Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

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checkerfred
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Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:51 pm

I went of yesterday evening between the rain. Storms were coming in that night. Wind was SE and fairly strong. I thought I would go stalk hunt and do some scouting. I approached the tip of this ridge and had jumped does there before with a S or SE wind. I had seen buck droppings there several years ago but the brush and trees have changed.

So I approach the hill from below. Using the Pines in the upper left of the image for cover. I start up the hill and a huge wide rack deer jumps up and takes off. He wasn't moving super fast and I had time to shoulder my rifle and get a shot off. Unfortunately I missed.

I immediately started asking whys. Why was he bedded there with a SE wind? Then I noticed even with a SE WIND it was blowing from behind him. The point does have briar and decent cover but is somewhat open too. So I asked why was he bedded with more open space below? Why not in the woods further up the Ridge on one of those points to the SW of the map? Why didn't he smell me approaching by thermals. If I had been going slower I might have had a better shot.

I'm thinking with all the wind and the wet ground his hearing and vision was dismissed. So he bedded in some thick yet still open stuff. I'm also thinking the thermals were over powered by the wind plus the cloud cover kept them down. Still baffled why the SE wind had him there and swirled like it did.

Here's the topo. The topo does seem a little off. Seems like where he was is almost the top of the end of the Ridge but the topo shows more elevation there.

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Pic from bed. I couldn't pin point exactly where he was but he was somewhere in front of those little Pines to the right.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby Buckfever » Mon Jan 05, 2015 1:10 pm

He probably did smell you but held tight. He setup there because he's not subject to getting shot from above, might be open but he saw you before you saw him. Great visual, easy escape and up till yesterday evening that spot was probably largely neglected.

To quote Andrae " Because it works".
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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Mon Jan 05, 2015 1:47 pm

Buckfever wrote:He probably did smell you but held tight. He setup there because he's not subject to getting shot from above, might be open but he saw you before you saw him. Great visual, easy escape and up till yesterday evening that spot was probably largely neglected.

To quote Andrae " Because it works".


Thanks for the insight. That makes sense. Now, I wonder how long before he's back in that spot.. Or if he will at all. We had heavy rains so I assume it washed my ground scent away. I don't think I can come in from the top without him knowing. A SE wind is gonna pull to him and with the trees and brush I think he'll hear me. There is an old logging road up on top.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby mauser06 » Mon Jan 05, 2015 2:43 pm

check back on the hourly....did the wind shift from maybe north or northwest? sometimes the wind will shift and they will get lazy and stay put...or decide not to risk the move and stay put...


or...he is bedding there for his advantages of sight....i see that a lot around here...


many of the buck beds ive came across through the years have good sight....and usually decent cover behind them...not always though...



you wonder WHY...and thats GREAT...


but you were SHOWN why....like was said...it WORKS...and he proved it...he made it out of that bed alive...



sneaking up on a bedded buck...especially a good one, is a challenge...days like that are GREAT for it though if you know where to find them and have the patience to sneak in to make the kill...


ive done it once...and it was more like your hunt...a gut feeling that one would be up there...i went in ready like a swat guy...rifle at the lowered ready on my shoulder but not completely pointed...he sprang up from his bed 15-20 yards away....unfortunately for him my bullet found its mark and i dropped him...

i see a lot more of that in my future...not necessarily jump shooting them...but taking my archery season knowledge and scouting etc and sneaking into their bedrooms when conditions allow...i get a BIG kick out of sneaking into a deers bedroom and killing it by hunting it down...not sitting and waiting for him to get up...i dont know why...ive always had a thing for it...its the ultimate hunt in my book...and i know killing older bucks like that isnt easy...they got old because they learned to survive by bedding where they can survive...


what im finding the more i "study" buck beds is there are no absolutes...just because someone says they bed with the wind to their back doesnt mean they ALL do...or they ALWAYS do...


i pushed a old beast to my dad a couple seasons back...dad hunted from his spot till 8 or 9 am up on the ridge watching a bench and point...i walked the creek bottom upto dad...i cant remember the wind...but that buck was bedded within 100yds of my dad and pretty much had to be there the entire morning...he didnt know dad was there because he ran up the hill towards him...i caught him bedded from the creek bottom...when i raised my rifle he took off..he knew the gig was up...lucky for him i filled my buck tag already...unlucky for him dad had his buck tag...

