I have been bowhunting for a little while and this will be my 4th year. I have no problem getting up and very close to game but I have been hearing about thermals on the hunting shows. First of all can I ask what they are and how can I use it to my advantage this year? Thanks and good luck to all this year!
How to use thermals to my advantage while hunting?
- Thread starter velvetfvr
- Start date
Ok dude. With all of your knowlage of bow hunting I'm very surprised you know know this!
Alright here it goes! Everyone sit down before you read this and pay Attention!!!!
Thermals are best used when it's cold outside! Use the Polar Weight when it's REAL cold and a light weight when not so much. Oh and you should get the RED ones with the flap on the butt so when you stick that monster buck at 80 yards you won't Shizz yourself!
Hope this helps!
So easy I can't help it B-)
Just pullin your chain dude!
I'm sure you will get some very USEFULL info from someone that can answer your question better then myself.
Muleys 24/7
Veteran member
Haha, at first I was like what the f? and then I got it? That's funnyOk dude. With all of your knowlage of bow hunting I'm very surprised you know know this!
Alright here it goes! Everyone sit down before you read this and pay Attention!!!!
Thermals are best used when it's cold outside! Use the Polar Weight when it's REAL cold and a light weight when not so much. Oh and you should get the RED ones with the flap on the butt so when you stick that monster buck at 80 yards you won't Shizz yourself!
Hope this helps!
So easy I can't help it B-)
To the OP, I think nothing good can come from a thermal, when the wind swirls.....how would you be able to use that to your advantage?
That is funny! I was hoping no one would catch it! Your a sharp guy!Ok dude. With all of your knowlage of bow hunting I'm very surprised you know know this!
Alright here it goes! Everyone sit down before you read this and pay Attention!!!!
Thermals are best used when it's cold outside! Use the Polar Weight when it's REAL cold and a light weight when not so much. Oh and you should get the RED ones with the flap on the butt so when you stick that monster buck at 80 yards you won't Shizz yourself!
Hope this helps!
So easy I can't help it B-)
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Well I hear all the big hunting guys like the eastmans say it so I thought I was missing something and thought it was a technique to better my odds.Haha, at first I was like what the f? and then I got it? That's funny
To the OP, I think nothing good can come from a thermal, when the wind swirls.....how would you be able to use that to your advantage?
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Drhorsepower
Veteran member
You need to take a weather class my friend. It is very informative in tons of ways...
Ikic, that's some funny stuff right there.
Ikic, that's some funny stuff right there.
In "Elk Hunting the West" by Mike Eastman describes thermals. My understanding is that as the cold air meets with warm air creates the dreaded swirling wind. This happens mainly in the morning and afternoons. I have had my share of stalks busted by swirling wind. I have heard that swirling wind can work for your advantage by keeping the animal guessing where you real are but I have had only negative experiences with swirling wind.
cold air sinks warm air rises. depending on terrain and a natural breeze it will b diff. calm wind there wont be much swirlling going on unless it goes from 35 to 60 digrees in a couple minutes, which doesnt happen. thermals happen every morning and night with the sun. in steep forested terrain ull actualy feel it. good luck man.
Well said ivorytip, you can actually play the thermals like that to your advantage. Of course, things can happen and wind will swirl but the you can add this knowledge to your hunting arsenal, they are that dependable.
Darktimber
Member
Thermals on a typical mountain range go down in the morning and up from late morning through evening. As the evening approaches, the air starts to cool and settle, sinking down the mountain. It continues on this pattern until about midmorning when the sun warms air causing it to start to rise again. Think hot air balloon. Hot air rises, cool air sinks. Thermals are a very important thing to know in the high country. They can make or break a stalk and a strong thermal can push hard against wind direction, causing the dreaded swirl. Hope this helped a bit.
my biggest weapon against thermals and wind change is cover scents. not scent elimenators, but cover scents. u allways produce ur scent no matter what u have on each time u breathe. use a scent from ur area ur hunting, pine, sage, oak, accorn, earth. pine and earth are my favs and works amazingly even surprisingly well even when the winds change. personaly i think sometimes the winds change toward ur stalked game and u atomatically freak out and i think the game sinces that before ur scent and spooks. may not be true but its worked for me.
BOHNTR
Very Active Member
Thermal air flow has been described fairly accurate in Darktimber's post above, IMO. I'll only add two things: In steep, broken terrain, thermals can be re-directed as different air temperatures are encountered as it rises or sinks. This is what creates "swirling"........unfortunately, most good mule deer terrain is in broken and steep terrain. With that in mind, the most success I've had stalking bedded high-country bucks has been between 11:30am to 2:30 PM, as the thermals are generally the most consistent. However, partly cloudy skies, and shadowed cuts and canyons (which create cooler air) can still cause inconsistent air flow, causing havoc on an approaching bowhunter. It's truly what makes stalking high-country mule deer with a bow a supreme challenge. Good luck and I hope you stick a good one!
Drhorsepower
Veteran member
Another thing to mention is where you live there is a thing called washoe zephyr foehn winds. Check it out, you can take a class up at the college. In the mean time, try finding s-190 and s-290 classes on YouTube. They are wildland fire weather classes and you can tailor them to hunting needs. Very informative and cover the basics.
goindeep
Member
- May 9, 2011
- 108
- 0
Pay attention to the thermals in the area you are hunting, they can vary in time depending on weather patterns and the type of country you are hunting, desert or high country. Sometimes on a really hot day in the desert you only have an hour or so of downward thermals to make a move or you'll have to wait for a couple hours until the upward thermals take over. In the high country it can take till noon or later for it to warm up enough to have a consistent upward draft. There's always a couple of hours in the morning and evening where the thermals are fighting each other causing the wind to swirl. A strong prevailing wind will also mess up a good thermal wind. Knowing how the thermals work in your area and the weather can be important in knowing when (if at all) you should attempt a stalk.