I am in need of an education from you guys.
I was investigating a forest that had a marsh off of a lake, surrounded by a higher elevation forest. The elevation changes steeply very close to the marsh. Diagram below:
There is a well-used deer bed in the marsh off of the dense thicket with a good amount of buck sign in the dense thicket, making me think the thicket is a staging area for whatever is bedding in that large nearby marsh bed. (the dense thicket is at the base of the ledge) I could easily climb down the ledge and slip into the dense thicket to hunt off of the large bed that I found in the marsh. However, as best as I can determine it looks like there is satellite bedding within that thicket too, though I can't say how often it gets used.
Would it be a mistake to try to set up to hunt in the dense thicket if there really is bedding amongst it?
Is finding a lot of satellite bedding normal around a larger bed? Or perhaps, am I just labeling a lot of stuff bedding that really isn't?
How close should you hunt to buck beds?
This was the largest, most matted down buck bed I've come across so far. Does that mean anything in relation to the size of the deer? Or does it just mean I found a bed that got used a lot. Picture below:
PLAN B:
If hunting the dense thicket is not a good idea, there is a very pronounced funnel shown on the map that leads directly from the marsh, through the thicket, to the top of the ledge where the forest opens up and leads to nearby feeding areas. I found a lot of various beds scattered throughout the tamaracks in the marsh and this would be the most obvious trail the deer would take coming and going from their bedding area. Would setting up in this funnel be a smarter choice?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
