marsh points

[Rob loper]

i found a spot yesterday on a marsh that as i walked the tranny line it was littered with rubs all the way to the point its a spot where you walk in and say or think OMG i cant wait to hunt here lol
a bed was on the direct point it was behind a blowdown
its like a cave almost the way the blowdown surrounds the bed
almost like a little natural blind lol the undeniable bed in this almost like structure smelled very rut like
there is a trail going out into the cat tails and red brush from it to though so im puzzled where to set up cause im almost positive that he has a bed out in the brush and cattails too
im gonna hunt this next week after xmas cause we are going to new jersey for family stuff so im screwed for hunting til tuesdsay the 26th
i have to sneak to about 60 yards to his bed making sure his sight field does not go to where i wanna set up i picked a tree already too probably 2 sticks and about 10 ft high only tree i can get in quick and easily
then i scouted another point same area, is littered with rubs and there is a bed at the point too then same thing heavy trail going out into cattails and red brush then i found a bed between that point and a bowl which was right on tranny line overlooking a trail along the woods and cattails transition
could this be the same buck using different points for some reason? i cant wait to sit here its one of those spots you just know your gonna see somthing
both of these points have trails going out into the cattails with red brush would the red brush be primary bedding and the beds on the point tips would be a certain time, wind ,or situational bed? this is public and there is high pressure gun seasons here which just passed
i dont want to screw this hunt up ive never seen a 3 1/2 year old buck or older and im certain that these rubs ive found on these point are made by mature bucks i would post pics but i dont know where or how to
i also gotta wait for a north or north west wind for this hunt which should be good i will be sitting on se side of this piece halfway up the point 60 yards from bed quiet and slow are i think essential here sorry so long wanted to get my painted picture of what i found out lmao
any thought? thnks merry xmas my brothas

[wolverinebuckman]

Good luck man! I'm not going to give you any advice since I'm still learning myself. I've got a similar situation that I'm trying to finish out my season on, except it's right in my grandpa's little five acre yard. I'm actually pretty sure he's bedding in the little swamp right next to the house in a little finger of woods. Tracks are some of the biggest I've seen...all over the yard. Always following the tracks of one of the five does living in the surrounding woods, and the body that I keep seeing on trail cams definitely looks three and a half plus . every single picture I have of him his rack is blurred so I have no idea what I'm dealing with there. Definitely excited to try to tag this guy. And quite the challenge. Hopefully we'll both be celebrating this New Year's with some fresh back strap!

[Ragingun]

A buck will always have a trail going into the cattails when they bed in this scenario. Typically, not always, this trail is used as an escape route. The red brush or dog wood you see out there is more likely to hold doe bedding than anything else. Is there a possibility he has a bed out there too? Ya, maybe, but doubtful especially with what you found already. Is it the same buck using both beds? Very likely if the beds are close in proximity as typically a mature buck will "dominate" a given area but again, not always as there are no absolutes in nature.

The rest of your setup sound about right. Pay close attention to the wind direction for each bed in relation to the trail he will be walking in on and your setup. 60 yards is very close so take your time. It may take 45 minutes to an hour to set your stand depending on cover noise such as wind, be OK with this and get in there early.

Good luck.

[Rob loper]

Good luck man! I'm not going to give you any advice since I'm still learning myself. I've got a similar situation that I'm trying to finish out my season on, except it's right in my grandpa's little five acre yard. I'm actually pretty sure he's bedding in the little swamp right next to the house in a little finger of woods. Tracks are some of the biggest I've seen...all over the yard. Always following the tracks of one of the five does living in the surrounding woods, and the body that I keep seeing on trail cams definitely looks three and a half plus . every single picture I have of him his rack is blurred so I have no idea what I'm dealing with there. Definitely excited to try to tag this guy. And quite the challenge. Hopefully we'll both be celebrating this New Year's with some fresh back strap!

Good luck brotha. I hope and pray you get him. Post pics if you do. Stay safe merry xmas

[Rob loper]

[quote="Ragingun"]A buck will always have a trail going into the cattails when they bed in this scenario. Typically, not always, this trail is used as an escape route. The red brush or dog wood you see out there is more likely to hold doe bedding than anything else. Is there a possibility he has a bed out there too? Ya, maybe, but doubtful especially with what you found already. Is it the same buck using both beds? Very likely if the beds are close in proximity as typically a mature buck will "dominate" a given area but again, not always as there are no absolutes in nature.

