This afternoon I got off work in time to catch a couple hours in the woods. I didnt have any places I could get in a tree to hunt, so I thought I would practice scouting around a little.
I followed a ridgeline at the wind tunnel level of the ridge. I was working my way to the point. I was making it closer to the point when the woods got so thick I had to crawl over tree fallen down. We had some intrusive beetles about 5 years ago that killed a lot of pines. This ridge I was scouting doesnt have a mature pine tree on it now due to the beetles.
Anyway the story I was wanting to share: I was still on a faint trail I thought was a buck trail leading to bedding. There were some tracks but not clear enough to determine much intel. As I was actually crawling over a pine tree I noticed a large rub. Probably 3 weeks old. I was curious how he could have even made it to where the rub was. I kept on the trail to where I shouldve been very close to where a buck would bed during the areas prevailing wind.
I looked at a small birch tree maybe 20 foot tall. Lower limbs folded down and touched the ground. I seen the ground was disturbed. The buck was bedding under those tree limbs!!!! I took pictures with my cell and have not loaded them up yet. Cant really tell much from my cell pics anyway. BUT, I couldnt believe a buck could make it through that mess. Like I mentioned earlier, I couldnt walk through it without crawling over downed trees.
There were rubs from several years back in that mess. Some fresh rubs, but some of the older rubs were impressive in size!
Just still amazes me.....HOW does a buck get through a mess like this?!
Other than the trail I followed to his bed, there was a faint trail gonig straight up the side of the ridge. I couldnt see where he may have had another escape route
Scouting / Practicing
- backstraps
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Re: Scouting / Practicing
I dont think its typical for a deer to bed in an area it has to jump downed logs every few feet. Seems counterintuitive to survival. Maybe there was an easier way in/out and the run you were on used to be good, "pre" beattle. I look forward to the pics.
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- backstraps
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Re: Scouting / Practicing
I agree...but there were fresh rubs as well. When I got to the bed he had about 15 feet of clear ground around him.
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- Czabs
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Re: Scouting / Practicing
I hunt a lot of cedar swamps with my buddy. LOTS of blowdowns. You would be surprised how easy they can slip there big racks underneath trees and how quietly they can jump over logs or branches. Its unreal, literally barely a noise.
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Re: Scouting / Practicing
Czabs wrote:I hunt a lot of cedar swamps with my buddy. LOTS of blowdowns. You would be surprised how easy they can slip there big racks underneath trees and how quietly they can jump over logs or branches. Its unreal, literally barely a noise.
X2
Big bucks call that stuff home for a reason.............because they know they will not be bothered there.
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Re: Scouting / Practicing
No problem for a buck to get into that stuff
- backstraps
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Re: Scouting / Practicing
I had forgotten about this post. I should have followed up on an evening hunt I done near this bedding area. I am not sure which buck was called that bed I found home...but there was a 2 year old 8 pt, a 1 year old 7 pt, a nice 2 year old 9 pt, and a shooter 10 came out of that mess.
The 9 I would have really wanted to shoot him, but most likely given him a pass in hopes of poking him next year... the 10pt I really wanted to shaft an Easton thru, but I wasnt setup no where near correct. I tried to hunt that area 2 times again before the rut, but never seen a deer.
I can assure you, after season ends, Feb-Mar I will be back in there making some preparations to ventilate that 9 and 10 next season!!!
The 9 I would have really wanted to shoot him, but most likely given him a pass in hopes of poking him next year... the 10pt I really wanted to shaft an Easton thru, but I wasnt setup no where near correct. I tried to hunt that area 2 times again before the rut, but never seen a deer.
I can assure you, after season ends, Feb-Mar I will be back in there making some preparations to ventilate that 9 and 10 next season!!!
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Re: Scouting / Practicing
The cedar swamps I hunt are very difficult... blowdowns everywhere, super thick cover, your face and arms bleeding, sometimes you have to crawl on the ground to get through or walk a log over a sinkhole that would bury a buffalo..
and the whitetails are perfectly adapted to it, bed in it to escape pressure or to overwinter while eating cedar, etc. The whitetail has a huge advantage in this environment when threatened by predators, even man... their ability to almost "fly" over multiple blowdowns in cover thick enough to make you cry leaves predators in the dust.
and the whitetails are perfectly adapted to it, bed in it to escape pressure or to overwinter while eating cedar, etc. The whitetail has a huge advantage in this environment when threatened by predators, even man... their ability to almost "fly" over multiple blowdowns in cover thick enough to make you cry leaves predators in the dust.
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