Bedding around water

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JMAR85
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Bedding around water

Unread postby JMAR85 » Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:19 pm

I plan on scouting a new piece of public this weekend around a lake that has many points and fingers reaching out into it. My question is would bucks use these points around the lake the same way they do in marsh terrain to bed?

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headgear
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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby headgear » Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:45 pm

In most cases no but you can't rule it out completely. They like to bed by lakes because of the thermal effect and because it's a natural burrier, however bedding out on a point on a lake only leaves them swimming as an escape route, that leaves them pretty exposed. I usually see some kind of buffer zone between their bed and the lake, it doesn't have to be much but enough where they have some room to slip away or double back without being noticed if they see, smell, hear danger coming.
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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby cbay » Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:20 pm

Have areas where there is wooded ridges above the water that have some points/knolls or other terrain features that run off the main ridge that provide more isolation and have good cover to have some solid buck bedding. Or say 20-30 acre pieces that jut out, cove to cove maybe 3-500 yards wide and some smaller fingers on the tract that offer some security to have buck beds.
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Motivated
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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby Motivated » Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:42 pm

Sometimes they do. Sometimes not. If it is thick and usually undisturbed, then there may be some great bedding. If the water level drops, then it may thick above and open below, which is a great recipe for bedding.

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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby cedarsavage » Fri Mar 18, 2016 11:16 pm

headgear wrote:In most cases no but you can't rule it out completely. They like to bed by lakes because of the thermal effect and because it's a natural burrier, however bedding out on a point on a lake only leaves them swimming as an escape route, that leaves them pretty exposed. I usually see some kind of buffer zone between their bed and the lake, it doesn't have to be much but enough where they have some room to slip away or double back without being noticed if they see, smell, hear danger coming.

How are the thermals affected by the water?

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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby dan » Fri Mar 18, 2016 11:21 pm

Two major ingredients of a preferred mature buck bed:

1) detect danger with sight, smell, or sound. Usually a combination of at least 2 of those.

2) a good escape wrought.


A dead end lake point does not have number 2...
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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby IkemanTx » Fri Mar 18, 2016 11:45 pm

I would shoot DaveT1963 a PM. He hunts lakeside properties heavily and has done very well at it.

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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby Hawthorne » Fri Mar 18, 2016 11:57 pm

Water pulls air when its colder than the air temp. Pushes air when warmer. Is this right?

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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby Justin » Mon Mar 21, 2016 10:56 am

Hawthorne wrote:Water pulls air when its colder than the air temp. Pushes air when warmer. Is this right?

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No, I believe it's the other way around. Water in the afternoon will make the thermals travel from dry land towards the water as the water would be warmer than the air as the sun gets closer to setting.
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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby PK_ » Mon Mar 21, 2016 12:00 pm

Justin wrote:
Hawthorne wrote:Water pulls air when its colder than the air temp. Pushes air when warmer. Is this right?

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No, I believe it's the other way around. Water in the afternoon will make the thermals travel from dry land towards the water as the water would be warmer than the air as the sun gets closer to setting.


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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby Hooks1 » Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:00 am

PK_ wrote:
Justin wrote:
Hawthorne wrote:Water pulls air when its colder than the air temp. Pushes air when warmer. Is this right?

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No, I believe it's the other way around. Water in the afternoon will make the thermals travel from dry land towards the water as the water would be warmer than the air as the sun gets closer to setting.


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Hawthorne
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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby Hawthorne » Tue Mar 22, 2016 4:33 am

Thanks guys. Im new to studying thermals. Funny I never paid much attention to them in 25 years of deer hunting. Always just played the wind.I've been busted in the past because of thermals. Im in rolling country and it doesn't take much of a hill to produce them I've learned.

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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:56 am

It really depends on the size of the finger, How deep the water is, and if there's cover they can escape to.... but some of my better Buck bedding areas are on fingers and peninsulas on lakes so yes they will use them. But not all fingers and points are created equal so you'll have to get out put some boots to the ground and soon you will notice which ones they prefer.

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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby JMAR85 » Thu Mar 24, 2016 2:08 pm

DaveT, what specific features do you key in on for good bedding on fingers?

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Re: Bedding around water

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu Mar 24, 2016 2:54 pm

Cover, wind advantage, escape route, out of the way/overlooked. I prefer peninsulas to just a finger ridge... The best ones I hung have mainly brush and few trees.... I think most overlook these because they want to hunt treestands.... A ground or pit blind works well here.

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