Hey guys, I've been reading and learning a lot from this forum over the past 2 years and have decided to ask for some advice. I'm primarily a big woods hunter from the National Forest of Northern WI but have been looking at some smaller pieces of land near our new home. I went for a walk last week after a good snow storm blew through and found some very nice buck sign that cut across the piece and entered a private crop field. This piece receives little pressure and any pressure it does get is on the piece closest to the road, and the piece I scouted was kitty corner to the initial parcel with parking. I didn't find any sign of hunters or stands. What I did find was a very nice rub line, on trees that were rubbed multiple years, which led me to a small highland rise inside of a cedar swamp. At the Northeast tip of the rise was a very nice buck bed that is still being used so I'm happy to know that the buck lived through the WI hunt. My question to all of you experienced "bed" hunters, is in your experience, what wind direction would the buck prefer to bed in this spot? I know that in reality it requires more information such as which crop field the buck is frequenting so that you can better gauge a direction of travel but I am not sure what was in the surrounding fields either. Just based on the terrain and what you see from the photos, I would greatly appreciate any insight as to how best to attack the situation. Thanks in advance, Derek!
Here is a map showing the overall layout of the land. The green arrow at the South East corner of the map is the access route I need to use to get into the property. The field that the buck was seemingly frequenting this past fall (according to the sign found) was the field to the west of the property. Each red dot is where I found a rub made by the buck (seems to have some nice gnarly browtines based off the rubs I found). The star is the bed I found and the green oval is the rise in the cedars in which he beds. He seems to follow the eastern edge of the rise then J to the north and back west to the bed which would lead me to think he beds a westerly wind but you guys are much better at this than I am, still learning about the beds.
Here are some photos of the bed.
This rub was 6 ft south of the bed
Here are a few of the rubs in his rub line.
Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
Great looking spot pay attention to the arc or the curve of the bed. Picture number two looks like the arc is to the backside of the bed so he is using it with the wind coming from the rub in the picture. It's hard to tell for sure with the picture but that would be my guess. Keep up the great work those north woods bucks can be hard to find but it looks like you found a dandy!
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
Great photos!! Thanks for posting Derek
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- Hawthorne
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
Those are some huge rubs! Good luck with him. Maybe some of the more experienced beasts will chime in with some advice.
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
Wow, def looks like a killable setup. Trail cams will tell you the story, especially if you have one to the east and one to the west. Is he entering (and rubbing) that east field at the fields low point? But based on those rubs, he's a mature buck...so he's not making many mistakes. Doubt he moves more than 15 yds in daylight.
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
Nice rubs. I would suggest you get back out there and scout out other beds to see where else he will go for other winds or if you spook him. The other beds may tell you more of the story for other winds and then you can stage hunt them 1 by 1 until you see him on stand.
If the sign is the bed was very fresh, what was the wind on that day or the day prior?
9pt
If the sign is the bed was very fresh, what was the wind on that day or the day prior?
9pt
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
Hard to tell without a topo, but it looks like 4 red dots to the south of your bed, there is a small thin piece of darker timber between two lighter pieces of timber on either side. I'm guessing this is a drainage or a creek. If so, I'd be looking to set up just north or just south of that drainage, higher up the hill side where you will have a more consistent wind. That spot looks like it would definitely get some traffic during the rut. I'd probably favor the north side since that also puts you on the east/west transition line between the two cover types.
If you are setting up for early or late season, I'd look to set up just northeast of the first red dot north of the bed. It looks like there is an evergreen thicket there. I'd focus on the northeast point of that thicket, that way you are covering the transition line along both sides of the evergreens, and, if the buck is traveling through the thicket for cover, you will also be in a good position if he exits through the northeast side. This setup assumes he is feeding primarily in the NE field, which looks likely based on the rub line you marked out. In that case, given that you said you have to access from the SE, I would try and hunt this setup on a SW,W,NW, or even straight N wind. Access from the SE and stay to the east side of the property while headed north into your kill tree area.
I also like the two inside corners for rut locations.
If you are setting up for early or late season, I'd look to set up just northeast of the first red dot north of the bed. It looks like there is an evergreen thicket there. I'd focus on the northeast point of that thicket, that way you are covering the transition line along both sides of the evergreens, and, if the buck is traveling through the thicket for cover, you will also be in a good position if he exits through the northeast side. This setup assumes he is feeding primarily in the NE field, which looks likely based on the rub line you marked out. In that case, given that you said you have to access from the SE, I would try and hunt this setup on a SW,W,NW, or even straight N wind. Access from the SE and stay to the east side of the property while headed north into your kill tree area.
I also like the two inside corners for rut locations.
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
I would expect that bed shifts around a little and is not always in that exact spot... To know what winds he beds there on I would want to look close at elevation and at transition edge... If there is any kind of slope to the ground expect him to be looking down hill, and down wind... If he is bedding against a transition line, expect wind from thick to open with him looking down wind... In the actual bed (as mentioned) Look for the banana shaped arc of the back on the up wind side and impressions of feet or legs on the down wind side.
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Re: Thoughts for setting up on this buck bed...
seazofcheeze wrote:Hard to tell without a topo, but it looks like 4 red dots to the south of your bed, there is a small thin piece of darker timber between two lighter pieces of timber on either side. I'm guessing this is a drainage or a creek. If so, I'd be looking to set up just north or just south of that drainage, higher up the hill side where you will have a more consistent wind. That spot looks like it would definitely get some traffic during the rut. I'd probably favor the north side since that also puts you on the east/west transition line between the two cover types.
If you are setting up for early or late season, I'd look to set up just northeast of the first red dot north of the bed. It looks like there is an evergreen thicket there. I'd focus on the northeast point of that thicket, that way you are covering the transition line along both sides of the evergreens, and, if the buck is traveling through the thicket for cover, you will also be in a good position if he exits through the northeast side. This setup assumes he is feeding primarily in the NE field, which looks likely based on the rub line you marked out. In that case, given that you said you have to access from the SE, I would try and hunt this setup on a SW,W,NW, or even straight N wind. Access from the SE and stay to the east side of the property while headed north into your kill tree area.
I also like the two inside corners for rut locations.
Thanks a lot for the input fellas. I was thinking along some of the same lines as you mentioned seazofcheeze, the inside corner furthest south that you X'd will be a spot that I will likely sit when the bucks get on their feet and are seeking. The terrain sets up great at the corner to be able to cover almost all of the major travel routes within bow range. As far as hunting this location during pre-rut, I plan on placing a couple cameras on his travel routes to the southwest of the bed and to the northeast. I should be able to fill in more of the puzzle with the cameras and what will be growing in those fields this upcoming year. I really appreciate the insight, this is truly a amazing site and forum Dan, I've been a part of many different hunt forums over the years and have not seen many if any with the level of decency and respect that is shown on the hunting beast. Keep up the good work.
Always pick a spot!
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