The rest of your setup sound about right. Pay close attention to the wind direction for each bed in relation to the trail he will be walking in on and your setup. 60 yards is very close so take your time. It may take 45 minutes to an hour to set your stand depending on cover noise such as wind, be OK with this and get in there early.
Ok i will definately brother
Im planning on the day i go hunt it im gonna go about 1130ish and jus mosey my way and set up super super slow I wish i had a pic i could show you ghe bed it was really cool. If the two beds on the two points are the same buck. What would be the reason for him to switch beds wind maybe? Okay and wind wise. Where i wanna set up it onthe south east edgar of transition looking up torwards the point and out torwards the meadow
So the wind gotta be north or northwest wind to hunt so sitting in setup the wind will be coming through the woods out hitting my back going out torwards the marsh hopefully im high enough so the wind will go over any other deer that comes out before him
Im worried about thermals before dark. There is some water out there so im just wondering if that water will suck air to it downward quicker than just cooling air currents? Sorry so long lol
Any thoughts on this?
I dont wanna screw this up which most likely have one shot at it thats why im asking in detail any insight
Thnks

[Ragingun]

Ok i will definately brother
Im planning on the day i go hunt it im gonna go about 1130ish and jus mosey my way and set up super super slow I wish i had a pic i could show you ghe bed it was really cool. If the two beds on the two points are the same buck. What would be the reason for him to switch beds wind maybe? Okay and wind wise. Where i wanna set up it onthe south east edgar of transition looking up torwards the point and out torwards the meadow
So the wind gotta be north or northwest wind to hunt so sitting in setup the wind will be coming through the woods out hitting my back going out torwards the marsh hopefully im high enough so the wind will go over any other deer that comes out before him
Im worried about thermals before dark. There is some water out there so im just wondering if that water will suck air to it downward quicker than just cooling air currents? Sorry so long lol
Any thoughts on this?
I dont wanna screw this up which most likely have one shot at it thats why im asking in detail any insight
Thnks

Lots of good questions. What direction is the bed facing that you plan to hunt? He will sit with the wind to his back I'm sure you know. Why two beds? My guess is one bed is used for a certain wind or certain thermals. Going up 2 sticks as you mentioned in your original plan isn't going to be high enough (IMO and not knowing the exact setup) to have your scent go over the deer. You asked about passing deer winding you, yes, that's one of the chances you will take when bed hunting. Even if they do there are times the buck won't care. Other times a doe will snort at you and the buck will take off. Gotta take that chance though. Since you can't get higher than 2 sticks you gotta make sure you are out of the scent trail that he can smell in his bed or on the trail coming to the main land, that should be your primary concern. Everything else will happen as it will, you cannot control other deer and variables.

As far as water goes, pay attention to the closest "good sized" body of water. Sometimes a large "puddle" will be enough to pull or push your scent and some hunters will miss this thinking that the larger river or stream or pond is the main player for thermals, but that's not always true. This is a learning curve here though and you will have to figure that out as you go and learn to recognize what is what so to speak. Nobody wants to screw up the possibility of hunting a buck on his bed however it will inevitably happen. Look at it like Dan says, a failure is one of the best hunts to have since you actually learn something. Not saying you will fail but it can/will happen. Can't let that hold you back though.

[Rob loper]

Yea you are right gotta just go hunt it.
The bed i actually think the buck is facing the only place humans can come sort of facing the parking lot turn around of the only road that accesses this piece
So really he must be kinda facing that direction cause they know that humans come from that way. If that makes sense? And i guess i need to find about 20-30 of these spots and hunt them in a rotation? Maybe hunt each spot 4-5 times a year?
Thnks again

[Rob loper]

Ragin i did wanna say the rubs are huge big as my leg. Some as round as my torso but there are rubs up and down all three points and transitions but none at all in the middle of the woods none
Wats that mean besides the tranny line is their route to travel. I was thinking there migt be multiple mature bucks in this property using these points maybe

[creepingdeth]

Excited about this spot (for you), the trouble w/ new spots is that they may take a couple years scouting/hunting to figure out. Dont worry about screwing up. If you know the wind you need and have an entry plan, go hunt this buck. Always be ready and rememner what you learn. Keep us posted

[Rob loper]

Wednesday is the day if there is a north or north west wind and its supposed to be a high of 32 so it will or should be cold enough to get them on their feet at least last 30 minutes of light
Wednesday night i will have a definate update. Cant wait
To see what comes out

[Ragingun]

Ragin i did wanna say the rubs are huge big as my leg. Some as round as my torso but there are rubs up and down all three points and transitions but none at all in the middle of the woods none
Wats that mean besides the tranny line is their route to travel. I was thinking there migt be multiple mature bucks in this property using these points maybe

Likely just means they're traveling the edge, you'd have to scout to know for sure. There's always the possibility of multiple bucks in that area. During the rut, the mature buck will have the lesser bucks pushed out more or less at a minimum they will be cautious to enter where he is. When not in rut they will bed together and form the popular "bachelor groups".

[Ragingun]

Yea you are right gotta just go hunt it.
The bed i actually think the buck is facing the only place humans can come sort of facing the parking lot turn around of the only road that accesses this piece
So really he must be kinda facing that direction cause they know that humans come from that way. If that makes sense? And i guess i need to find about 20-30 of these spots and hunt them in a rotation? Maybe hunt each spot 4-5 times a year?
Thnks again

Can't put a number of times you can hunt a spot as each is different. Most spots 1-2 times a year is the most you should do however there are a few spots that you can access that a buck will never know you're there depending on entry and thermals.