What did Bill Thompson say about Spartan Forge's thermals feature on Joe Rogan?

Bill Thompson told Joe Rogan that Spartan Forge was about to release a thermals tool, first on the web, that maps how scent drifts across a mountain. A hunter drops a pin, picks a date and time or historical weather, enters temperature and wind speed, and the engine models the air using high-resolution terrain and canopy cover. Thompson says misreading thermals is what ruins most whitetail and elk hunts, and that the tool is meant to be used at home so the phone stays in a pocket in the woods.

• Rogan explains the basics: cold morning air flows down a mountain, and warming ground sends it up, so hunters must approach from below early and get above animals later.
• Thompson says mapping his own whitetail spots showed why old bucks use certain routes, with wind funnelling into one spot.
• Thompson says he designs the app to give the most information for the fewest taps.

▸In their words

“This is what kills most hunters, is not understanding how thermals work” Bill Thompson · at 46:53 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Joe Rogan Experience (2026-10-21). Read the whole episode summary →

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