Saturday scouting pic

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
Jackson Marsh
Moderator
Posts: 19547
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:11 am
Location: SE WI
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:40 pm

That is good information to have. Maybe a little post and push would work too.

[ Post made via Android ] Image


User avatar
PK_
500 Club
Posts: 6894
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
Location: Just Off
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby PK_ » Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:34 pm

Good find and awesome drawing of the buck :lol:
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
User avatar
hunter_mike
Moderator
Posts: 8294
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: south central WI
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby hunter_mike » Tue May 28, 2013 3:50 pm

Image

Image


Well it was a little later than I would have liked, but I finally got back to this spot on friday. I got an unexpected chance to get back out there and didn't get to do any beforehand cyber scouting/looking at maps and aerials but was anxious to get in there. The water was really high in the area and I ended up wading through a ditch where the water was just over my belt, talk about a chilling experience lol.

Well after wading through there I was quickly bummed out as I followed the gps waypoint to where the nice 8 pointer was bedded. Everything was underwater. Here I am standing right where that buck was bedded back when the snow was there.

Image

I sloshed around in the area for a while, trying to find any elevevated clumps sitting up out of the water in the tag alders but it was not looking very promising. Despite the fact that a buck obviously isnt bedding here at this time of year, there were not really any rubs that I could find. Thinking I had hit a dead end, I suddenly remembered that there was that trail that the buck had used for both his entry and exit from this spot. I could still somewhat see that trail as it made its way up onto dryer ground. I looked for beds on the dryer ground but couldn't see anything that looked well-used and couldn't even find any tracks. I followed the trail even further and got pretty excited when I saw a decent rub. I kept following a couple decent trails in that general direction and as soon as it hit some thicker brush I found somewhat of a rubline with many old rubs and a couple recent ones. Found a bunch of tracks suddenly and then I found what I was looking for!!

Wish I would've took a better picture but I believe I found a primary bedding area! I found three big main beds worn to the dirt and full of hair. Two of the big beds were located right next to each other shown in this picture.

Image

There were not fresh buck tracks in the bedding area but I think it had just recently rained a lot and I am really convinced that this is a big buck bedding area because there were small rubs in the bed and there was this rub located about 5 feet away from the two big beds which is a small tree but there appears to be several years worth of rubbing on it including the most recent year's rubbing.

Image

One thing that did not seem textbook about this spot is that there were a bunch of doe beds mainly east of the big distinct buck beds and it appeared that does were also probably using the buck beds. I decided this based on tracks and smaller poop sizes that were around. On that note, poop size really helped me understand this bedding area. I noticed that there was really big pellets in one of the big beds. I could really only find those big pellets on one trail exiting the bed, even though there are all kinds of trails zigging and zagging through the area. That trail with the big pellets (and faint big strided tracks) on it conveniently led to this, about 35 yards from the main beds......

Image

The picture makes it look less impressive, but because there are nothing but small trees in the bedding area and this rub is on one of the biggest trees in the bedding area, I believe it is very significant. Even more significantly is this other older rub, located about ten feet from the previous pictured rub, on the same size tree. I think this proves to me that the same thing is happening in this same area year after year.

Image

I found only one tree that will work to kill this buck, assuming he will get up from his bed, and walk the same trail to the main rub and work the rub within shooting light. this shot will be a 27 yard shot and I will need to set up my stand about 42 yards away from the closest buck bed. This will be really difficult and maybe not even possible. I also picked one other tree that could possibly work about 70 yards from the bed but it is iffy because the buck would need to step out onto the edge of the thick brush into a fairly open area before shooting hours is up. The only other option would be to stand on the ground but that might leave me with no shot because the tag alders are really thick on the ground.

Image

I am really happy I went back out here got to understand this portion of the marsh. Wouldn't have been able to do it without all the help I get on here. Hope this post helps others!! I would like to post some aerial photos but since this is on pressured public, and enough people know that I go on this website, Im not willing to post any unfortunately.
Last edited by hunter_mike on Tue May 28, 2013 4:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
User avatar
Jackson Marsh
Moderator
Posts: 19547
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:11 am
Location: SE WI
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Tue May 28, 2013 4:00 pm

Great find!

[ Post made via Android ] Image
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby dan » Tue May 28, 2013 8:29 pm

Thanks for the follow up...
I think a lot of people miss the boat on scouting there hunting encounters. What I mean is, they get an opportunity, or see a big buck from stand, but don't go back after season to see why the buck was there, where he was bedded, and if there is a better way to kill him.
KLEMZ
Posts: 1705
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:28 am
Location: SE Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby KLEMZ » Tue May 28, 2013 10:52 pm

hunter-mike, great detective work! Finding dry areas within a sea of wet tag alders or tamaracks is a challenge. I like the way you used your clues to zero in on the bedding. First you followed the faint trail the buck had used, which led to somewhat dryer ground, then you noticed an old rub (getting warmer!), then you noticed even more rubs, dryer ground, more trails...Bingo!

