mountain thermals

[Wyogstew1]

no doubt knowing the wind direction is very important when stalking an animal. what are the typical thermal directions of the wind? it seems to me that they typically go down in the morning and up in the afternoon. is that right, or do i have it backwards? a week from now i will be hunting deer in Nv 114,115 and i have a group of five bucks pegged and want to make sure of this before i head out. thanks guys and as always...


Happy Hunting

 

[3blade]

down in the morning and up in the afternoon is pretty much right. But...we can refine this a little more. In the evening as the shadows begin to creep upon the land and the temperature begins to drop the wind will begin to swirl at some point before it shifts the other direction. This usually happens with an hour or so of shooting light left and the swirling can last quite a while as the wind can't seem to make up its mind which way it wants to blow. The same thing happens in the morning and depending on the area the wind might not get stable until 11am or so in some cases. So if I have watched a buck bed down in the morning I like to wait until noon before I start my stalk. Evenings find me catching animals going to water or feed for the most part and I try to set up the wind so it ends up cross wise when it shifts. Seems to work, the last few animals I have taken have been in the evening.

 

[Wyogstew1]

sounds good, thanks a lot.


Happy Hunting

 

[Lien2]

I think you both have it wrong. As the ground heats up, air raises. So thermals will go up in the morning as the temp increases, down in the evening as the temp decreases.

Lien2

 

[junior]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-13-07 AT 01:41PM (MST)[p]Mountain breezes and valley breezes are due to a combination of differential heating and geometry. When the sun rises, it is the tops of the mountain peaks which receive first light, and as the day progresses, the mountain slopes take on a greater heat load than the valleys. This results in a temperature inequity between the two, and as warm air rises off the slopes, cool air moves up out of the valleys to replace it. This upslope wind is called a valley breeze. The opposite effect takes place in the afternoon, as the valley radiates heat. The peaks, long since cooled[vague], transport air into the valley in a process that is partly gravitational and partly convective and is called a mountain breeze.
That is if you are on the east side of the mountain...lmao

 

[proutdoors]

Good rule of thumb, hot air rises and cold air sinks. As the temperture warms up the thermals will go up. Be careful during the transition from downward thermals to upward thermals, this is when the wind will most likely swirl and end your stalk. I check the air flow so often, I go thru a bottle every couple of days.

PRO