Wind Storms and Deadfall Bedding Places

[The Silence]

Just wanted to get everyone's opinion on what things you would do after the kind of windstorm we had in Iowa about a month ago.
If the areas you hunt have large tree limbs or large trees down (lots of them), how do you go about sorting out which ones just became
a new bedding place for the big boys. I'm going to assume they are still in the immediate area they were in before (since they've already
determined that area to be secure). This primarily is a concern of mine due to the new possible challenges of getting into the stand, without
being detected, and the fact it is so close to bow opener to gain much new intel.

[Jdw]

I would focus on the spots that have a terrain feature that was a good bedding area before the storm.
Most of the best buck bedding has multiple advantages for the buck to be bedding there. Cover is one part but not the whole picture.

[Bogle]

We went through hurricane Matthew and this is what it seemed like it did to our bedding areas. The traditional bedding areas remained the same as they were in the thickest areas anyway, with the biggest bucks being in the best spots. The interesting thing that I noticed was that I did not jump a single buck or find a single bed at the root ball end of the downed trees. All of the beds and all of the encounters I had with bucks were beds that were in the limb portion of the down tree. When I sat behind the root ball I noticed that the wind went completely around me and I obviously could not see behind me, because of the root ball. However, When I sat in beds located in the limb portion of the down tree I could feel the wind coming through the leaves and branches yet it felt like I had something behind me for protection. In addition, I could look behind me through the limbs and leaves and see anything coming. I then started still hunting the area and it actually became pretty predictable to jump a buck from the limb portion of the down trees. Again, this was in areas that I typically see bucks in. Also, as mentioned above, the down trees really created some great funnels that really became obvious during green up.

[PK_]

We went through hurricane Matthew and this is what it seemed like it did to our bedding areas. The traditional bedding areas remained the same as they were in the thickest areas anyway, with the biggest bucks being in the best spots. The interesting thing that I noticed was that I did not jump a single buck or find a single bed at the root ball end of the downed trees. All of the beds and all of the encounters I had with bucks were beds that were in the limb portion of the down tree. When I sat behind the root ball I noticed that the wind went completely around me and I obviously could not see behind me, because of the root ball. However, When I sat in beds located in the limb portion of the down tree I could feel the wind coming through the leaves and branches yet it felt like I had something behind me for protection. In addition, I could look behind me through the limbs and leaves and see anything coming. I then started still hunting the area and it actually became pretty predictable to jump a buck from the limb portion of the down trees. Again, this was in areas that I typically see bucks in. Also, as mentioned above, the down trees really created some great funnels that really became obvious during green up.

Yep. They bury right down into the tops.

And I found the same, bucks still within close proximity of old primary bedding and the old beds still getting used.

The only difference is if the blow downs create a ton of new bedding cover closer to food, that is where the does will be now, so it changes how the bucks travel During rut because the doe bedding has now moved.