Big woods

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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headgear
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby headgear » Sat Nov 21, 2015 1:47 am

ihook I have to disagree a bit, I don't discount what you are seeing, there is plenty of that going on but again in the bigwoods you have to think big. Sometimes the bedding and feeding areas are one and the same and can get fairly large but they do have preferred areas. In other places I hunt (still bigwoods but not quit canada) bedding is a little more defined. Bucks still have preferred bedding areas, the wolves push them around sure but they are bedding for safety so while it can sometimes be random most of the time they pic a location for a reason. When the rut kicks in they are moving more too and have to cover larger areas so it can be hard to pin one down if he can cover one area and move on to the next a mile away. Low deer numbers make it much harder too.

All I really know is I have seen and shot more bucks scouting/hunting buck beds than every before. The tactics are solid in any location but you have to apply them to the land you hunt, there can be subtle differences.


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Re: Big woods

Unread postby olivertractor » Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:38 am

headgear wrote:ihook I have to disagree a bit, I don't discount what you are seeing, there is plenty of that going on but again in the bigwoods you have to think big. Sometimes the bedding and feeding areas are one and the same and can get fairly large but they do have preferred areas. In other places I hunt (still bigwoods but not quit canada) bedding is a little more defined. Bucks still have preferred bedding areas, the wolves push them around sure but they are bedding for safety so while it can sometimes be random most of the time they pic a location for a reason. When the rut kicks in they are moving more too and have to cover larger areas so it can be hard to pin one down if he can cover one area and move on to the next a mile away. [glow=red]Low deer numbers make it much harder too[/glow].

All I really know is I have seen and shot more bucks scouting/hunting buck beds than every before. The tactics are solid in any location but you have to apply them to the land you hunt, there can be subtle differences.


This is what I'm seeing that even Primo bedding areas have been void since there's so many less bucks last few years.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby justin84 » Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:46 am

It's a tough game up there for sure. What I do know is there are a decent number of bucks, of various ages, in the areas I hunt near the Vilas/Oneida county border. I usually have a couple of cameras up all summer and am never disappointed with what I see.

I've tried to apply many of the tactics learned here in the last year or so, but have had limited success so far. Previously I was just hunting whatever trails, rubs and scrapes I could find. I know I am getting closer, but it is tough because they have so many areas to go. Every spot I pick on a map that looks good is good. There are beds, some old some new. Trails, scat, rubs, scrapes, the whole nine yards. I find them so often but rarely see the deer in person.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby stash59 » Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:06 am

Aerials are a great starting place. Topos are essential if you have decent elevation changes. Often overlooked are the county GIS maps. Because most northwoods counties have some form of timber industry. A map showing different landcover vegatation types can be found. The DNR site for Michigan also has these.

Depending on the type of program the county uses. It may take clicking on different tools to find them. At first the maps look confusing. Just a bunch of different colors. Using the key and studying them. It gets easier. I often zoom in to a smaller area. That I know corresponds to what I've pulled up on Google earth. Then print it off. So I don't have to switch back and forth between the 2.

Find out favorite foods for the deer in your area. Maples are usually one of them for instance. Look on the landcover maps for maples. Even large mature ones. Then find where they transition with more open areas. Especially on the southern exposures young saplings that deer can reach for food can be found. Finding out where the food sources are this way saves alot of guessing and leg work.

Use the time toggle on Google earth. Find a photo from the fall. The contrast from this time combined with the landcover maps helps you see where and what these different vegetation types look like. Also look for hard transitions. Like Mature trees to marsh like the Marsh Bucks video. But also look for soft transitions. Like changes in mature but different species of trees. Or different age classes of trees. Like aspens. Though trails may be light to nonexistent. Transitions are usually travel corridors.

Also look for ponds and beaver dams. Deer often use these to have a way to block access to beds from one direction. Look up threads by Singing Bridge for great info on this.

If your area doesn't have alot of plant diversity. Any little bit of something different could be easier for you to key in on. Rather than trying to cover thousands of acres of the same thing. Or you may even find a different area that has more diversity and move there instead.

If you can get to your area now.Buck sign is fresh and easier to see than in spring. The 1st snow would allow you to find tracks. Follow any large ones. The deer should still be in a fall pattern. Not Migrated to wintering yards that are common in the north.

None of this is easy. And it takes time. But it should provide knowledge and lead to results. Be patient. You probably won't figure every thing out in 1 year.

