The Hunting Beast

The lakes around where I hunt are impounded rivers. From may to September the water level is at summer pool. Starting September first the water is drawn down to prepare for fall and winter water. The winter pool is 5ft lower than summer pool. Has anyone ever had much experience with bucks bedding in areas after the water drops. For me it would only open up isolated trees or pockets but might be worth a shot. The water level is always changing but they try to keep it as consistent as possible. Also, the area I'm looking at relieves a bunch of runoff from drainage. It can be almost impossible to walk thru because the mud is so deep and soft. I didn't know it that would deter deer since I think it would be hard on them too.

[ Post made via Android ]

Klemz has a good YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWyxXdPjItU

[ Post made via iPhone ]

A little different than what I'm looking at but helpful and interesting.

[ Post made via Android ]

I'm having a little trouble myself with the river still being so high. I've had a couple hours to go out, but really havn't b/c of the river. I might have to do a couple summer scouting sets. A high river defiantly makes it a little more difficult.

The dam area I hunt drops 25 feet between Nov 1 and Nov 15th. Completely different ball game, to some extent. Walk-in access more prevalent, different tracking options available. Last summer was 65 feet higher than winter pool. That changed things for a while, but mostly back to normal afterward.

[ Post made via Android ]

From my experience, bedding in recently inundated areas isn't very prevalent. Too much destruction of terrestrial vegetation that is used for forage and cover. It all depends though, if the flooding produces lush wetland vegetation it probably has a lot of bedding.

tbunao wrote:Klemz has a good YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWyxXdPjItU

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Good video! This is spot on with what I have been finding this year scouting

[ Post made via Android ]

Hawthorne wrote:

tbunao wrote:Klemz has a good YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWyxXdPjItU

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Good video! This is spot on with what I have been finding this year scouting

[ Post made via Android ]

I've got a spot that is a replica of the first aerial he went over. The beds in there are pretty worn.

Excellent video Klemz!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Hawthorne wrote:Good video! This is spot on with what I have been finding this year scouting

Lockdown wrote:I've got a spot that is a replica of the first aerial he went over. The beds in there are pretty worn.

Excellent video Klemz!

Thanks guys. I made that a couple years ago and only now reposted it to youtube. I have used that information to zero in on other mature buck bedding since then.

As far as hunting an area that has impoundment type water level changes every season, all I can offer is that if there is a backwater marsh/swamp area (i.e. low,flat terrain) that gets flooded and has nice thick vegetation during low water times, look for the points of elevation that are surrounded by water at high level times as they are very often buck bedding even in low water times. I would expect to find larger trees/shrubs on these points as a clue. Also, these dry points should be evident on aerial pictures taken during high water times.

One possible source for these photos is
http://www.terraserver.com/

You enter your area into the finder and can then use the mapviewer to see multiple different views, hopefully some taken at high water time. You need to zoom in to 500 Km in order to see all the views of your area. Anyways, it is an addition view of your hunting area besides the common ones we all know. Possibly it could help.

Thanks guys. Most areas I have around me have little vegetation once the water goes down. There is one spot I have in mind I might try to scout this fall. Buck brush is our most common vegetation in swampy areas and it will get so thick deer can't use it. I mainly hunt Hill country but am going to try some swampy River bottoms to change it up a bit.

[ Post made via Android ]

I have a couple places I hunt that depending on the water levels is either really good buck bedding or its so flooded that the beds are covered up. Rain plays a huge part on whether I hunt this or I don't. I went to scout about 2 weeks ago and it was over waste high and beds were completely submerged. But water levels are dropping and it's time to go back in there. Summer months leading up to opener keep it dry for the most part and bucks bed there, but if it rains hard and the retention ponds over flood it will drive the deer to high ground and it goes vacant because it's submerged. What I have been doing is finding the nearest bedding that is higher up for the years this happens and for the years it doesn't I've got it pretty well nailed down. I shot 2014 archery buck standing in waist deep water on an isolated bed that was just high enough for dry bedding. To me when the water levels are just above normal but just below dry bedding it makes the mature bucks dangerously predictable because bedding is at a premium and very consistent and patternable.

[ Post made via iPhone ]