I’ve came up with some questions reguarding thermals, wind direction, cold fronts, and hill country. I understand thermals rise in the AM and fall in the PM, but what happens if a cold front is moving in in the AM? I had this happen more than one time last year. I assume the thermals would be falling? What kind of elevation change allows the thermals to rise and fall? 20 feet? 40 feet? 80 feet? The more the elevation difference the better?
Interesting questions. I'm not a thermophysisist; but I'd have to think equally important to air temp is ground temp. I've felt thermals in my tree stand on otherwise flat ground with no other discernible wind.
I can see how that would work. Thermals are definitely more of a constant variable (or reliable) than wind direction, because wind can change with topography. I’m just trying to figure out a little more so I can eliminate days that I would burn up my good spots.
That's a good subject. The intensity of thermals are mostly determined by how rapidly the temperature changes, rise and fall....it can be a very slow, gradual process and it can be a very fast, rapid process. In the end, thermals do nothing but rise and fall. Anything other than that is a product of the wind or lack of. Mechanical turbulence creates shifts, horizontal/vertical eddies and vacuums. The height or size of an object is not as important as the severity of the angles created by the object. Some spots can be very complicated and technical. While other spots are pretty easy cut and dry.
that's why I try to put my stands at the edges of ridges- unless it's pretty breezy I know my scent is likely going to either shoot up and away or drift down and away. It's not an exact science and it's not foolproof; but it beats trying to beat the wind.
Found this article... you might find it as a good read. https://www.qdma.com/beat-bucks-nose-remember-thermals/
From my use of milkweed I have grown at home there is now plenty of it growing around the farm. All those powder wind direction gimmicks are okay but nothing like watching milkweed seed float for a hundred yards and then seeing where it is growing next spring..
That explain one of my stands almost exactly! I set it up 45 yards East of a bedding area at the bottom of a north facing ridge, on the edge of about an 8 foot ditch. I access the stand from the ditch that travels east and west at the bottom of the north facing ridge. That made the picture a little more clear for me. I didn’t think of the sun heating the top of the ridge first. My camera on top of this north facing ridge showed mature bucks moving in daylight hours late rut-post rut this past season. It’s risky getting in there on top of the ridge because it’s all the way at the back of the property, so I’m trying to strategize a plan to play the wind and thermals to not get busted on the ridge. Also, I’ve been staring at topo maps trying to pick out some possible bedding areas on public land. Thanks for the info everybody