Good luck and have fun.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby cedarsavage » Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:16 am

headgear wrote:ihook I have to disagree a bit, I don't discount what you are seeing, there is plenty of that going on but again in the bigwoods you have to think big. Sometimes the bedding and feeding areas are one and the same and can get fairly large but they do have preferred areas. In other places I hunt (still bigwoods but not quit canada) bedding is a little more defined. Bucks still have preferred bedding areas, the wolves push them around sure but they are bedding for safety so while it can sometimes be random most of the time they pic a location for a reason. When the rut kicks in they are moving more too and have to cover larger areas so it can be hard to pin one down if he can cover one area and move on to the next a mile away. Low deer numbers make it much harder too.

All I really know is I have seen and shot more bucks scouting/hunting buck beds than every before. The tactics are solid in any location but you have to apply them to the land you hunt, there can be subtle differences.


Good to know, I always thought they were pretty random for movement but all of my big woods hunting was done before I started hunting dans style.

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Re: Big woods

Unread postby cedarsavage » Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:18 am

stash59 wrote:Aerials are a great starting place. Topos are essential if you have decent elevation changes. Often overlooked are the county GIS maps. Because most northwoods counties have some form of timber industry. A map showing different landcover vegatation types can be found. The DNR site for Michigan also has these.

Depending on the type of program the county uses. It may take clicking on different tools to find them. At first the maps look confusing. Just a bunch of different colors. Using the key and studying them. It gets easier. I often zoom in to a smaller area. That I know corresponds to what I've pulled up on Google earth. Then print it off. So I don't have to switch back and forth between the 2.

Find out favorite foods for the deer in your area. Maples are usually one of them for instance. Look on the landcover maps for maples. Even large mature ones. Then find where they transition with more open areas. Especially on the southern exposures young saplings that deer can reach for food can be found. Finding out where the food sources are this way saves alot of guessing and leg work.

Use the time toggle on Google earth. Find a photo from the fall. The contrast from this time combined with the landcover maps helps you see where and what these different vegetation types look like. Also look for hard transitions. Like Mature trees to marsh like the Marsh Bucks video. But also look for soft transitions. Like changes in mature but different species of trees. Or different age classes of trees. Like aspens. Though trails may be light to nonexistent. Transitions are usually travel corridors.

Also look for ponds and beaver dams. Deer often use these to have a way to block access to beds from one direction. Look up threads by Singing Bridge for great info on this.

If your area doesn't have alot of plant diversity. Any little bit of something different could be easier for you to key in on. Rather than trying to cover thousands of acres of the same thing. Or you may even find a different area that has more diversity and move there instead.

If you can get to your area now.Buck sign is fresh and easier to see than in spring. The 1st snow would allow you to find tracks. Follow any large ones. The deer should still be in a fall pattern. Not Migrated to wintering yards that are common in the north.

None of this is easy. And it takes time. But it should provide knowledge and lead to results. Be patient. You probably won't figure every thing out in 1 year.

Good luck and have fun.


Thanks I can think of a couple beaver ponds to start with. Unfortunately the area is 8 hours from where I live now so I can't scout right now but I'm trying to do as much prep as I can to maximize a couple scouting trips a year

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headgear
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby headgear » Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:28 am

olivertractor wrote:This is what I'm seeing that even Primo bedding areas have been void since there's so many less bucks last few years.


I think back to 2010 and 2011 and it seemed like I was finding buck beds everywhere and going in blind was even producing some good encounters. Now a days I scout for old mature buck sign and hope the population rebounds.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby ihookem » Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:18 am

headgear wrote:ihook I have to disagree a bit, I don't discount what you are seeing, there is plenty of that going on but again in the bigwoods you have to think big. Sometimes the bedding and feeding areas are one and the same and can get fairly large but they do have preferred areas. In other places I hunt (still bigwoods but not quit canada) bedding is a little more defined. Bucks still have preferred bedding areas, the wolves push them around sure but they are bedding for safety so while it can sometimes be random most of the time they pic a location for a reason. When the rut kicks in they are moving more too and have to cover larger areas so it can be hard to pin one down if he can cover one area and move on to the next a mile away. Low deer numbers make it much harder too.

All I really know is I have seen and shot more bucks scouting/hunting buck beds than every before. The tactics are solid in any location but you have to apply them to the land you hunt, there can be subtle differences.



