re hunting Mountains and thermals

[Ben Maher]

Just wondering how many, if any of you design mountain hunting around thermal movement as it changes over the day  ?
I know that the wind/thermals tend to travel downhill in the evening and downhill as the air cools in the evening but is there anyone who has a specialized method of hunting either eve or morning based on this ? Do you always try to come down the mountain in the mornings etc  etc if possible ?
Or do you base your hunting plans solely on prevailing wind direction

Penny for your thoughts .....

[loneviking]

Absolutely! Look, keep it simple and keep the wind in your face.  Usually, during the day the ground heats up and the air rises, which then draws in cooler air off the top of the mountain---so the flow is downhill, which means you hunt going up.  Come morning, hunt going down.  Keep a small feather or piece of dental floss tied to the end of your bow for a quick check of wind direction.

[wapitimike1]

Mountain hunting I think is the most difficult hunting there is with winds. I've hunted the west plenty and it's just plain dogged how the wind burns you. You not only go with the thermals but have to deal with vacumes, tumbling currents, high low pockets. It's awefull just when you think the Elk or what have you is yours, Nope!!!

[Elksong]

Loneviking that is compleletly backwards. The winds will blow mainy downhill in the a.m. and as the day warms up the thermals will change and blow uphill. Then as the day cools of in the evening they will change and blow downhill agian. At least that is the way it is here in Colorado.

[overbo]

I spent many days in a hunting area w/ smokebombs durring presunrise and set.Helped alot to teach me how the deer where using terrain w/ thremals and wind direction to THEIR advantage.
If I lived in ELK country,I beleive this would aid me in finding those places and time in which I could intercept the herd by using crosswinds.

[greyghost]

Yes. Always tried to pay attention to the prevailing wind direction and thermals.

To me though the thermals always went down in the earley mornings and then up in the mornings once it warmed up and down in the evenings as it cooled. That to me is why most game went from low to high in the mornings to bed, using the early thermals to their advantage.

Then with all the draws and terrain that the winds and thermals bounce off of make mountain hunting a real challenge.


Earl in VA

[Jerry Jeffer]

Ben, I hunt in the mountains most of the time. I stay up near the top most of the time and the wind does what it wants up there. I usually base things on prevailing wind, or what seems to be dominant wind for that day. When hunting the lower slopes of mountains, then the things you mentioned come into play a bit more. (cooling and heating up etc.)

[twitchstick]

Always!

[jhg]

You have to. And local conditions are always variable- one slope will switch earlier than another, one might have a prevailing wind influence, and another may have frustrating quirks of down slopes within up slopes. I know one place I hunt with a diabolical sawing breeze that makes hunting the best wallow almost impossible no matter the time of day. The elk love it of course...
Having "local" knowlege can really enhance your success. Then you can plan a whole day around whats right at any given hour. You should be at what place at what time given where and when you began the day.
 Getting caught in a place that telegraphs you are there to a whole basin is not a very smart way to hunt obviously, but it can happen even to those who understand thermals in general, but do not know the local conditions.

Google Earth will never teach you anything about these little gems. Ground work ladies and gents. No substitution for it.

Enjoy the journey!

Joshua

[Roy Steele]

No matter where you live. As air warms it the morning it rises. And as it cools in the evening air comes down.

[Ragnarok Forge]

He who hunts the mountains and ignores the thermals and wind goes home empty handed. The  wind is always troublesome in the mountains.  Your hunts will live and die by using the winds to your advantage.  Be sure that the Elk and Deer use them every second of every day to avoid you.

[FerretWYO]

If you are hunting the mountians where I live you must hunt according to the air movment.

You have to learn every canyon and every hole and know what each wind will do in that area. You have to know how the morning and evening thermals change each draw.

[Blackhawk]

Climb in the early morning as the thermals move into your face. By mid morning or when it warms and the thermals switch, move laterally.

[FightingCelt]

I've taken 2 deer which were on the front edge of the upward thermal.  The first one was walking at the very edge of a lifting fog.  He would hesitate momentarly until the fog covered him and then he would move upward slightly and repeat the process again.  Both times I situated myself in a draw, predawn and waited for the thermal to change.  Bucks will bed in the hollow and then move upward as the day progresses. Works well for me.  As always...one must also consided the prevailing winds.  Good Luck
Regards...Thom

[Ben Maher]

thanks for the posts lads...
gives me something to chew on .

[Benny Nganabbarru]

When I climb up or down a creek bank, dam bank or little kopje, I get dizzy and short of breath!

What is this "mountain" concept you speak of?

[Ben Maher]

       

[Elksong]

Ben they are sort of the same thing only......Bigger!LOL.