Wind and Thickets at a Bucks Back or Not?

[AndreSaavedra]

I hunt this clear cut and I keep bumping bucks, bedding at the edge of the thickets overlooking open timber. This situation has happened to my hunting buddy and I about a dozen times this year. The confusing part for us is that the wind is blowing from the open timber to the thickets, contrary to all I hear about the way they bed using the thick behind their back and the wind blowing from behind them. I thought nothing of it at first but it is just happening to frequently for it to be an anomaly. Would like to hear what others think and open to any suggestions. Thank you.

[nsmith253]

My first thought is pressure, in my experience when the direction they're facing when bedded isn't wind to back it's usually related to watching access. I have also seen it when they're using other thermal activity or terrain features to bed rather than the prevailing wind direction.

[brancher147]

My first thought is pressure, in my experience when the direction they're facing when bedded isn't wind to back it's usually related to watching access. I have also seen it when they're using other thermal activity or terrain features to bed rather than the prevailing wind direction.

This^^^^. Or it’s thick enough behind them they know nothing is really coming that way or they would hear it coming so it’s not really wind based bedding. They are probably watching your access if I had to guess.

[DaveT1963]

I jumped a great nontypical 3 weeks ago. He was bedded in high grass, couldnt see 3 to 4 feet and his face was in the wind. Despite popular opinion, I've seen a lot of bucks that bed wind to face. Pretty common in deep, thick cover IME. Deer bedded in rivers, lakes, oxbows will often face into wind blowing back towards water.

[treeroot]

Buck I shot this off his bed was wind to his face. Thick brush behind him. He was watching towards the access. I'm often misled on bedding in the brush.

Sunday still hunting a piece of no pressured private I saw two different doe groups bedded in the timber all facing with wind in their face. Only conclusion I could come up with is them watching towards the pounded property behind the one I was on.

[PK_]

They face the direction they expect to see something.

[Hookslinger]

I hunt this clear cut and I keep bumping bucks, bedding at the edge of the thickets overlooking open timber. This situation has happened to my hunting buddy and I about a dozen times this year. The confusing part for us is that the wind is blowing from the open timber to the thickets, contrary to all I hear about the way they bed using the thick behind their back and the wind blowing from behind them. I thought nothing of it at first but it is just happening to frequently for it to be an anomaly. Would like to hear what others think and open to any suggestions. Thank you.

This is interesting, and as a rookie I would like to hear some more opinions. Are you only hunting this spot on that specific wind (the wind that blows from the open timber to the thickets)? Maybe they bed there on any wind, and they are also there when the wind is coming from behind them too. In that case would it basically be like sight/sound based bedding, not wind base bedding? Just starting to learn about this stuff so don't be too harsh on me if I'm wrong way off here...

[Ahawk116]

They face the direction they expect to see something.

This!

[treeroot]

I've spent years watching over two different 60-80 acre brush and golden rod fields. Seeing bucks bed doesn't happen very often. But I've watched what the does do for bedding during rut, and how it changes the buck cruising. If the wind is blowing towards access/ the road does will bed closer to access/ the road. The bucks will cruise cutting the does trails but not venture down wind of them bedding. If the wind is blowing from the road/ access the does bed on the opposite side of the property and the bucks will cruise the down wind side up in the timber.

Bucks with does I've shot several that are pushed up tight to access/ the road if the wind is blowing towards access/ the road. I should note these properties aren't very high pressure because there aren't many places for a stand.

My theory has been does try to limit bucks harassing them where they bed. I think the same theory applies to a buck locked down with a doe. The theory probably changes in different terrain. It's not a 100% everytime, but I would say 7 out of 10 hunts I've seen it.

By the time rut is winding down usually the goldenrod is hammered by the snow and daylight movement is almost non existant.

[AndreSaavedra]

Thank you so much guys, some interesting info such as extremely thick to the back which is true, also no trees for stands to the back which is also true. Human traffic behind them is almost non-existent, I just thought they would still continue to behave in the usual manner because of predators but the info you guys gave me makes total sense and is extremely helpful. Thank you so much to all of you, have a Merry Christmas.