Deer bedding in big woods

[dan]

of a find Scott....

[publiclandhunter]

Scott,

I personally know of several other very impressive bucks found dead in a few feet of water just in from the edge of lakes/ponds in wilderness areas. That buck you found is a great northwoods specimen. I am always amazed at the proficiency of those big Ontario bucks to grow 5x5, 6x6 & 7x7 racks when compared to areas like Michigan where genetics always are promoting 4x4 configurations.

PLH

[dan]

A couple years ago I found a 14 pointer in a frozen pond. I saw coyote tracks all over the ice and then noticed deer hair... Looking closer I found that there was a deer frozen into the pond that must have gone thru the ice and then froze there. The chest was sticking above the ice but the yotes ate it off flush and everything that was in the cavity. I wiped the snow away and could see a rack within the ice. So a week or so later when I was in the same area I swung by with an axe and chopped out a large block of ice containing the head and took it home and threw it out in the yard till it thawed and quit stinking.

[dan]

P.L.H. Your theory sounds logical, but I have also found that gut/liver shot deer often head to water too... I have probably found about a dozen different gut shot deer in water at the end of the blood trail...
You got me thinking though. I wonder if the predator theory is correct? Or its just wounded deer seeking cool water?
I would like to learn more about it.

[NatureBoy]

Heavy stuff PLH, Scott and Dan! Great posts!!! Pure gold.

[dan]

In Ontario while utilizing snow to see exactly what happened after a bedded buck was jumped, they circled 90% of the time to catch the scent of the critter that spooked them before departing for far-away areas. If they didn't get the chance to circle and catch scent, it always seemed like you could come back the next day and find the same buck's tracks in the area and possibly a bed nearby.

I shot a nice 10 point buck on a ridge in a wooded public area while still hunting with my bow in the rain. I was not sure on the hit so I waited a little bit before tracking and was surprised when I tracked the buck (which I never recovered) that he had circled around and was standing behind a rock watching me while I waited before tracking.