My trick is to hike to mid slope in the dark and then hunt up the canyon with the wind in my face staying at appx the same elevation so the up and down thermals are generally overpowered by the down thermal of the canyon in general.

About 9 or 10:00 the mid slope thermals will be shifting to a generally up canyon breeze and the upper slope thermals will be going up but the down in the canyon thermals nearer the creek will still be going down.

By 11 or 12 all the thermals should be going generally up canyon and up slope, unless you are on a very shady N or NE slope with a creek on it where it stays much cooler than the surrounding country. I generally still hunt these areas during the afternoon from below or mid slope and from up canyon.

Short answer, don' t waste your time hunting elk with the wind at your back.
On the flip slide it is very possible to smell elk if you have the wind at your face,
if you detect a strong elk smell it is worth investigating, a herd of elk has a very strong distinct odor.