We’ve all been there. Wake up early, get in the stand undetected, sit quietly for 2 hours only to have a mature doe circle down wind and instantly alert the entire area of your presence. Often, two culprits give away your location: visual movement and scent. 

Scent control and wind direction have been essential elements of hunting since the Stone Age. The ongoing chess game between a hunter and their prey is a significant reason why many of us enjoy the pursuit of wild game. The question that we are all asking is how to maximize our opportunities during the limited hunting season and the rutting period? One of the fastest-growing methods for concealment and scent control is thermal hubs. 

Thermal Hubs are locations that funnel wind and thermal currents through the land’s natural topography. Whitetails often utilize thermal hubs because they offer an additional sense of security as the wind funnels scent and amplifies the ability to identify a threat. 

Mapping software is critical to finding these thermal hubs and optimizing your time in the field. You can find these funnels Using the Moultrie App and the topo map layer. You’ll start by looking for “fingers” of topography, often found in the hilly countryside or near water sources. Once you identify these fingers in the app, place pins on each point of interest for trail camera placement and identify your point of entry. Remember, scent control is critical even during a scouting phase. Water access can be a great advantage to keeping your scent to a minimum and leaving much of your property undisturbed.  

Thermal hubs are common locations for rutting activity and are often areas where you will find beneficial signs like community scraps. These are core areas where running cellular trail cameras allows you to get intel on a greater number of deer in the surrounding area while eliminating the need to go in and collect SD cards, disturb potential hunt locations and pushing deer out. Thermal hubs offer protection to deer and often serve as key travel corridors since scent is typically swirling or centralizing to singular locations. 

Hunting thermal hubs is one of the more difficult things to do with their notorious swirling winds. Using Moultrie’s In App Weather Feature, you can look for days when the winds are generally calm and will be critical to controlling your scent and remaining undetected. These hubs are often associated with rivers, creeks, or other water-based features. Using a canoe, kayak, or even a small boat with an electric trolling motor is a great alternative to walking into your spot. Water sources will create downward thermals as the water can have drastically different temperatures than the air and create its own thermal currents. Using this to your advantage, you can use the water not only as a scent-free point of entrance, but to position your hunting location to strategically draw your scent away from key travel routes, which can keep you undetected by even the most mature bucks. 

We aren’t fortune tellers, but if you play your cards right, then these thermal hubs can be hot beds for success. Keep your area clear of unnecessary pressure (shameless plug for running some EDGE 2 Series Cell Cams) and wait for the perfect conditions to hunt your area, using Game Plan. The odds of seeing your target buck are going to skyrocket. Using natural elements and topography to your advantage will give you a leg up in pursuing that target buck. It’s important to be acutely aware of what is happening around you while you hunt, check wind and thermals often, always be prepared for that split second when your shooter walks through at 17 yards.  

Q: How do thermals affect deer hunting? 
A: Hunting thermals are important because rising or falling air currents carry a hunter's scent, which deer use to detect danger and navigate terrain. 

Q: When is the best time to hunt a thermal hub? 
A: The best time to hunt a thermal hub is early morning when thermals rise, or late evening when thermals fall, as deer are likely to move through these areas. 

Q: What causes thermal hubs? 
A: Thermal hubs are caused by the natural movement of air as it rises and falls in response to temperature changes in the landscape, converging in terrain features like bowls, creek bottoms, or saddles, and creating a hub where multiple air currents meet. This consistent scent movement makes thermal hubs ideal locations for deer to travel, as they can use the air currents to detect predators and navigate safely.