Ya know,,, I can renig on what I said a bit now that I think of it. As I was thinking about my favorite stand , I notice deer go into and area in the morning and come out in the evening. I never see it the other way around, ever as long as I can remember in 15 years of hunting there. I dont go in there at all but might sneak in closer to survey to find a stand location . Other than that I see nothing for a pattern except the possibility of them going into 170 ac for private land to eat corn in the evening. Tracks also have been seen leaving the area in the morning. SO, way up there I am dealing with human food sources. , , but it is a food source. Beeding seems down by the creek in high grass , the few beds I find seem random as can be.
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headgear
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby headgear » Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:30 am

Ya general bedding areas can be 100's of acres, I've scouted spots 200 acres in size that are loaded with beds. They just kind of go in and park wherever they feel safe depending on the wind, these are kind of the bedding zones and they can far in size from a small hump to a giant swamp. The best buck beds I find are often within these zones in smaller areas, you just have to get in there and scout them out to pinpoint those areas. Every bedding area is a little different so you just kind of have to hunt what you are dealt with. Scout those spots in the off season and you don't have to worry about scaring anything away.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby stash59 » Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:36 am

headgear wrote:Ya general bedding areas can be 100's of acres, I've scouted spots 200 acres in size that are loaded with beds. They just kind of go in and park wherever they feel safe depending on the wind, these are kind of the bedding zones and they can far in size from a small hump to a giant swamp. The best buck beds I find are often within these zones in smaller areas, you just have to get in there and scout them out to pinpoint those areas. Every bedding area is a little different so you just kind of have to hunt what you are dealt with. Scout those spots in the off season and you don't have to worry about scaring anything away.


With the wolf pressure. Are the beds still in super thick stuff or a little more open to be able to see better.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby headgear » Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:48 am

I've also found transition lines 1-2 miles long where you can find some level of bedding along the entire line. Again you just have to scout it out and find the areas the deer and bucks prefer.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby headgear » Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:54 am

stash59 wrote:
With the wolf pressure. Are the beds still in super thick stuff or a little more open to be able to see better.


Generally speaking thick and wet, the wolves can't move as well as a deer in the wet stuff. The woods in general up here are pretty thick just about everywhere, you are not seeing more than 20-30 yards in most places, massive amounts of underbrush. If you drive a couple hours south you start to find more oak trees and open hardwoods where some hill bedding comes into play. I am mostly in the swamps where I am at.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby stash59 » Tue Nov 24, 2015 6:23 am

The area I hunted has marshes/muskeg and swamps. With islands and a ridge. Only 5' to 10' higher. These have a mix of poplar, maples and what is called mixed northern hardwoods. Some pine spruce and white cedar. In the middle of the larger hardwood stands there is little understory. The thickest areas were along the easterly and southerly facing transitions between the muskeg and the hardwoods. Or the aspen patches that were 5 to 20 years old. Old clearcuts.

This was years ago before I ever heard of hunting specific beds. But I often jumped bucks midday in these more open areas. Some were relating to a taller hump. some not. Could have just been some random occurrences. All occurred during some phase of the rut. All I know is the deer seemed to like the general area. From the sign and sightings it seemed to hold more than the 8 to 10 deer per square mile that the rest of the areas in the county had.
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headgear
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby headgear » Tue Nov 24, 2015 6:41 am

I know of some spots like that, certainly useful bedding for wind and sight lines. I do have a couple beds I hunt that use sight lines further south. The northern woods I hunt are huge pine forests and black spruce/cedar swamps, some large areas of poplar too but not as much terrain to work with. I actually try and seek out areas you mentioned because it can be easier to find the deer. One swamp I hunt is 3-4 square miles of spruce/cedar bog that was logged about 10 years back, its endless and thick but hard to hunt. I've tracked a lot of bucks through it, they bed there sometimes, they travel there and after years of this I still don't have any kind of great pattern or consistent bedding. I mostly setup near the edges catching them coming and going and have done ok but I'm still putting the pieces together.
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Re: Big woods

Unread postby fishlips » Tue Nov 24, 2015 6:50 am

stash59 wrote:The area I hunted has marshes/muskeg and swamps. With islands and a ridge. Only 5' to 10' higher. These have a mix of poplar, maples and what is called mixed northern hardwoods. Some pine spruce and white cedar. In the middle of the larger hardwood stands there is little understory. The thickest areas were along the easterly and southerly facing transitions between the muskeg and the hardwoods. Or the aspen patches that were 5 to 20 years old. Old clearcuts.

This was years ago before I ever heard of hunting specific beds. But I often jumped bucks midday in these more open areas. Some were relating to a taller hump. some not. Could have just been some random occurrences. All occurred during some phase of the rut. All I know is the deer seemed to like the general area. From the sign and sightings it seemed to hold more than the 8 to 10 deer per square mile that the rest of the areas in the county had.


I did a little exploring in terrain like that this weekend. It was open but had some growth that was waist high. Fair amount of sign and kicked a couple deer up in it. Don't thick it was coincidence. Will be scouting it more in the future. Beats navigating cedar swamp!

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