Bed exit confusion

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Weaver.b
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Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Weaver.b » Wed Sep 13, 2017 3:59 am

I dont know how many of you are familiar with Bill Vale but he puts out hunting info like Dan does. Hes the pressured deer pro from Michigan. Heres the thing. I have noticed a topic that Dan and Bill do not see the same way and that seems to be bed exits. I know Dan says the wind is important for when that buck goes to bed but when he gets up he goes where he wants to regardless of wind. Bill says that a buck will always be traveling with the wind in his favor unless under the cover of darkness.

At first I thought why wouldnt a buck leave his bed with the wind in his favor but then thought maybe he stages within sight of his bed so he knows its safe from watching all day. And then when it gets dark he goes where he wants to under the cover of darkness as Bill would say.

Can anyone shed light on how you have seen bucks exit a bed over the years?


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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby dan » Wed Sep 13, 2017 4:28 am

If they did not move away from bedding with wind to back, You can remove a lot of bucks from my wall that were killed that way... And, on very pressured land. I think if bill believes that, and never hunts with wind to face, then he probably never sees bucks move in that manor. I would agree they are a little more weary moving wind to back out of bedding, but they do move that way.

Its also interesting that a lot of bedding features set bucks up to move out of beds wind to face, like bedding on the down wind side of an island. They bed the down wind side so they can smell encroachment, but, when they rise to feed they head towards the island, which would appear that they always move wind to face. But I can think of many other circumstances where food, does, or water are a different direction and that's where they head.

Results don't lie, and I have killed a lot of bucks walking into the wind.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Sep 13, 2017 4:44 am

I agree with Dan. If you think about it killing a buck becomes much more difficult when a buck exits their bed with wind to face. I almost always set up where I have the wind blowing from the buck bed to me. An off wind will work also just not as much tolerance. Also remember with an off wind, light winds usually swing more than a 10-15 MPH wind. I have killed many bucks with the wind at their back from the bed/bedding area.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Wed Sep 13, 2017 5:30 am

dan wrote:If they did not move away from bedding with wind to back, You can remove a lot of bucks from my wall that were killed that way... And, on very pressured land. I think if bill believes that, and never hunts with wind to face, then he probably never sees bucks move in that manor. I would agree they are a little more weary moving wind to back out of bedding, but they do move that way.

Its also interesting that a lot of bedding features set bucks up to move out of beds wind to face, like bedding on the down wind side of an island. They bed the down wind side so they can smell encroachment, but, when they rise to feed they head towards the island, which would appear that they always move wind to face. But I can think of many other circumstances where food, does, or water are a different direction and that's where they head.

Results don't lie, and I have killed a lot of bucks walking into the wind.


That's one of the biggest biases that hunters have and don't take into consideration. If you don't hunt that way you will never see it. It may or may not happen but you will never know as you don't hunt that way.

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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:00 am

Ha! I was gonna ask about Bill Vale but just havent yet. I saw a few of his videos the other day...
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:00 am

In the type of terrain I hunt, the wind plays no role in where the buck exits. However, the thermal does, the old bucks here bed high, the younger deer move out to feed first, the thermal reversal covers the mature bucks rear as he leaves his bed to lower ground, the other deer cover his front any breezes are just a added bonus to him. These are just what my observations tell me and the only thing that make sense in my head.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Redman232 » Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:19 am

Boogieman1 wrote:In the type of terrain I hunt, the wind plays no role in where the buck exits. However, the thermal does, the old bucks here bed high, the younger deer move out to feed first, the thermal reversal covers the mature bucks rear as he leaves his bed to lower ground, the other deer cover his front any breezes are just a added bonus to him. These are just what my observations tell me and the only thing that make sense in my head.



Your observations mirror what i have seen. Several of the times I've seen bucks leave with the wind to their back they had smaller bucks in front of them. I've seen them come out wind to face and wind to back, and no wind into thermal hubs. I've never seen a mature buck come out where there was no advantage to him. I'd say 90% of the staging areas I hunt have pooling thermals in the evening, but from there I think the bucks just go where they want regardless of wind direction. The more success I have the more I realize if I'm going to get it done consistently with limited time on stand, I have to be toeing the line between blowing him out and killing him.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Weaver.b » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:21 am

dan wrote:If they did not move away from bedding with wind to back, You can remove a lot of bucks from my wall that were killed that way... And, on very pressured land. I think if bill believes that, and never hunts with wind to face, then he probably never sees bucks move in that manor. I would agree they are a little more weary moving wind to back out of bedding, but they do move that way.

Its also interesting that a lot of bedding features set bucks up to move out of beds wind to face, like bedding on the down wind side of an island. They bed the down wind side so they can smell encroachment, but, when they rise to feed they head towards the island, which would appear that they always move wind to face. But I can think of many other circumstances where food, does, or water are a different direction and that's where they head.

Results don't lie, and I have killed a lot of bucks walking into the wind.


Thanks Dan I definitely trust your information and hope to see for myself.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Emrah » Wed Sep 13, 2017 3:16 pm

Weaverb,

Thanks for asking this question as I'm confused about the same thing.

Dan,

I still don't understand WHY they don't care. I understand in the scenario you mentioned (wind at back on a point) and what Redman said about elevation, but what about in a plain 'ol marsh with no jutting points or elevation to factor in? Why would a buck not care?

Emrah
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby JAK » Wed Sep 13, 2017 3:26 pm

What I don't understand is if Bill thinks wind is important during the day why should night be any diffrent.. wolves and other predators are still around so that has me scratching my head a little
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby tim » Wed Sep 13, 2017 5:38 pm

in my experiences, in the bluffs the deer exit their beds and travel wind to face or cross wind more so than not. in farmland they exit beds with wind to their backs or cross wind.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby Ghost Hunter » Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:39 pm

If bucks always travel with wind in their favor. Sounds like you would find them stacked up somewhere. Or in other words end of rainbow.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby tim » Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:51 pm

so true ghost hunter , that "always " is a tricky word to use in hunting. surprises me he would say they always do something.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby dan » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:54 pm

Emrah wrote:Weaverb,

Thanks for asking this question as I'm confused about the same thing.

Dan,

I still don't understand WHY they don't care. I understand in the scenario you mentioned (wind at back on a point) and what Redman said about elevation, but what about in a plain 'ol marsh with no jutting points or elevation to factor in? Why would a buck not care?

Emrah

Don't think I said they don't care... What I said was they head the direction they wish to go, and I have yet to ever see a completely nocturnal buck. They tend to move a killable distance in daylight the direction they are heading. Trust me, more people have killed bucks heading wind to back, than hunting up wind of them. Furthermore, if bucks always headed into the wind, they would end up swimming in the ocean after a couple weeks of one direction winds.

Night or day don't matter either, bucks are hunted by predators 24/7... I do see bucks circle down wind of known hunting spots, like permanent stands, fields, etc...

Realtree paid me to write an article for them about whitetails and wind. Should be released soon... I will post it when they put it out.
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Re: Bed exit confusion

Unread postby dan » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:56 pm

tim wrote:in my experiences, in the bluffs the deer exit their beds and travel wind to face or cross wind more so than not. in farmland they exit beds with wind to their backs or cross wind.

In the bluffs I hunt its really dependent on the food. When the fields are in the valley I see them drop, food up top they rise.


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