Beds in relation to water

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huntinsonovagun
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Beds in relation to water

Unread postby huntinsonovagun » Mon May 28, 2012 6:50 am

What commonalities have you seen in buck beds in relation to bodies of water? (lakes, rivers, ponds, sloughs, creeks, etc). I feel in my gut that a buck is going to use water to his advantage somehow, but I'd like some cofirmation or input from others with more experience than I have.

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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby Stanley » Mon May 28, 2012 7:13 am

I have done a lot of river hunting throughout the years. In a lot of cases I didn't have permission to hunt the the bedding areas which were on adjoining properties. I found if you get a weather pattern where the wind blew towards the river for 3+ days the buck movement increased close to the river. I used this pattern to arrow quite a few nice bucks.
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby dan » Mon May 28, 2012 8:54 am

How they bed in relation to water is a pretty broad question... There are differences between ponds, lakes, rivers, water holes, swamps, etc...
If I were to attempt to answer this without narrowing the question down, I would say they like to bed with the wind blowing towards the water while facing down wind. There also needs to be an escape rought. Deer can run or sneak down wind thru a swamp, creek, or small river, but escaping thru a lake? Not so easy.
Look for bedding along rivers to be along inside curves. Along swamp or marshes look at points, bowls, and fingers that jut out into the water.
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby huntinsonovagun » Mon May 28, 2012 11:37 am

dan wrote:How they bed in relation to water is a pretty broad question... There are differences between ponds, lakes, rivers, water holes, swamps, etc...



And I guess this is what I was getting at- do they tend to bed differently in relation to a certain body of water as opposed to another body of water? (large river/lake vs pond in the timber, etc)

Does it seem bucks tend to favor bedding near a large body of water if it's nearby, or quite a ways from it ?

If you are hunting river bottoms, do they tend to bed directly next to the river, or a little ways off the river?

I recall a time hunting a particular river bottom years ago that I hunt to this day. This was before I had any clue of what I was doing. I jumped up something big, that was alone. I never saw it, but I had never heard anything that big jump up before and make so much ruckus, so I just have to imagine it was a stud tearing out of there hitting his rack on everything on the way out. Whatever it was, it was bedded right on the river. I obviously have no idea what the wind was doing that day, but I imagine that "buck" was there for a reason.

I'm trying to make my field scouting more efficient by focusing on likely bedding areas in river bottoms, near lakes, and other bodies of water. Everywhere I hunt there is some sort of body of water, but no marshes or swamps.

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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby dan » Tue May 29, 2012 1:31 am

They will bed right along water if it has the ingredients of a good bed. But they will also bed a 1/2 mile away... You need to study maps, and wear out boots...
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby Spysar » Tue May 29, 2012 1:40 am

This is too broad a topic. Big lakes are a barricade. I don't think deer like bedding near a spot they can't get out of.

Streams are different. Some are noisy running water, some are calm. I don't think deer would like beding near where they can't hear.

In a swamp, a deer isn't going to lay in water, so they will find a higher dry spot. And by high spot I mean above water level.

There are tons of different scenerios.
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby kenn1320 » Tue May 29, 2012 2:42 am

Spysar wrote:This is too broad a topic. Big lakes are a barricade. I don't think deer like bedding near a spot they can't get out of.

Streams are different. Some are noisy running water, some are calm. I don't think deer would like beding near where they can't hear.In a swamp, a deer isn't going to lay in water, so they will find a higher dry spot. And by high spot I mean above water level.

There are tons of different scenerios.


Actually on the public land up north where my relatives hunt, its very common for the deer to bed along the freeway. Its very noisy, you hardly hear them sometimes. However thinking about it, the deer likely "never" encounter human danger entering from the freeway, so to them they feel safe from that direction.

As for bedding along the water, as Dan said if the situation is right, they will bed very close to it. A stream/river offers several things to them. Little movement to get water. Cooler temps along the water. The only shade in many states where farming is abundant. Easy for them to cross it and leave the predator high and dry on the other side. Stans comment about the wind and deer movement is very interesting..... :think:
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby huntinsonovagun » Tue May 29, 2012 2:56 am

I understand the need to study maps and put in my time on the ground- there's no question about that and I understand the value in each of those. The question is, what would a specific trait on a map be that I'm looking for when relating to water? (so one doesnt just ramble through the woods looking for a spot where a deer happened to lay down) It appears, from the responses thus far, that deer could really care less about the water and don't neccesarily use it to their advantage on a regular basis. I kind of thought that maybe they may use a pond (for instance) as a barrier where a predator couldn't sneak in from behind or something. I also understand that each situation is different.

