Rut buck bedding on west facing slopes.

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Tennhunter3
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Rut buck bedding on west facing slopes.

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Wed Mar 11, 2015 3:09 am

I have noticed during the rut I have found 3 buck beds on the west facing slopes all downwind of doe bedding or fields. The black dot is doe bedding red is bed I'm using this map in Lbl as example. [url=http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/jefftyler77/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-03/8409AC80-87A6-46B1-92A0-1061D9BAF366_zpsreoubizd.jpg.html]Image[/. It seems I only see this near the end of the rut. All had rubs in the bed area. I understand the bucks wanting to downwind check these doe bedding areas. But why sacrifice the Lee slope couldn't they bed on the Lee side below the does to wind check also?After scouting I've found 3 of these same setups in different areas. I'm assuming he is winding behind him laying facing east using his eyes to scan for danger. But the thermals are wrong for his setup since they aren't being pulled from the east he is making a mistake in this scenerio. Are these single beds smaller bucks. Since finding one of these I've been thinking but now that I have found 3 there has to be a pattern.

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Last edited by Tennhunter3 on Wed Mar 11, 2015 3:32 am, edited 2 times in total.


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PK_
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Re: Rut buck bedding on west facing slopes.

Unread postby PK_ » Wed Mar 11, 2015 3:21 am

I could see the wind funneling down that valley creating a vacuum pulling the wind in the bucks favor on a lower point like that.

That is just a guess...

I hunt a small valley like that and the bucks will bed on either side on any wind. It gets so swirly down there it doesn't matter. As long as they are to the bottom of the top 3rd or lower.

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Zona
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Re: Rut buck bedding on west facing slopes.

Unread postby Zona » Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:34 am

I also hunt a very similar spot and the wind will actually roll up over the ridge where the doe are bedded, over to and down the ridge to the buck bed making a big tunnel effect. Go in there next time the wind is right with some milk weed seeds and see what the wind is doing at the buck bed.
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Stanley
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Re: Rut buck bedding on west facing slopes.

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:39 am

Zona wrote:I also hunt a very similar spot and the wind will actually roll up over the ridge where the doe are bedded, over to and down the ridge to the buck bed making a big tunnel effect. Go in there next time the wind is right with some milk weed seeds and see what the wind is doing at the buck bed.

You really need to do this so you understand what the wind & thermals are doing in every situation. Sometimes we think we are down wind when we are really not.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.


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