Thanks Dan and beasts

[treeroot]

This isn't a killed a big one post. This is a major awaking post.

I've read Dan say many times the buck bedding can be on a very subtle elevation change, mounds, ex. I've been struggling with finding over looked buck beds in the timber.

Tuesday I decided to jump into a new piece of ground that I haven't pre season scouted. Using the maps I figured on a few areas where I suspected bedding. I arrived at the first one and didn't see any fresh tracks in the snow so I pushed on picking my way across the woods. It was 40mph gusts with 18mph constant winds at 16 degrees. So I figured they would drop into a deeper valley to get out of the wind and hunker down in the afternoon. So I started up the leeward side of the hill towards the next shallow valley and jumped on a fresh larger track. I followed it onto the top of the hill where it flattens back out. I was trying to figure out based off the map where this deer could be going because I was now fully in the wind. A few hundred yards later I arrived at a buck bed next to a blow down. Standing there I knew I jumped the buck (12" of snow melted down to bare ground) but I couldn't figure out why it would bed in the wind like that. I knelt down in the bed to see what he could see and realized he was completely out of the wind. I stepped out of the bed and then realized there was a slight (roughly 1') dip in elevation the buck was using along with the blow down.

I spun around and went back to the hill side and walked the leeward Ridge back and found four more beds some with and some without tracks. Many of them used the same principles, very slight rises or falls in elevation.

Knowing I trampled all over, for the last few hours of light I picked a convergence of trails and sat the rest of the afternoon. Watched a 4 point chasing a doe back and forth.

Yes the snow tracking led me there, but I would've never put that together if it wasn't for you guys talking about the slightest change in elevation. I think this will lead me to finding some new over looked spots on other properties.

Usually I stick to planted pines, brush and crp type fields where normal stand hunters don't go. I shot my biggest buck to date out of a section of brush the size of a pickup in the middle of crp. No one I know around here is willing to crawl through that to get into range. But in the timber / rolling hills I struggle. Right now the snow has knocked down the crp and deer seem to abandon it with the lack of cover. Years like this I've eaten tags because I can't get back onto the mature bucks when they relocate. But I feel like things are about to change. So thank you again.

[dan]

In most cases you need to see it yourself in order for it to really sink in. The video's, articles, podcasts, etc, help and are a great start, but you also need to experience it with boots on the ground. Your post really points that out.

[treeroot]

What connected for me is the little details. That little detail allowed me to walk past many of these in the past.

Brush, crp is definitely much easier than timber. Marshes and swamps seem to be easier as well. But when the snow hits this early bedding changes. I feel a lot better about the rest of the season now.