I'm not an ignorant hunter and I kill on public ground with a bow every year, I'm just trying to get a better handle on this bedding thing. We can't legally run a spotlight here, there's no crops that deer come and feed on, and any deer, much less a mature buck, rarely feed in the open pastures during daylight. The deer density is very low in the area I typically hunt. I have had all of my success based soley on sign and terrain features and usually do most of my scouting by looking at maps. I say all that just so you guys realize that I understand what it takes and I'm not looking for an "easy out". I just need some guidance on what to look for in these beds. I own both DVDs btw, its just that my normal hunting situations werent really addressed and I come looking for help from anyone that may have some guidance as to where to start. There's no doubt in my mind that I won't figure it out eventually, I was just trying to get a jump start on it. Thanks for any help offered. ;)

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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby whitetail007 » Tue May 29, 2012 2:58 am

last week i watched a doe bed right out on a small point with water on 2 sides, wind blowing in from the lake with not much escape route unless it was going to swim. it was also very windy and hot that day. i wanted to walk down and bump her to see what she would do. there was a lake with a channel forming a "L" shape blocking 2 sides and a house with a deck on another which only left a small strip of cover for her to escape. after talking with the home owner he said they usually bed right under the deck and he has had bucks walk right past him while working in the yard.
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby Spysar » Tue May 29, 2012 3:07 am

huntinsonovagun wrote:I understand the need to study maps and put in my time on the ground- there's no question about that and I understand the value in each of those. The question is, what would a specific trait on a map be that I'm looking for when relating to water? (so one doesnt just ramble through the woods looking for a spot where a deer happened to lay down) It appears, from the responses thus far, that deer could really care less about the water and don't neccesarily use it to their advantage on a regular basis. I kind of thought that maybe they may use a pond (for instance) as a barrier where a predator couldn't sneak in from behind or something. I also understand that each situation is different.

I'm not an ignorant hunter and I kill on public ground with a bow every year, I'm just trying to get a better handle on this bedding thing. We can't legally run a spotlight here, there's no crops that deer come and feed on, and any deer, much less a mature buck, rarely feed in the open pastures during daylight. The deer density is very low in the area I typically hunt. I have had all of my success based soley on sign and terrain features and usually do most of my scouting by looking at maps. I say all that just so you guys realize that I understand what it takes and I'm not looking for an "easy out". I just need some guidance on what to look for in these beds. I own both DVDs btw, its just that my normal hunting situations werent really addressed and I come looking for help from anyone that may have some guidance as to where to start. There's no doubt in my mind that I won't figure it out eventually, I was just trying to get a jump start on it. Thanks for any help offered. ;)

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I forgot who, :oops: , but someone on here has a north big woods spot( I thought it was the UP ) where the deer use a pond or swamp as a barricade(blocking predator access) and bed in a thicket, the barricade isn't so big that they can't escape.....the pic is on here somewhere...anyone remember that?
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby huntinsonovagun » Tue May 29, 2012 3:42 am

I think you're referring to this thread - viewtopic.php?style=32&f=3&t=11629

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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby dan » Tue May 29, 2012 11:51 am

The question is, what would a specific trait on a map be that I'm looking for when relating to water?
Like I said, this is a very broad question... It would be easier to answer each body of water differently, such as, how do bucks bed in relation to rivers? how do bucks bed in relation to lakes? how do bucks bed in relation to swamps and marshes?

Im not trying to avoid the question, just trying to avoid writing a book.
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby dan » Tue May 29, 2012 12:06 pm

Lets take a look at a small river... One needs to assume that there is not regular canoe or kayak traffic on a creek for this to apply. Bedding will be along the river in the bowl shaped depressions. Generally the wind will be blowing into the bowl so if anything walks in from dry land it will be smelled and the river will be the escape.

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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby BigHunt » Tue May 29, 2012 12:08 pm

dan wrote:Lets take a look at a small river... One needs to assume that there is not regular canoe or kayak traffic on a creek for this to apply. Bedding will be along the river in the bowl shaped depressions. Generally the wind will be blowing into the bowl so if anything walks in from dry land it will be smelled and the river will be the escape.

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wow thats very good to know dan ...thanks!!!!
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Re: Beds in relation to water

Unread postby Spysar » Tue May 29, 2012 12:08 pm

huntinsonovagun wrote:I think you're referring to this thread - viewtopic.php?style=32&f=3&t=11629

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Yep.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.


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