Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
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Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
I know as I scout throughout the year, I observe areas that are vary obvious a buck has bedded here. One bedding area I found this spring. Long hair on top of the leaves, shed in the bed, shorter hair under the leaves, rubs outside the bed, ground scrapes outside the bed. Deer crap all through the beds. Very obvious a buck has bedded here. And because of the layer of hair under leaves, he was here before leaf fall.
In the same piece of timber, I pushed into a piece few weeks ago. It has been on my "to-do" list as its great access but nothing blows my skirt up about this section. As I am scouting through, heard a "thud thud thud..." instantly I knew...thats a big body. You can just hear the weight as the deer is running. Went to where I jumped the deer up. Elevated bed with a bunch of hair in it. Started looking around for other beds. Found a PILE of beds on this elevation. Every bed had a bunch of hair in it. Every bed was big. No rubs in the beds. Very few rubs outside the bed. But I 100% believe it very well might be one of the bedding area I have been looking for. The bed is tough to get to. Tough to hunt. Its thick. Trails leaving the bed are very subtle. 100yds outside the bed, some secluded apple trees with big pile of scat are another clue.
2 very different beds. One was a much more obvious buck bedding area...than the other. One has much better well defined beds but very little buck sign.
All that to say, it bears repeating (Dan and Mario talked about this on their video series). Not all big bucks are going leave sign that is blistering. There is a big buck in this area I have been looking for...he is a slammer but does not appear to be all that aggressive. I have put MILES and MILES on looking for this one buck. Time will tell if this is part bigger puzzle for this buck.
OR like most of this stuff, I mark it, prep it and move on.Trail cam pulls (well outside the bed) mid August should tell me what I want to know.
Just thought I would share as I know some of you guys are struggling to find this stuff.
In the same piece of timber, I pushed into a piece few weeks ago. It has been on my "to-do" list as its great access but nothing blows my skirt up about this section. As I am scouting through, heard a "thud thud thud..." instantly I knew...thats a big body. You can just hear the weight as the deer is running. Went to where I jumped the deer up. Elevated bed with a bunch of hair in it. Started looking around for other beds. Found a PILE of beds on this elevation. Every bed had a bunch of hair in it. Every bed was big. No rubs in the beds. Very few rubs outside the bed. But I 100% believe it very well might be one of the bedding area I have been looking for. The bed is tough to get to. Tough to hunt. Its thick. Trails leaving the bed are very subtle. 100yds outside the bed, some secluded apple trees with big pile of scat are another clue.
2 very different beds. One was a much more obvious buck bedding area...than the other. One has much better well defined beds but very little buck sign.
All that to say, it bears repeating (Dan and Mario talked about this on their video series). Not all big bucks are going leave sign that is blistering. There is a big buck in this area I have been looking for...he is a slammer but does not appear to be all that aggressive. I have put MILES and MILES on looking for this one buck. Time will tell if this is part bigger puzzle for this buck.
OR like most of this stuff, I mark it, prep it and move on.Trail cam pulls (well outside the bed) mid August should tell me what I want to know.
Just thought I would share as I know some of you guys are struggling to find this stuff.
- Scratchman
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
Great observation.
"I could eat shlapjacks every day of the weeksh, eh." Jimmer Nagamanee from Menominee
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
Well said Maine. Very good info.
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
I posted it in another thread, but I had an eye opening experience last weekend. I found a bed in an oxbow. It is in the perfect spot, water on three sides, open woods out in front so the deer can smell or see anything approaching. It was tough to find the bed though, it looked like it hadn't been used in months. It had old poop, old rub outside the bed, and white hair.... My thinking may be off but I believe when the leaves drop the area in the oxbow stays thick and also does travel the edge of the creek, so I think it's possibly a rut bed. Either way it has taught me to slow way down and look for the small details.
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- Wetfoot
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
Great post Maine.
- bigbucks1234
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
Great post maine, I've never thought of looking for layered hair and leaves. Makes sense to pick it apart like that. That along with old rubs and or scrapes says a lot. It'll be interesting what your cams show.
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
bigbucks1234 wrote:Great post maine, I've never thought of looking for layered hair and leaves. Makes sense to pick it apart like that. That along with old rubs and or scrapes says a lot. It'll be interesting what your cams show.
It really will be interesting to see...but I don't hang my hat on any of it. I just keep looking keep pushing year after year. This game is always a constant state of scouting.
- Bonecrusher101
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
Keep us posted! Would love to see pics added in a month or so!
Be original and Enjoy every step along the adventure.
- tgreeno
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
I only have the opportunity to scout it, prep it, then hunt it. I have only 2 cameras, so very few spots are gonna get camera soaking before i get a chance to hunt them for the first time. I'm gonna just have confidence in my scouting.
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It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
tgreeno wrote:I only have the opportunity to scout it, prep it, then hunt it. I have only 2 cameras, so very few spots are gonna get camera soaking before i get a chance to hunt them for the first time. I'm gonna just have confidence in my scouting.
Tgreeno...I do the same thing on spots.
But I do run a bunch. If I could maximize observation hunts I would. If i could maximize spottng during summer i would. I run some cams the whole season and never hunt them in spots I am trying to learn. But also rum them in spots much like bucky does. Cover the area.
This year...trying some different tactics with cell cams. Should be fun. It's always a learning process.
- bigbucks1234
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
Just curious mainne, how many cams you do you run?
- tgreeno
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Re: Sometimes its so obvious...other times, its very subtle.
mainebowhunter wrote:But I do run a bunch. If I could maximize observation hunts I would. If i could maximize spottng during summer i would. I run some cams the whole season and never hunt them in spots I am trying to learn. But also rum them in spots much like bucky does. Cover the area.
This year...trying some different tactics with cell cams. Should be fun. It's always a learning process.
Observation sits won't work in alot of my spots. They are too thick & remote. Though I have gotten 2 decent bucks on camera after pulling my first cards of the season. One buck on each camera. I'm moving them to two different areas now.
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It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
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