust the Process~~ Lost Boys Outdoors ~~
YoutTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7TXknGut5WfZQ6CbddgqYg
YoutTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7TXknGut5WfZQ6CbddgqYg
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Re: Setting up for thermals in hill country
Twenty Up wrote:Hutch wrote:Twenty Up wrote:This is a really situational question in my opinion. My biggest obstacle when hunting hills has been battling wind swirls. Lots of milkweed and guesstimating, plus reading sign like PK mentioned help give you an idea.
Maybe this example will help... I’m chasing a good buck bedded on a ridge system running East & West, with a small bench in the center creating an “M” shape to some extent.. With Northerly winds the buck is bedded on the center bench, NW on the Westerly point and NE Easterly point. (Ridge is angled probably 30ish degrees so it’s not a true E&W)
What I didn’t anticipate was with each of the respected winds, I’m having a wind swirl going back to the bedded buck. My last hunt with a North wind, my milkweed never went South.. For example, with a North wind the swirl bounces off of the draw from the ridge system South of this one, swirls back up towards the bedded buck successfully allowing him to smell everything in front and behind of him. When the thermals drop, he’s staging in the thermal tunnel (smelling everything on each point E&W) then takes the draw up into an oak flat.
Outside rut; Hunt thermal tunnels below them. Some guys try “following” the thermals down but I’ll let them further elaborate as I’ve never tried this method. Divergent & Autum Ninja have really elaborate threads on this.
During rut; Thermal tunnel on leeward ridges connecting buck bedding with doe bedding. Scouting and sign will tell you where/when
Hope this helps
Okay thanks guys! That makes some sense, but I guess I stumbled upon the beast tactics a little too late because I haven’t scouted many of these spots looking specifically for buck bedding. I can look on a topography map and identify points, spurs, benches, etc but I’ve not actually pinpointed the exact bedding locations in these properties. Any tips on hunting new properties you haven’t scouted and topographic areas you are going to specifically set up on in hill country? If I posted up some pictures could you all help me identify some good spots to start out with?
Yeah post or PM me the aerial/topo I’d be glad to dissect them for you.
There’s also a lot of extremely valuable information on the stickied Tactical Thread section here in the deer forum. Always good to refresh there as well
Okay I sent you 2 different areas to look at it if you don’t mind and have time to do so. I have never hunted these public lands, but I have been told that the next state record will come out of this WMA. I really appreciate it! Sorry if I sent multiple PMs, I’m still trying to figure out this forum and posting pics. Thanks
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