Scouting marsh islands

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UofLbowhunter
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby UofLbowhunter » Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:18 pm

Thats a great video. Well done!! :clap:


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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby kurt » Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:20 pm

dan wrote:
Nocturnal wrote:Seeing as it was a terrible acrorn drop this last fall. I'd say they like that island no matter what. Those trails were beat to the ground..

Yes... I was not trying to imply that the only time they use it, just that that is a great time to kill them. No acorns there last year during season yet lots of rubbing tells me bucks were in there pre-rut for sure. Once the leaves drop those beds are most likely to open to the sun for the bucks.


I have a question regarding beds being too open to the sun after leaf drop Dan. How do you determine that when looking at beds? A lot of the beds I find seem way out on the end of the point very similar to what you showed but it seems the trees get few and far between so I never really thought leaf drop would matter. I guess I never really thought about it specifically though or heard you talk about it before. You might have said it but now it caught my attention. I'm intrigued by a way I could maybe eliminate certain beds after leaf drop. Sometimes I have a buck pattern but can't decide between certain beds.
Last edited by kurt on Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby beartruth2 » Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:25 pm

Very interesting. Thanks dan
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby osage » Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:32 pm

Awesome video!! Just a quick question- what made you determine that last bed was the primary bed as opposed to the other beds further up the point? It was hard to tell from the video, was that bed worn more than the others? Or did you make that determination based on years of experience with points like that?

Thanks for the video!
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Mar 14, 2017 6:49 pm

Great video. Very similar to most island points I hunt. My weakness has been setting up a little too far from the bed. An extra 30 yards equals a failed hunt if your not right in the staging area. I have been busted while climbing down more times than I care to admit in that situation. This video is a great reminder just how close you need to set up to be in the game.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby dan » Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:36 pm

tgreeno wrote:Awesome video Dan!

I have an island set-up very similar to that. The only difference is that south bedding point angles to the west instead of the east. And my access is from the east. So I would be setting up almost a mirror to your set-up.

Would he still be bedding there on a northwest wind? Which would be perfect for my set-up. Or just North?

I would expect him there on a n/w... In a lot of cases they bed there on any wind. But best winds for him are the most likely.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby dan » Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:39 pm

Jackson Marsh wrote:So that buck won't bed there on a South wind?

He might... BUT... I also found a south wind bed with some good wear on the north side of the island. Hunt the odds. Odds are he will be there on a north wind, but he could be there on others too. North is best for him.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby dan » Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:44 pm

kurt wrote:
dan wrote:
Nocturnal wrote:Seeing as it was a terrible acrorn drop this last fall. I'd say they like that island no matter what. Those trails were beat to the ground..

Yes... I was not trying to imply that the only time they use it, just that that is a great time to kill them. No acorns there last year during season yet lots of rubbing tells me bucks were in there pre-rut for sure. Once the leaves drop those beds are most likely to open to the sun for the bucks.


I have a question regarding beds being too open to the sun after leaf drop Dan. How do you determine that when looking at beds? A lot of the beds I find seem way out on the end of the point very similar to what you showed but it seems the trees get few and far between so I never really thought leaf drop would matter. I guess I never really thought about it specifically though or heard you talk about it before. You might have said it but now it caught my attention. I'm intrigued by a way I could maybe eliminate certain beds after leaf drop. Sometimes I have a buck pattern but can't decide between certain beds.

The more I observe beds and bedding the more apparent it is to me that bucks prefer to not be right in the direct sun light most of the time. So those open beds under a tree were likely there when the tree had thick leaves, in cattails likely when the cattails were high and thick, not nocked down from snow, etc.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby dan » Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:46 pm

osage wrote:Awesome video!! Just a quick question- what made you determine that last bed was the primary bed as opposed to the other beds further up the point? It was hard to tell from the video, was that bed worn more than the others? Or did you make that determination based on years of experience with points like that?

Thanks for the video!

It was based on past experience and observations... I new without even walking out there that's where the best bed would be. Could I be wrong? sure. But most of the time its right on the point if its thick.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby dan » Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:48 pm

Dewey wrote:Great video. Very similar to most island points I hunt. My weakness has been setting up a little too far from the bed. An extra 30 yards equals a failed hunt if your not right in the staging area. I have been busted while climbing down more times than I care to admit in that situation. This video is a great reminder just how close you need to set up to be in the game.

Right... I tried to emphasize that. I think most guys set up to far back.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby Ack » Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:05 pm

Another great video Dan!
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby wickedbruiser » Wed Mar 15, 2017 12:16 am

8-) dandy looking set. Another great informative video, Dan!
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby Bigburner » Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:03 am

Dan, just making an assumption but I would figure you would be hunting that with plenty of vegetation still being present. With acorns being the primary draw you're looking at hitting that place up late September early October (before the first frost and leaf drop)? In regards to the satellite beds. I couldn't really tell from the video but did it look like those dirt mounds would have a fair amount of grass growing on them? Also would you consider hunting a place like that late season regardless of food source just because of its location and difficulty of access based on hunting pressure in the big woods? It looks like it would be a tough set-up later in the year due to lack of cover.
And one more question . I've had experience with satellite beds being utilized and I know I've seen you in footage were you have passed on lesser bucks assuming they were using those same types of beds before your primary target came up the rear and took one in the boiler room. With such a small piece of real estate and limited food source would you make an assumption that the latter it got toward full blown pre-rut/rut there would be less of a chance that more than one buck would be occupying that point based on less tolerance from a dominant buck or in your case the target buck laying claim to that area when the wind conditions would support bedding?
Sorry for the winded questions just trying to beef up the theoretical approach. And great vid btw!
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:25 am

Thanks Dan.
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Re: Scouting marsh islands

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:35 am

dan wrote:
tgreeno wrote:Awesome video Dan!

I have an island set-up very similar to that. The only difference is that south bedding point angles to the west instead of the east. And my access is from the east. So I would be setting up almost a mirror to your set-up.

Would he still be bedding there on a northwest wind? Which would be perfect for my set-up. Or just North?

I would expect him there on a n/w... In a lot of cases they bed there on any wind. But best winds for him are the most likely.


Thanks Dan!
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