How do deer usually bed against rivers?

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BCO
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How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby BCO » Tue Feb 02, 2016 3:32 am

I found a few beds in the bowl of a river. My question is how do deer usually bed against a river? Are they usually bedded with the wind to their backs? Do they face the river or put their backs to the river? I would think they would put the river to there back since the chance of danger coming from the river is remote?


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wickedbruiser
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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby wickedbruiser » Tue Feb 02, 2016 3:46 am

From what I have experienced depending on the size of the river. The river plays a significant role as a security blanket. Wind to back from river, eye to entrance of oxbow. Which ever way danger approaches, they bounce the opposite. Stanley has lots of experience with hunting oxbows. I'm sure he'll share much better input.

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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Tue Feb 02, 2016 5:11 am

wickedbruiser wrote:From what I have experienced depending on the size of the river. The river plays a significant role as a security blanket. Wind to back from river, eye to entrance of oxbow. Which ever way danger approaches, they bounce the opposite. Stanley has lots of experience with hunting oxbows. I'm sure he'll share much better input.

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x2 Stanley is the go to guy on river bedding. When he posts pay extra attention!
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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby dan » Tue Feb 02, 2016 5:26 am

The biggest buck I ever chased used to bed in an Oxbow down in the S.W. corner of Iowa... He bedded there watching the river with wind to back. I think that's real common. Sometimes they will bed with wind blowing from river, but they will be in a different spot, and facing down wind.
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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby checkerfred » Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:06 am

I busted two bucks over the past two years out of the same oxbow. One was bedded on the back point of the oxbow with the east side with a NW wind....not sure which way he was facing but I came from the east....he didn't bolt until he heard me in the muck....I thought he was facing east but maybe not....the other was bedded on the other side of this same oxbow about 100-150 yards away with a larger body of water to his back on the edge of the neck of the oxbow...wind coming from woods to water into his face.
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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby BCO » Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:54 am

So it sounds like if the oxbow point is North and the sides are East/West with woods to the South it would be a good bet that they would bed in the oxbow during a South wind. Probably facing North (river) but could be facing South (woods).
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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby BCO » Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:57 am

Just found the "Best Tactical Threads---River Beds" about to read those. Thank you all for your responses!!!
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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:19 am

In my experience of river hunting, bucks normally use the river as a safe zone. This would mean like in an oxbow there is water on multiple sides of the buck. Also keep in mind during high water the oxbow (peninsula) is the first to get flooded. The cut bank on the opposite side stays dryer for longer periods of time. :think: This is one reason I like the cut bank side of the river.

Another reason I like the cut bank side it is a natural funnel in between oxbows. I have seen many bucks over the years walk the river bank with different winds. Some of those bucks now decorate my walls. I think if you keep this thought "the river being a safe zone" it will help you develop a system to kill bucks in the river bottoms.
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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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby Czabs » Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:34 am

In Missouri tons of doe beds in thick bends along river. Anywhere that was thick had doe beds. Shot my buck on a natural funnel in between the top of a hill and a sharp river bend. They cruised the side of the hill in between the river and the top of the hill. Doe bedding on each side of the hill, legit spot. I think I could have killed bigger if I would have passed the 2yr old I shot. One of the best rut funnels I've found.

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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby Czabs » Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:35 am

X2 I learned a lot from Stanley on a river bottom post he had a while back! Good stuff.

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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby dan » Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:38 am

They like the wind when bedded coming from the vulnerable side where danger most often approaches (the dry land access to his bed) If they don't have that, they have there eyes on that opening, or some sort of sound barrier (you have to make noise to get to him) But scent and eyesight are most common.
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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby DaHunter » Tue Feb 02, 2016 3:41 pm

Bed facing water with wind coming from land down into the oxbow. As Dan said, they trust their nose the most to scent the most vulnerable access. Also,if the water runs fast or has structure, they can't easily hear danger approaching from the other side (of water) so I'd assume they like to use their eyes to watch.

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Re: How do deer usually bed against rivers?

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Tue Feb 02, 2016 4:38 pm

In KS --- 2 wicked oxbows that had great cover. Right on the edge of a cornfield. Beds ALL through it. Covered with rubs. Wicked place to kill a big buck out of. The issue was? Typically when we arrived in KS, those bucks were never using those beds. Rut had them on the move. I would guess to be an awesome spot in October when the corn was standing.

However, we did catch them in there on every so often. Mostly when we were scouting. I really did not care...as I wanted to learn the property for upcoming seasons. One day, caught a buck and a doe bedded right in the oxbow, close to the edge of the bank. Beauty of a buck. Wide 140+" whitetail. The escape route? Both deer bailed like superman off the bank ...KAPLOOSH right into the river and then ran across cornfield on other side of river. It must have been a 10' drop. Funniest thing I have ever seen.

So as has been mentioned, the spot was tough to get into. Deer could hear OR smell you coming from the opening of the oxbow. River was a safe zone as Stanley said. When I hunted it, I would always want my scent blowing out over the river. But never hunted a ton. It was more of a buck bedding area with almost no does using it.

Most all of the beds were on the bottom of the oxbow on rivers edge.
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