Military crest?

[tim]

Joe is spot on with his observations with what I’ve seen. Those big boys are usually a bit lower than the rest. I’m hunting a farm now though that not only follows this pattern but they also have a worn down hog trail a third of the way up the hill from the bottom. I’ve never seen such a distinct hog trail like this one that follows this elevation the entire hillside. Next season I’m going to attempt to hunt it

[JoeRE]

Joe is spot on with his observations with what I’ve seen. Those big boys are usually a bit lower than the rest. I’m hunting a farm now though that not only follows this pattern but they also have a worn down hog trail a third of the way up the hill from the bottom. I’ve never seen such a distinct hog trail like this one that follows this elevation the entire hillside. Next season I’m going to attempt to hunt it

Just an idea Tim try hunting down low there with a screaming hard wind coming across the top. It creates a vacuum and sucks your scent up. You can set up just above the trail and nothing can wind you. That's one of the few conditions I can pull off a consistently safe real low leeward side hill sit....have really keyed in on that condition the last few years and am having success with it. So if its an east face, try it with a screaming westerly wind. Deer will be using that area even more to stay sheltered in those conditions anyway. Still can be swirly depending on terrain but its worth testing out.

[tim]

Thanks joe that’s what I was thinking but wasn’t sure how early to get in the spot. Do you wait until the thermals kick in . In other words when the sun hits the valley floor in my valley those thermals start sucking up the hill. On this farm that hillside is north facing and barely gets any sun all day and when it does it’s pretty late. Will it matter as much on a super windy day?

[mathews418]

Is it possible or common for the crest to be much lower than the 1/3 elevation line?

[JoeRE]

Thanks joe that’s what I was thinking but wasn’t sure how early to get in the spot. Do you wait until the thermals kick in . In other words when the sun hits the valley floor in my valley those thermals start sucking up the hill. On this farm that hillside is north facing and barely gets any sun all day and when it does it’s pretty late. Will it matter as much on a super windy day?

I usually find a hard wind overrides any falling thermals. Air is rising the whole time day or night on those leeward slopes when theres 20+ MPH wind blowing across the ridge above.

My buddy who came to hunt with me this year, I put him on a low travel route and bedding like that. It was a SE slope and we had a screaming NW wind 25-30 mph, 30 degree temps. I wouldn't have hunted up on the ridge exposed on that wind for anything, but down where he was there was just a gentle draft pulling up the whole time. In fact it was going straight up the tree toward that high speed stream of air passing by over top the ridge (fast moving air is lower pressure, that is why it gets pulled up), kept dropping milkweed and none ever touched the ground all morning, even at first light. Literally nothing on the ground could smell us other than ground scent walking in. The stronger the wind the better for those kind of hunts. I would recommend going in there this winter or spring and testing out what a hard wind does down there because those spots can still be finicky. Winds get channeled up and down valleys too and do weird stuff cuz of that. Good luck!

[dan]

It would have to be a pretty hard wind... I seem to get busted everytime I try to beat the thermals. I would be more inclined to make a quick move when they change. My main problem has been wind seems to calm right at the point in the evening when the switch occurs. So even with a high set, my scent seems to drop straight down. I have been trying to pay more attention to hourly predictions that include wind speed and look what the speed is for the last hour, that's what really matters.

I have noticed some of the larger bucks being lower on the hills.

[dan]

Is it possible or common for the crest to be much lower than the 1/3 elevation line?

1/3 is not a rule, its "most of the time"... Sure it can be lower, higher, or spread out in some cases.

[tim]

Joe I have a camera in that valley right under the trail in a pinch point right now and have had it there past 2 months I’m going to be checking past wind data and temps to see if there’s any correlation when they drop down through there the most also . It’s one of those spots that is so awesome but has to be hunted correctly or it won’t happen.ive had lots of bucks hit a mock scrape I put down there for inventory but now I wanna capitalize on it. I swore off valleys years ago but this spot there’s something about it lol

[JoeRE]

Yea I am talking a very hard sustained wind, usually right on the back side of a front. Not just gusty that just causes back and forth swirl. 20mph or so sustained with gusts even higher. It doesn't happen very often. I would also add am pretty sure it only happens with big steep hills/bluffs, rolling hills are different. I've been able to find situations like that just often enough to know there is something consistent going on. That hunt I described above, my buddy killed a mature 9 point. He had a total of 3 bucks and 1 doe within bow range over the course of several hours and none winded him. Tim you are spot on with strategy, let that camera tell you the best conditions for next year, then test out some weather conditions this winter or spring and see what works.

I think I did a writeup on this situation a couple years ago on here but can't find it....was a post about bedding on low benches.

[tim]

I hear ya joe about the bluff having to be steep. That’s what I’m dealing with in Vernon county as a matter of fact this might be the steepest one I hunt and probably why it’s getting used the way it is.