i wish i knew the wind...it could have been to his back but slightly off blowing dads scent just to the side of him..im not sure...and its a bottleneck valley so the wind is always goofy in there....


your buck may go right back to that bed...ive seen that before...they know it works and arent really bothered by a human encounter they escaped from...others dont stop running for 4 days and are never seen again....just depends on the buck i guess...


good luck!
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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Mon Jan 05, 2015 3:25 pm

mauser06 wrote:check back on the hourly....did the wind shift from maybe north or northwest? sometimes the wind will shift and they will get lazy and stay put...or decide not to risk the move and stay put...


or...he is bedding there for his advantages of sight....i see that a lot around here...


many of the buck beds ive came across through the years have good sight....and usually decent cover behind them...not always though...



you wonder WHY...and thats GREAT...


but you were SHOWN why....like was said...it WORKS...and he proved it...he made it out of that bed alive...



sneaking up on a bedded buck...especially a good one, is a challenge...days like that are GREAT for it though if you know where to find them and have the patience to sneak in to make the kill...


It was a rush for sure. I just wish I had been at the ready like you. I won't make that mistake again. I'm already considering reflex optics just for this sort of thing lol. I feel like with that same wind again unless he catches my thermals and bolts, I can circle around and use those Pines for cover. Then sneak in slow. He can't see all around which is good for me. I've also thought about getting someone to help me out and pinch him. I'm gonna check this spot during the off season. Maybe even set a cam and leave it.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Mon Jan 05, 2015 3:36 pm

Well if weather underground is correct. The morning started with an E wind and fluctuated to NE. Then at about noon it moved to SE. Switching again at about 2 to E NE.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby mauser06 » Mon Jan 05, 2015 4:17 pm

Sights are a personal thing...


The biggest thing is learn to shoot both eyes open if you don't..ai say that because 95% of hunters close 1 eye...

I know my shooting abilities and limitations and know my weapons...I know if a critter is cookin too fast for the shot..

I shoot both eyes open and can pull up my gun and know the bullet is going where I want it too just by feel...

When walking my scope is usually set at 2.5-4x.

Knowing yourself and your weapon is huge...my buddy has missed like 10x with his flintlock in 3 or 4 days...I fired mine 3 times and have a buck and 2 doe to show for it...the difference? I know that to accurately shoot my rifle I personally need a decent rest...deer within 75yds and not running...my buddy hasn't caught on yet...he throws lead round balls through the forest...


That's another tactic is to figure out his escape route and have someone bump him out to you....if he's there...


Knowing where they bed opens up a variety of tactics...I think some guys get caught up on certain things and trap themselves inside a box...

Dan once crawled through a marsh into a bucks bedroom...I think Thanksgiving Day...killed him with a shotgun...can't remember if I read it here or in his videos...

But like I said...a old buck got old by surviving....sneaking into his bed room ain't easy...

The more you can learn and understand about a particular bed the better...

I found a bed last winter...wide open point...classic buck rubs in the bed on the only 3 saplings there...classic J hook trail leading to it...

I scratched my head and wondered why the heck he was there 3 nights ago or whatever it was..I could tell by the snowfall....I knew it should been a SE wind for that bed and SE is a very odd wind for here...I checked wunderground and sure enough the night I said he was there based on the evidence it was the right wind...


I have a lot to learn...but I find it completely fascinating...snow really helps me understand the how's and why's...and connecting the dots...

Finding a buck bed and learning from it is steps in the right direction!

Good luck!

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Tue Jan 06, 2015 11:38 am

Yeah I remember reading Dan's story on that buck. I'm not skilled enough yet to figure something like that out lol. I'm thinking about checking periodically on different winds if he's in there. It would be risky but that may be the only way to know.

I'm just wondering if he was bedded there due to the wind and rain or if this is his primary bedding. There were no rubs around. In the hard woods on a dry day he can use sight smell and sound. He couldn't do that Saturday. Smell and sight was his only advantage and that area gave him that.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby dan » Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:12 pm

The assumed wind for that bed would be a wind coming from the N.W. But, I have seen scenario's like this before, and for sure there is a reason he is bedding there on a S.E. wind.

My assumption would be that the wind blowing from the S.E. is hitting the hill and wall of trees at the top and deflecting towards the bed allowing the buck to smell from multiple directions...

In a lot of cases, when I find a bed that is being used by a mature buck but don't make sense, I can drop milkweed from any direction around the bed and watch the air currents pull it there.

