Contributors to this thread:
Not really sure how to ask this ... If I'm glassing from 300, 400, 500 yards - or even further up the side of the mountain, with just a few scattered trees below .. in the morning or evening, with virtually no wind, but the puff bottle shows the thermals are drifting downhill (as they should be).
The elk are coming out to feed, what is your experience as far as - at what point will they smell you - or have they smelled you?
Again, no wind, just downward thermals, is there a distance you are comfortable watching from and not worrying about being busted?
Thanks, Bob
They are strongest in the morning and I wouldn't be above them at that time if I didn't absolutely have to be.
What Bob said. I've been winded from thermals at 300 yards when I thought I was well off to the side and believed the thermal was pulling straight down into the valley.
They can travel sideways below you, following the terrain.
IMO scouting and hunting are the only way to half ass predict thermals.Putting in the time where you find elk scouting helps a ton. Benches, valleys, and parks are tough and almost always create a swirl. Elk love these areas for a reason. We hunt from the bottom up in the am. Trying to get as close to the bed as possible. Some times we try calling once close and some times we just sneak inn. I'm sure to catch some static over the bed deal, but we have had good luck with that tactic.
Junior has good points. One thing to remember is that the thermals in summer can differ from those in the fall when it's cooler in some areas.
I hunt all the way to the edge of the bedding areas too, and have had good luck calling bulls out early. But our wind goes totally to hell in the high basins by 9:00, so I always plan to be well away from the bedding areas by the time that happens.
FWIW...
#1 - there is absolutely no such thing as "no wind" in the mountains. Ever.
#2 - morning thermals seem to be more consistent than evening; has a lot to do with any hot-spots that haven't had a chance to cool yet.
#3 - thermals don't move very fast. So your scent will drift, but it may not get to where they are until after they've left.
Yeah, that sounds a little Yogi, but think about it.
One last thought.... If watching them from hundreds of yards away is close enough, then why not do it from father away if you can?
