How to Hunt Bucks in Thermal Hubs w/ Parker McDonald

Show Notes

In this episode of the How to Hunt Deer podcast, Josh talks with Parker McDonald of the Southern Ground Hunting Podcast about hunting deer in thermal hubs. Thermal hubs are essentially areas where the thermals cause scent to collect. Bucks love to use these areas both for bedding and during the rut, as they provide security and the ability to scent check nearby doe bedding. But they can be really tricky to hunt without getting busted. So in this show, Parker explains how to put yourself in a position to stay undetected and take advantage of these buck magnets.

If you’re not familiar with Parker, he consistently gets on bucks on highly pressured public land in the deep south. Parker is one of those guys that thinks about hunting on a different level. He’s very analytical, he’s big on hunting terrain features, and he’s developed a style that works really well for him in big woods hill country settings. If you hunt the big woods in hill country, you know there are a lot of factors working against you. Hunting pressure, wind and thermals, low deer density, and more stack the odds against you. But Parker has made specific moves to deal with each of the variables that give lots of guys trouble. He uses water access to get away from pressure, he’s meticulous when it comes to hunting wind and thermals, and he puts himself in areas that hold pockets of deer in areas with an otherwise pretty sparse population.

If you hunt big woods, hill country, or just want to better understand how to hunt thermal hubs, this episode is for you.


Show Transcript