Understanding this "Night" Bed and Saddle Area

[Homey88]

Rfickes87 those are some great bucks!

[JoeRE]

First off sorry I missed your post man. This is a great thread.

Some thoughts:
- Yes I think think your map shows a thermal hub. As I told you in the PM but will mention for the benefit of everyone, some of the most well used thermal hubs I have found have been in really big hills - up to 400 feet tall. And that is all the bigger bluffs get around here, probably show up in areas with bigger hills than that.

- Yes bucks tend to hit scrapes after rains to freshen them. I see a clear trend for this with cameras on scrapes. Often the oldest bucks do this -
little bucks just hit them whenever, maybe haven't learned yet. That could up your odds in trying to plan a hunt.

- The intel off your cam in the saddle is gold. Sure you didn't see a bunch of bucks bedded, but you got them in daylight with a consistent wind. They are bedded close and that is their travel route thru that spot. That's the best info a long term cam deployment can give a hunter! Frankly I would try a morning early season hunt (seems like they are favoring mornings?) right there this year in those conditions if you think you can get a safe setup. Have to pick a tree down slope of the travel route but be careful because falling thermals could bust you if the bucks are coming up from down in the bottoms in the morning. If they are coming from down in the bottoms you cannot sit UP the valley from thier travel route. Falling thermals move like water down slope and down valleys. Looks like it took a crap after the DNR mowed trails in there though, not surprising. Cross your fingers this year!

- Hard to say w/o walking it if the buck is bedded down low or somewhere nearby up high but like others have said, I have seen them bed down in thermal hubs too. I have seen it outside of the rut, but more often in the rut, I am pretty sure associated with scent checking does using pooling thermals in the morning and evening. You can go down there and try to find a bed and safe wind, but that's going to be hard. Hopefully he shows himself in the saddle in daylight just like last year and you can kill him. To me it would be worth a hunt, don't mess with that spot any more just hit it and if it doesn't work out scout the perimeter of the valley for big tracks in and out.

- Hunting down in that valley will be tempting but be very careful. I would never try it w/o testing out air currents first. Looks like a N or a S wind might work but you still have to deal with thermals moving up the valley in the day and down at first and last light. I would take 1 trip to scout down in the valley for beds on low benches in the next few weeks then leave it all alone. That is where I find most low beds on big hills. Doesn't mean they are hunt-able down there and its often not clear what wind the bed is for down there either! Another trend I have been noticing is bedding down low on north slopes in hot weather. Just giving you some ideas.

Really cool find. Looks like you are right up in that buck's business and there are a few other dandies around too.

Last but not least not sure if Autumn Ninja is still around at all but I first understood this behavior from his posts 5 years ago, so he deserves a big THANK YOU. Don't want anyone thinking I came up with it from scratch.

[rfickes87]

Thanks Joe! I really appreciate you taking the time to write that up! I'll keep you updated on my scouting.