Hunting creek bottoms and thermals

[may21581]

Two questions for yah.
Question one is what is on the tops of the hills? Is it timber, ag, open fields?
Question two is what time of year do you think this bed is most used?

[jwetzel52]

The tops of the hills are open fields. The west side is tall grass that’s about head high. I haven’t been to the east side yet to see what’s over there. As far as time of year I am not sure. The west side of the bottom is covered with oaks so I’m guessing for sure early season.

[may21581]

Alot of the spots previously marked look like good stand sites. However the most difficult part is getting a concistant wind and breeze down in there. Little changes such as wind velocity and thermals can have drastic effects. If you are able to find a concistant wind that will work for you then it's just a matter of how close you can get without alerting him. Personally I like windy days because you can get away with alot more, it almost gives them a false sense of security.
Myself personally i like to hunt closer to the top just because it is more concistant. But then thermals factor in and you need to know where you think he is entering from so you can take this into consideration.
Just an idea, instead of catching him coming from his bed, what if you catch him returning to his bed? I hunted a buck in a very similiar setup. Once I had him in the open grass field where he bedded when it was real windy in November. He bedded down wind of a doe he was tending in an oxbow just like that one you have. The second time I seen him was in grey light on the gun opener returning to bed. He had no idea I was there. It was just 10 minutes before legal boom time.
If I'm a betting man I'd say he uses this area at different times. Check out the other side and look for some rut sign. If hes spending any amount of time in the area you should be able to find a few more beds and some sign.

[jwetzel52]

It was mentioned before about setting up for the morning instead of an evening sit. So my question is if I were to set up closer to the top of the hill would the thermals drop straight down the side to the bottom? Across the creek to the north of the bed I noticed about a 100 yards or so it looks like there was a small thicket but I never got a chance to check it out yet. So when a buck enters an oboe like this does he still enter from the downwind side? When looking at the bed it was just a large matted down circle which leads me to believe that he uses it on multiple winds. Is my thought process correct?

[may21581]

As far as your thermals go there is no easy answer. It depends on the wind which way its blowing, how hard its blowing ect. Just some scouting and trying out some milkweed at different times and spots will help guide you on the thermals.
My general experience with the big bucks and oxbows is they will use the wind and thermals to their advantage. Usually I have see them bed with the wind to their back through the thick stuff and they like to watch the trail they entered in on for predators following them. The water and banks is an added layer of protection due to anything crossing would make noise and he could escape on an exit trail or across the creek.
Those can be tough to hunt, they use them for a reason. I have found more success on them returning to bed or after they exit on a secure food source. also during the rut if you know where the does are you can prolly catch him off his regular travel pattern. Hunt the best terrain between him and the doe groups.

[jwetzel52]

I will keep that all in mind. All the information is a great help. If you were to hunt this spot in the morning how would you set up on it? My thoughts are to set up close to the bottom of the hill in the point that leads out to the oxbow (because of the oaks) on possibly a north or north west wind. That way as he’s trying to go up to the oxbow he would have the wind to his face. However I would have to be ready for the shot because he would end up getting down wind of me.

[KornfedKiller]

So to answer your question, It really depends, but I would scout it and learn the wind and I personally would look for a pinch point on his approach very close to the actual creek for Am hunting. And Ii would make sure i had good entry/access.... barring this, I would set up for different wind directions further out on his AM approach to the area. One final thing, everyone thinks mature bucks bed in oxbows - and they do. but from mid Oct - the entire rut I find the outside bend of oxbows far better for several reasons. One of the main reasons, the does bed in the oxbow with the wind blowing into it - a smart mature buck will bed across the creek and downwind so he can scent check if a hot doe is present. So if it is a shallow or narrow creek they will bed downwind and have an additional safety factor of the water to protect against predators that KNOW where the majority of deer bed. The other spot I like is at the actual mouth of oxbows to either side. bucks will travel across oxbows and check the doe trails going into the oxbow for a hot doe. You have to play the wind by setting up to the sides so your wind doesn't dump into the oxbow. These are killer spots for late morning cruising bucks and there are very often tight pinch points at these locations that bump hard against a tree line edge or where hardwoods/softwoods create an edge.

I took this specific piece of advice out with me scouting today. I scouted a new piece of public yesterday similar to OP's creek and found 3 good beds on oxbows which I assumed were bucks due to scrapes and thickness of bedding. So today I walked the other side. I found an old, dead buck face down in the mud. Big thanks DaveT, your posts here and on SaddleHunter have been super helpful through my first couple years of hunting.

[KornfedKiller]

I got a question about accessing creek bottoms if anyone can help. If you dont have a kayak or canoe and wanna get in without leaving ground scent, can you put on waders and just walk down the creek? Banks are about 3-4 ft high over the water. Or would deer hear the water hitting your legs?

[Jdw]

I got a question about accessing creek bottoms if anyone can help. If you dont have a kayak or canoe and wanna get in without leaving ground scent, can you put on waders and just walk down the creek? Banks are about 3-4 ft high over the water. Or would deer hear the water hitting your legs?

Slow down when you get close to your stand location and noise won’t be any worse than if you were in a boat.

I would also walk your route in the summer to see what the depth is like and plan what you’re going to do with the waders.
If you’re not going to ware them in the stand you need a place to remove them that is somewhat out of sight and sound from where you expect the deer to be.

[Motivated]

Awesome comments from so much better hunters than I am. If there are overgrown fields on the tops then an afternoon access from those fields might be very difficult due the satellite bedding, and if you don't know specifically where he's going to be--he might be up there. I like the idea of accessing through the creek, both for mornings and afternoons.

[KornfedKiller]

I got a question about accessing creek bottoms if anyone can help. If you dont have a kayak or canoe and wanna get in without leaving ground scent, can you put on waders and just walk down the creek? Banks are about 3-4 ft high over the water. Or would deer hear the water hitting your legs?

Slow down when you get close to your stand location and noise won’t be any worse than if you were in a boat.

I would also walk your route in the summer to see what the depth is like and plan what you’re going to do with the waders.
If you’re not going to ware them in the stand you need a place to remove them that is somewhat out of sight and sound from where you expect the deer to be.

great advice i love this thanks