Overlooked spots on public land

[dan]

Pressure or not, types of bedding areas are pretty consistent with mature bucks...

As far as bedding facing the wind, again, I think its very rare but does happen... In an interview with Andrae last year, he used the word "never" when referring to bucks looking into the wind... I would not go that far. But I do think thick or thin cover, bucks rarely face an area they can already see with there nose... I have watched countless bedded bucks, and I scout hundreds of beds every winter a lot of witch are often in heavy cover and/or against barriers and the snow shows the direction facing... They do easily swivel there head the other way though at a sound or a whim. If you look at a bed close in the snow mature bucks put there feet on the inside ( the way they face ) They often have an arch to the back like a banana, looking away from the outside bend. I look at every bed I find and have for many, many years... I look at there entry and exits, and what the wind was doing... I would say maybe 1% bed wind to face, and really, its more of a cross wind so they ain't looking directly into the wind... I don't think they are even capable of reasoning to know its not possible for down wind danger to not approach... What about when the barrier freezes? Are they capable of then understanding at what thickness of ice a coyote, wolf, human, or dog can get across the ice?

[Singing Bridge]

How would this scenario apply to low pressured areas? The area I hunt has some similar situations to this, where they will see some human activity passing them, however if they venture to the deeps of the swamp they would get relatively zero pressure... In this situation would they still use this type of spot or would they venture deeper to just get away from the activity?

If there is no pressure or human scent being left in either area, the potential is they both may be used. Interaction with hunters and human scent is what clears bucks out of certain areas. The corner area is often one of those "overlooked" areas and worth scouting especially if it is close to food or does. That doesn't mean a buck will certainly be bedded there, but that's why we scout.

[Singing Bridge]

Uh oh, here I go with another unpopular opinion...

I don't think they are even capable of reasoning to know its not possible for down wind danger to not approach... What about when the barrier freezes? Are they capable of then understanding at what thickness of ice a coyote, wolf, human, or dog can get across the ice?

I agree that they are not capable of reasoning that downwind danger cannot approach... but that is not what they appear to be doing to me anyway. Bucks have very good memories- they remember being approached by predators and where, whether it is a wolf in a funnel or a hunter that overhunts a treestand, their memory of past seasons and current interactions is very good. During open water seasons with a bed near a water barrier, let's say a beaver pond deep in a conifer swamp, the bucks are seldom if ever harassed by predators approaching from downwind which would require them swimming in- and older bucks remember that. When the water starts freezing up they notice it as easily as you and I do. Their world revolves around a whole lot more than just the immediate surroundings of a bed. They often scent check and clear beds before approaching them (from the other side of the pond), and if predator scent is suddenly appearing from the water barrier itself they notice it. Their travels outside the bed also often take in the water / swamp transition and they smell predators and see their tracks going onto the ice when it is capable of supporting it. Even young deer will track a predator to see what it is up to and I have crossed many whitetail tracks in muck and snow doing just that. They stand and stare at the ice, sometimes they will even wander onto it themselves for a bit. Heck, I have had bucks track me in the snow inside deep swamp to see where I was headed and what I was up to. When the ice supports predators and the deer observe and smell the predators moving onto the ice, they remember seasons past where wolves / coyotes / bobcats began using the waterway as a cruising trail to search for vulnerable game. Ice forming in my swamps will sometimes cause bucks to relocate their bedding, especially if they are or nearly are surrounded by it. I'm certain those first couple of weeks cause some vulnerabilty of the bucks that bed there, but overall their memories / sense of smell and their other senses keep them abreast of changing predator movements and locations.

mah two pennies.

[steve22]

Where would u begin to look for a mature bucks bed on flat ground?i live in an area where there are not to many hills, and it's mostly flat, If u can imagine about 120 acres in a rectangle, maybe 50 feet in elevation rise and drop but very gradual, surrounded by soybeans and a hay field to the north, and I kno there are about 4 mature bucks that call this area "home" . Where would u begin to look? Everything is about the same open woods some thicker underbrush. Everything looks the same? I have purchased marsh bucks and hill country bucks last year but its nothing like the areas I hunt, there are Lots of woods around me but also lots of farm land ? Can anyone help

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Brad]

Post up an aerial so we can take a look. Look for ANY edges or transitions, whether its a hard transition (different types of trees or field edges or sudden elevation changes), or subtle ones like vegetation or blockages (down trees etc), they will relate to those. Scout them with the stand on your back and when things start changing or getting thicker, pop up a stand. Do not go further in then you plan to hunt, if you walk past something you either set up there or keep scouting/hunting further in.

Where would u begin to look for a mature bucks bed on flat ground?i live in an area where there are not to many hills, and it's mostly flat, If u can imagine about 120 acres in a rectangle, maybe 50 feet in elevation rise and drop but very gradual, surrounded by soybeans and a hay field to the north, and I kno there are about 4 mature bucks that call this area "home" . Where would u begin to look? Everything is about the same open woods some thicker underbrush. Everything looks the same? I have purchased marsh bucks and hill country bucks last year but its nothing like the areas I hunt, there are Lots of woods around me but also lots of farm land ? Can anyone help

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[steve22]

I posted a map under " first attempt to upload a map" . There on the map are some fingers dropping down to the east I would figure they bed there but, the wind is usually out of the north or west or northwest, which doesn't really give me a good set up because I have to enter from north east and walk up wind of where I think they do bed, there are some really nice bucks in there, and I really don't wanna mess it up

[ Post made via iPhone ]