Thoughts on this buck bedding area?

[Mike]

These small thick patches with water are great for bucks early season. It appears the bucks in the pick are approaching from slight SW direction, and the red arrow area appears to be a low spot (almost a saddle)? It seems that high spots and low spots are preferred areas to enter cover, and if that is the case where that red arrow is, I would enhance that area a bit to make it their preferred access to the cover. Clean out the trail there and going into the beds, spray with herbicide. At the entrance make a couple nice mock scrapes and consider putting a rubbing tree/post. Perhaps start a mineral pile near that N pond if legal. Block off all the other entrance trails on that edge with brush or whatever you can find. Hunt within shooting range south of that enhanced trail with a N-NW wind.

This reminds me of a spot near my farm that usually holds a monster early season.

[Mike]

Also I would not hesitate to hunt this spot repeatedly if conditions are right. The nice thing about a small bedding area like this is the buck is either there or he isn't. If you are getting in early you will know if he came in that bedding area or not, and if he didn't there is little chance you messed anything up. Sometimes they are on a couple day rotation so the more you hunt there the higher your odds. If conditions were right (cooler temps, wind ok, preferably morning moons) I would hunting it morning after morning until he showed or got busted, but even if I got busted I would probably readjust and try again depending on camera info and sign.

[JoeRE]

Sounds like you have tried about everything I would have. Setting up on the ground would have been my first alternative too because you can get closer. This spring is the time to get in there and clear some small shooting lanes where you say it is too thick. That and if it is as thick as you say it should be not too hard to brush in the trails you don't want them using and concentrate them to only a couple entry/exit trails. The same goes for the beds you don't want them using. You have to remove as much variability in movement as possible if you need to hunt with an almost wrong wind.

Is water all over in there or is it concentrated around the pond? If its hot and dry they will need to drink and if they feel they are staying within the thick stuff they will probably not be so concerned about wind just to get a drink.

Know what they use for escape routes? If those are consistent I might try a nudge. Bow hunters don't tend to try that but it can work if its done slow enough. Have somebody slowly work the opposite edge if you know where they should move to. If they are used to being pushed they will try to run into the wind around here which creates extremely consistent escape movement. If they are not there very often that's low odds tho because its probably a one and done strategy.

[BassBoysLLP]

This reminds me of a spot I use to hunt several years ago before losing access. My best spots were holes I dug for different wind directions. It kept me low enough so I could use the ground vegetation for cover.

[binney59]

I was thinking that the best bet, if it is an option, would be a depression or hole in the field and a guille suit. may not be an option though.

I was at a hunting banquet this year and won a ghost blind, which is a mirrored blind. Initially I thought they were a joke and way too gimickey but the more I play around with it the more I actually like it. There are a few early season spots where I think it could be a great addition, especially for scouting. I can set up on the edge of a field and have deer feeding in the field without noticing a vehicle or a blind due to the reflection of whatever the vegetation is around me. I have not tried this yet so I am not sure if it will work as I plan it to, but if you know someone who has one that may be another outside the box option. Good luck!

[Ridgerunner7]

Good ideas, thanks everyone. I'll post about my hunts there this fall.