midseason adjustments

[Singing Bridge]

Have you had to make any adjustments to what you scouted this hunting season? Its bad enough that bucks and deer in general shift bedding due to food / pressure / protection. But when you set up based on scouting, did you account for other adjustments brought on by mother nature that may or may not occur during season? Leaf drop is certainly an adjustment in heavily hunted areas, as travel routes that provided decent cover suddenly became barren... and the older bucks adjusted.

How about the fall rains? We don't always get them, but most years we do. Buck trails that I've hunted in the season up until now in swamps / marshes / river bottoms have been hosting normal buck travel... up until today. The remnants of Hurricane Patricia are dumping down on me and my hunting areas, creating a vastly different landscape that I will have to adjust to from now until the end of season. Most of the runs I've been hunting are buried under water now. The buck trails across beaver ponds that have rubs and scrapes and good tracks are going to be buried with H20 and a distant memory... The buck trails across my swamps are also now, for the most part, impassable muck areas and the bucks WILL AND DO adjust their travels. Same thing with many of my marsh areas.

If this caught anyone off guard, put a note in the 'ol hair covered computer to be prepared for this during the upcoming offseason and scout for how the bucks adjust so that you can get right back in the game... without scenting up areas while you try to figure it out during midseason. Fortunately, after getting caught short season after season many years ago, I always prepare for this. Believe it or not, all the water can sometimes make hunting a little easier, as it focuses buck travel.

There are other adjustments due to the seasons and weather, obviously. Have any Beasts ran into this yet this season?

[DaveT1963]

I did this year. In late winter early spring we were still in the effects of a five year drought. Lake levels were down to 20% or less. Most of the stands from previous two to three years were in places that used to be covered with water five years ago. Then in June of this year, after I had set all my cameras/mineral sites, after I had prepped all my stands the rains came and in two weeks our lakes were flooded after 17 inches of rain fell. The deer living today have never seen these lakes full so entire bedding and travel patterns were changed. It was one of the hardest years and yet probably one of my best years as I had to re-learn.... and I learned a ton this year. There was also the fire season in Montana 12-13 years ago - like the AF says Flexibility is the key to air power - I applied that three times over this year to my deer hunting.

[Singing Bridge]

I did this year. In late winter early spring we were still in the effects of a five year drought. Lake levels were down to 20% or less. Most of the stands from previous two to three years were in places that used to be covered with water five years ago. Then in June of this year, after I had set all my cameras/mineral sites, after I had prepped all my stands the rains came and in two weeks our lakes were flooded after 17 inches of rain fell. The deer living today have never seen these lakes full so entire bedding and travel patterns were changed. It was one of the hardest years and yet probably one of my best years as I had to re-learn.... and I learned a ton this year. There was also the fire season in Montana 12-13 years ago - like the AF says Flexibility is the key to air power - I applied that three times over this year to my deer hunting.

Great example of needed adjustments.

[Zona]

My mid-season adjustments have been deciphering the beds I found during my early season scouting. In addition I am hunting areas that I have never hunted before. This is technically my first year hunting beds out of 30 years of archery hunting. I spent the off season finding beds and did locate many areas on public ground that had potential. I use to hunt the same couple pieces of private ground and burned them out too soon. Every sit is a learning experience. Most of the beds that I thought would produce early are turning out to be rut beds. 2 beds I thought to be rut beds appear to be early season beds. Acorns are everywhere this year which adds another layer to the difficulty of determining when a bed is being used. One important aspect I am adjusting to is hunting pressure and how it relates to bedding. Many of the beds I found were AFTER our gun season. Deer had been pressured for months and were pushed deep into the hills. Those areas are still cold due to lack of pressure I am assuming. A tactic I am using to help me with the learning curve of a new area is installing a trail cam at my setup after the hunt and leaving it there. Observation stands and shining are not productive in my area because most of the areas are heavily wooded with major elevation changes. Cams are the only tool that will let me monitor the areas without being intrusive. Hopefully the information gathered this year will help in developing more productive setups next year.

I am really learning how much I don't know about the "why and when" of bed hunting.

[Singing Bridge]

My mid-season adjustments have been deciphering the beds I found during my early season scouting. In addition I am hunting areas that I have never hunted before. This is technically my first year hunting beds out of 30 years of archery hunting. I spent the off season finding beds and did locate many areas on public ground that had potential. I use to hunt the same couple pieces of private ground and burned them out too soon. Every sit is a learning experience. Most of the beds that I thought would produce early are turning out to be rut beds. 2 beds I thought to be rut beds appear to be early season beds. Acorns are everywhere this year which adds another layer to the difficulty of determining when a bed is being used. One important aspect I am adjusting to is hunting pressure and how it relates to bedding. Many of the beds I found were AFTER our gun season. Deer had been pressured for months and were pushed deep into the hills. Those areas are still cold due to lack of pressure I am assuming. A tactic I am using to help me with the learning curve of a new area is installing a trail cam at my setup after the hunt and leaving it there. Observation stands and shining are not productive in my area because most of the areas are heavily wooded with major elevation changes. Cams are the only tool that will let me monitor the areas without being intrusive. Hopefully the information gathered this year will help in developing more productive setups next year.

I am really learning how much I don't know about the "why and when" of bed hunting.

There can definitely be a learning curve with a big area like that. It sounds as though you have a pretty good handle on the factors that influence bedding, especially hunting pressure.

You mentioned that most of the beds you found were after your gun season, that can certainly impact bedding location. Late season thermal protection and ever adjusting food sources (crops may be gone, or big woods sources change constantly) can definitely have bucks bedding in very different spots when compared to early season. I would consider it a victory that you are seeing the forest from the tree's.

[Zona]

Thanks for the response SB, this season is testing my metal. I have a journal full of misconceptions and flawed theories, but the pieces are slowly falling into place.

[ Post made via Android ]

[cdeam]

I am in the middle of trying to make midseason adjustments. There's alot of east in the forecast and I just never scouted with that in mind.

A question: will an ideal bedding point that runs north or south still hold deer with a west or east wind??

[ Post made via Android ]

[Singing Bridge]

I am in the middle of trying to make midseason adjustments. There's alot of east in the forecast and I just never scouted with that in mind.

A question: will an ideal bedding point that runs north or south still hold deer with a west or east wind??

[ Post made via Android ]

that's a tough question to answer without more information, but I have many north / south running points that hold plenty of bedding with east and west winds. i see it a lot in swamps and marshes, bigwoods, etc. but again, every situation is different. if the point is ideal for bedding, there is a very good chance it will hold deer in those wind directions with the deer moving to the side of the point that favors them most.

[cdeam]

Bridge,

I'm hunting big woods hill country. Oak, beech, maple, hickory, poplar, ash, sassafrass are the main players. Green briar and 5-10 year clearcuts.

I'm going to make adjustments by setting up on some known n/s bedding points where they can bed on the west side. I'm also going to do some topo and aerial hunts. Some of it will be on what is normally the windward sides I've never really looked at but is near areas I know hold deer.

[ Post made via Android ]