The only way to know if he is spooked to bad to come back is to give it a try... He is either still bedding there, or not. Give it a hunt and find out. If not, remember that spot for next season.
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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:28 pm

dan wrote:The assumed wind for that bed would be a wind coming from the N.W. But, I have seen scenario's like this before, and for sure there is a reason he is bedding there on a S.E. wind.

My assumption would be that the wind blowing from the S.E. is hitting the hill and wall of trees at the top and deflecting towards the bed allowing the buck to smell from multiple directions...

In a lot of cases, when I find a bed that is being used by a mature buck but don't make sense, I can drop milkweed from any direction around the bed and watch the air currents pull it there.

The only way to know if he is spooked to bad to come back is to give it a try... He is either still bedding there, or not. Give it a hunt and find out. If not, remember that spot for next season.


Thanks Dan. Would you go back in on the exact same wind? My problem will be access. I'll have to come from below the Ridge but further to the west the walk down toward the bed. Two other people hunt that too. It's private and not my land. So I'm not sure how he'll react to other people going in. I know someone has been on the logging road on top of the Ridge because the put up a scrape dripper.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby dan » Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:55 pm

On the same wind, I would get there a couple hours before sun-up, come in from the north, set up high in a tree at the yellow dot, and wait for the buck to come back j-hooking to his bed to get down wind. Being it is wide open to the north, I sispect he is not coming from there. Doubt he is coming from the East, and if he comes from the West or south he will j-hook at the edge of the cover where the yellow dot is before entering the bed. I would be willing to bet he comes right thru there if he beds there on that wind.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby PK_ » Tue Jan 06, 2015 1:35 pm

Well I wish you dropped him man, and I hope you get another crack at him.

I missed a good buck yesterday too. I set up on saturday evening and watched him come out of his bed at last light. It was agonizing as he was sticking to the thick stuff and I could not for the life of me get him in the scope. Sunday morning here he come back on the same trail in the opposite direction at 8am. I settled the crosshairs and squeezed, his immediate reaction did not look like he was touched. He turned and ran back the way he came. I sat there confused for about 30 minutes and decided to go look for blood or hair. I made some noise when I went to climb down and he busted out from behind me only 20 yards. He circled all the way around me and when he ran he bolted right to his bed, which was a small island in the swamp. So even though he knew I was hunting there less than 150 yards from the bed, that is where he wanted to be…

So if I were you I would definitely give that bed another try.
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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Wed Jan 07, 2015 2:00 pm

PalmettoKid wrote:Well I wish you dropped him man, and I hope you get another crack at him.

I missed a good buck yesterday too. I set up on saturday evening and watched him come out of his bed at last light. It was agonizing as he was sticking to the thick stuff and I could not for the life of me get him in the scope. Sunday morning here he come back on the same trail in the opposite direction at 8am. I settled the crosshairs and squeezed, his immediate reaction did not look like he was touched. He turned and ran back the way he came. I sat there confused for about 30 minutes and decided to go look for blood or hair. I made some noise when I went to climb down and he busted out from behind me only 20 yards. He circled all the way around me and when he ran he bolted right to his bed, which was a small island in the swamp. So even though he knew I was hunting there less than 150 yards from the bed, that is where he wanted to be…

So if I were you I would definitely give that bed another try.


Thanks Palmetto! That's a tough break too...at least yours was not just from a bad shot on your part. Either way it's a miss though. Hopefully you'll get another crack at a good one too. I'm gonna try and setup just like Dan said later this week when we get another SE wind.

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby checkerfred » Wed Jan 07, 2015 2:03 pm

dan wrote:On the same wind, I would get there a couple hours before sun-up, come in from the north, set up high in a tree at the yellow dot, and wait for the buck to come back j-hooking to his bed to get down wind. Being it is wide open to the north, I sispect he is not coming from there. Doubt he is coming from the East, and if he comes from the West or south he will j-hook at the edge of the cover where the yellow dot is before entering the bed. I would be willing to bet he comes right thru there if he beds there on that wind.

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Wow... Never would have thought to do this! My only access would be from the road below your wind direction arrow. It starts right above that house and goes North. Think it would work to follow that road and then hook around to the yellow dot?

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Re: Off-wind Hill Bedding - Missed Huge Buck

Unread postby dan » Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:52 pm

Wow... Never would have thought to do this! My only access would be from the road below your wind direction arrow. It starts right above that house and goes North. Think it would work to follow that road and then hook around to the yellow dot?

yep


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