Blue = creek
Red = access and Red X is tree stand
Pink X = deer beds along grassy areas or blow downs in creek
Green trails = deer trails
Yellow = CRP/chest high praire
Brown = wooded edge
Orange 50 yards across
Grey is wind direction
Black is trying to depict topography... the stand is roughly 75-100ft higher than lowest section of oxbow inside the creek
I had been getting pictures of the buck on multiple areas of the creek bottom which typically holds a fair # of does. I monitor this area with trailcams all season... he did not show up on camera until Oct 28th... I have cameras (4) of them peppered all over in strategic places that allow me to check when heading to stand sites (creek crossings) and the "funnel" stand that I shot him out of. By accessing through the water I'm able to hunt these stand location(s) multiple time(s) on the right wind direction(s). My wind blows out over the creek (or down the creek in other locals) and I try not to leave much of a foot print inside the oxbow. This particular buck was racing a doe around out in the CRP/praire depicted in yellow. Grunting up a storm... I saw the same thing happen last year on Nov 6th... this year it was Nov 7th! I grunted a few times and eventually snort wheezed at the chasing bucks (3) of them. The two little bucks immediately responded and came into the timber from the grass. About 15 mins later the doe popped out of the grass and also stood in the timber. I'm certain she heard my snort wheezes... I think she was hoping for a break with a challenging buck. She slowly worked over towards me and he followed to roughly a 27 yard shot. I heard a loud crack on impact ( last rib) and I think it was opperator error although he may have taken a step at release too... so I caught liver and the arrow was hanging out of him as he ran away. I could see right away I was too far back and I was not happy with myself. He bedded down on the ridge depicted in black with his mouth gaping open... I knew he was hurtn for certain. So, I sat and enjoyed the woods from 7:30AM until roughly 2:30PM before I got down. I slowly worked over to the impact site... no blood. I knew in my mind I should give it even more time so I went to my truck via the same route I accessed and dropped off my heavy bibs and outer wear. By 3:30PM I was back to the site of impact.... I walked foot over foot towards the spot he bedded with an arrow nocked. At the ridge top bedding site the buck had reached back and pulled the arrow out... this helped as now I had a blood trail. Although it was only a drip here and there.... I figured that after he got up he was going towards water in the creek and that is in fact where I found him. He was stiff as a board so I'm sure he was dead hours earlier.
In the past 3-4yrs creek bottoms have become my absolute favorite rut spots to hunt because the travel is so predictable and the access can be clean by using the water or hunting trails on the opposite side of the creek. When it is warm there is still activity with the available water, and usually in creeks that do not dry up does make them home year round as long as a food source is nearby. The bedding is also very predictable... see the pink Xs... those are areas that I have watched does and bucks bed when coming back to the creek in the AMs