One thing I would do (you probably already did this) is look at that exact bedding area on your aerials to see if you can pick out any unique features that stand out from the rest of the tag alders. look at as many different sources of aerials you can, because sometimes one particular photo shows details of vegetation you don't see on any other photo. Then, look for other similar vegetation features in your area to help find other dry spots to check for bedding. I'm sure he has other beds in there somewhere.
Bigdaddy-yoyo
500 Club
Posts: 1830
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:36 am
Location: Wi.
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby Bigdaddy-yoyo » Wed May 29, 2013 12:00 am

KLEMZ wrote:hunter-mike, great detective work! Finding dry areas within a sea of wet tag alders or tamaracks is a challenge. I like the way you used your clues to zero in on the bedding. First you followed the faint trail the buck had used, which led to somewhat dryer ground, then you noticed an old rub (getting warmer!), then you noticed even more rubs, dryer ground, more trails...Bingo!

One thing I would do (you probably already did this) is look at that exact bedding area on your aerials to see if you can pick out any unique features that stand out from the rest of the tag alders. look at as many different sources of aerials you can, because sometimes one particular photo shows details of vegetation you don't see on any other photo. Then, look for other similar vegetation features in your area to help find other dry spots to check for bedding. I'm sure he has other beds in there somewhere.







Good job Mike.......

Good tip Kieth.......that has been working for us
User avatar
hunter_mike
Moderator
Posts: 8294
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: south central WI
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed May 29, 2013 3:37 am

KLEMZ wrote:hunter-mike, great detective work! Finding dry areas within a sea of wet tag alders or tamaracks is a challenge. I like the way you used your clues to zero in on the bedding. First you followed the faint trail the buck had used, which led to somewhat dryer ground, then you noticed an old rub (getting warmer!), then you noticed even more rubs, dryer ground, more trails...Bingo!

One thing I would do (you probably already did this) is look at that exact bedding area on your aerials to see if you can pick out any unique features that stand out from the rest of the tag alders. look at as many different sources of aerials you can, because sometimes one particular photo shows details of vegetation you don't see on any other photo. Then, look for other similar vegetation features in your area to help find other dry spots to check for bedding. I'm sure he has other beds in there somewhere.


Thanks KLEMZ yes i plan on trying to find this buck's other primary bedding locations. I am not sure if i want to wait till after this coming bow season or if i will try to dive in there yet this summer to check on some suspect areas that should hold bedding according to aerials.

Do you guys do a whole lot of scouting on foot during mosquito season

[ Post made via Android ] Image
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
KLEMZ
Posts: 1705
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:28 am
Location: SE Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby KLEMZ » Wed May 29, 2013 12:34 pm

hunter-mike I think you answered your own question. You were out there last weekend and its getting close to full green! I think if you go at first light and scout 4-5 hours before it gets too hot you can accomplish alot. It's certainly not as easy as before green up but you can still find the sign. The key is pre planning the spots you expect to find beds and go directly to those spots.

Good luck, because I KNOW you're going!
User avatar
hunter_mike
Moderator
Posts: 8294
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: south central WI
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed May 29, 2013 11:04 pm

KLEMZ wrote:hunter-mike I think you answered your own question. You were out there last weekend and its getting close to full green! I think if you go at first light and scout 4-5 hours before it gets too hot you can accomplish alot. It's certainly not as easy as before green up but you can still find the sign. The key is pre planning the spots you expect to find beds and go directly to those spots.

Good luck, because I KNOW you're going!


You know what, you are right! HA!
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
User avatar
hunter_mike
Moderator
Posts: 8294
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: south central WI
Status: Offline

Re: Saturday scouting pic

Unread postby hunter_mike » Sat Oct 12, 2013 3:55 am

Well i finally got back up there to hunt this spot. Had a perfect wind out of the NW. Everything looked really different when i was walking in and my GPS took me for a bit of a ride. As i got within 300 yds i started finding some fresh rubs and some decent tracks. I think i got a bit too close to the bedding area and may have pushed something out but after i realized whhat my gps was doing and remembered where i needed to go i decided to hunt it anyways cuz it was so windy in the popples i couldn't hear anything and figured i stil had a chance. nothing ended up coming out but im not giving up on this spot yet. Will keep an eye on the area and might sit further back during gun season depending on if it looks like its being used at that time. cant wait to do a bit more scouting in this area.

[ Post made via Android ] Image
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”


  • Advertisement

Return to “Scouting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 35 guests