Marsh Bedding/ Preferred Wind Question

[Kraftd]

I've been widening my public land circle a little bit doing some cyber scouting lately and found a piece just potentially in range for some early season evening weekday hunts if I bust out an hour early that looks potentially dynamite from the aerials.

So, question I have is I have a river flowing northwest to southeast, wooded along the banks with a fair sized wooded point sticking out into a sea of cattails to the west and trails visible all over the end of the point in the tails on the aerial. Food presumed to potentially be a few oaks on in the wooded point and ag to the east through the point and south through about 3/4 mile of tails.

With the point going west into the cattails, I presume ideal situation would be a just off east wind (likely southeast for what it matters here) to have the deer bedded up on the transition and more likely to be coming east to food instead of going south. On a west wind I suspect that the there would still be bedding in this location, potentially a little deeper into the cattails off the transition, but that they may choose to head south through the tails to food instead of east. There are some visible trails heading south on the aerial. Hunting that direction would be difficult at best. I don't know what's in the fields right now, which I understand could make a huge difference. Going to try and take a drive tomorrow and get confirmation there, though the beans have really yellowed up in the last week by me, so almost hoping its corn at this point.

Would you give this a stab on a west wind that would allow for perfect access and a perfect sit from a wind perspective, or wait for a just off east wind? Sorry, not keen on posting aerials and not in a place to sketch up a map right now. I'll try to do that later today.

[ODH]

sounds like a spot worthy of investigation. can you clarify the typical wind direction in season?

[dan]

With the rarity of "east" winds, you have to think those trails are there for a reason. From my experience you are correct on the bucks bedding farther back on a west wind in a set up like yours, but I have not seen them change food sources or travel direction based on wind outside of rut with a few rare exceptions like entering a feeding area from a low point to catch thermal drop... Just expect a slightly later arrival on a West wind, and I would push the transition a little harder. ( get a little closer)

[Kraftd]

Thanks kind of what I suspected. May have bumped this spot up to Sunday evening hunt! The notion of them bedding off the transition was straight from marsh bedding did too, so thanks for that. All the simple little pieces of logic like the heavy trails being a good indicator of the bedding not being wind specific in this case are just gold. So many how did I not think of that moments!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[rbuckleyjr1]

Sounds like a dynamite spot. Keep us updated on what you find.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[johndeere506]

Is there anywhere from the river that you could do an observation sit, and see for yourself? I like that option especially if season hasn't started yet.

I like east based winds in my hunting area due to more stand options, but "deer" in general don't seem to move as well on east wind days (for me). Just what Ive talked myself into maybe. I would go with Dans comment, but would love to know what an observation sit would show, maybe a tree next to river, so no scent left behind?
Preferably before season starts in your area.

[Kraftd]

Is there anywhere from the river that you could do an observation sit, and see for yourself? I like that option especially if season hasn't started yet.

I like east based winds in my hunting area due to more stand options, but "deer" in general don't seem to move as well on east wind days (for me). Just what Ive talked myself into maybe. I would go with Dans comment, but would love to know what an observation sit would show, maybe a tree next to river, so no scent left behind?
Preferably before season starts in your area.

Observation would probably be ideal, but we fire up Saturday in WI so I won't have time. At least from my cyber scouting, I honestly think the way this spot is configured I can get in on literally any wind depending on which side of the point I access. Anything with any west would be just fine. East winds I would have to be more careful and hope that the direction remained steady, but there seem to be options to sneak up either side and keep my wind off of the main suspected bedding from both sides. I'm also kind of thinking the river may help with some last light thermal action, but will see how that goes with milkweed on my first sit.

I'm kind of thinking Sunday or next week I'm just going to throw an evening sit at it. I think I can get about 70 yards from the primary transition in what looks like a little grove of trees coming off the point. See what I see and make a plan for later sits. Based on what I see and the configuration this could be a dynamite all day rut set. I could see bucks cruising the river scent checking the tails and point for does all day. Access is also a pain in the but so I'm as comfortable as you can be in SE WI that there aren't too many folks back this far, which I like. Thinking this one will get an early sit, all day rut sit on a west wind, and potentially gun season sit depending on my tag situation.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll definitely follow-up. Hopefully the visit shows things looking as clear as the aerial seems to show, but always hard to tell.

[Kraftd]

Also, on the east wind situation, yeah they are fairly rare for my area in hunting season. I have a couple of good east wind spots already. This may become one too.

My experience in central WI is that I have observed bucks more prone to moving into the wind leaving bedding for food than Dan usually notes in the marshes he hunts. I have definitely seen patterns where certain fields only had deer and specifically bucks, at least in light, when they could enter nose to the wind.

Dan's point about west winds being prevailing and the trails still being heavy enough to see on aerials is very interesting though. So logical indicating that it isn't wind specific, but just never thought about that. I am a little concerned of a pretty major trail heading south, that's why I at least want to check what's in the fields before I hunt it, but still probably worth a try. I've had decent luck soft grunting even mature bucks in in early season so thinking even if somethign sounds like it's moving off that direction, I'm not out of the game yet.

[Kraftd]

Well, cyber scouting too fast and misread the public boundary, the point is just off public. Grrrr, back to the drawing board, though there are some other good spots on the public, just not as iron-clad looking. Dohhh.