Mountain Laurel

[BBH1980]

located a mountain buck bed today he is using a bed in 10 acre rhododendron swamp at the bottom of a drainage below a hard wood point that does bed on

this is the bucks path up too doe bedding i found today. he sits in his bed facing west down wind of point. when he leaves the bed he travels east along the edge of swamp feeding on rhododendron buds and leaves. along this path on swamp there are rubs and droppings. once he gets across the drainage which is about 100 yards he then cuts strait up the drainage twords the does and several scapes all under one hemlock tree.



this is where the buck stops cutting across the bottom edge of dranage and cuts up the hill notice the heavy brows line. im looking strait at swamp scapes and point are at my back. this buck is secure in this area because all the air is hitting him all day he is actually facing the wind in his bed and using his ears too hear behind him. when he leaves his bed he cuts cross ways and uses thermals pulling down off the mountain drainage above. i only ever see mature bucks use the wind like this he keeps the wind in his face the whole time he moves from his bed till dark.


this is also where i will try and intercept the buck before he walks up the hill twords the scrapes and does. i will sit in the cluster of trees with my back up too edge of water im intercepting the deer where hes browsing before the scrapes. right at the end of the heavy beat down moss trail. the area this buck is using looks like a barn yard with droppings rubs and brows line. when i hunt mountain bucks i dont even bat an eye unless i see this kind of sign. if there is actually a buck in the area this is the sign you should expect too find. if you are seeing random sign in possible bedding start following the sign till it heats up or your too far away for a high percentage sit.


this is a view up the hill from the scapes looking at the point with doe bedding.


this is what the buck is eating

Is the bed on transition or just a higher spot in the swamp ? Sorry for all the questions. Trying to learn all I can lol

yes the rub is in the bucks bed it a real tall one too starts at my inseam and goes up too my armpit and im six foot tall.the bed is bare dirt and full of hair of hair from the season. the buck is setup on the west corner of swamp where he can see a good 80 or 90 yards in three directions and all the terrain is kind of like a bowl around him that channels all the air strait too the bed. it was cool too see i walked around the bed throwing milk weed and no matter where i stood it all washed at the bed. the only spot it didn't was in the swamp itself. its a very tricky spot that is going too need a super calm wind too hunt anything heavy and its going too swirl scent across the whole swamp edge. i have a feeling if the buck heads in ill have a short period of time too make a shot before he busts me. but there is really no real good way other than what i decided to setup for. but thats pritty normal when hunting a big bucks bed its only time before you will eventually get busted.

Really good stuff man. Makes me realize I need to keep looking

you should still try spots your not sure of though it takes years too locate enough premo beds too get a season out of them. somtimes the stars align but if you find that hot spot dont hold off waiting for everything too be absolutely perfect. get on it while the deer is there find these spots and check the surrounding areas and as soon as you get a indicator that bucks in that pattern dive in. and if you hit the meh stuff while waiting all your doing is getting better for the right moment and making sure that deer is only going too be in the spot you want. just dont hunt spots the buck might be going for for that pattern. if i blew out that point the does were on that buck has no reason too use that bed for most part.

You can see the track bottom of picture. Walked in and turned around then laid down

[brancher147]

One other thing I want to mention about laurel is I would rather see broken and torn up laurel bushes than most any other rub. If you find laurel bushes snapped off and torn up more than an inch or two in diameter that’s a good buck doing it most times. Try to break a laurel bush sometime it is not easy and it takes a bigger buck to do it.

[pewpewpew]

Good thread.

My $.02,

If you have a good deal of habitat diversity, I don’t find rhododendron that useful. I know it can be eaten, but I think it’s generally a last resort. Rhododendrons absolutely drown out everything that deer can eat. Great cover, crap for food, in my opinion.

[ghoasthunter]

One other thing I want to mention about laurel is I would rather see broken and torn up laurel bushes than most any other rub. If you find laurel bushes snapped off and torn up more than an inch or two in diameter that’s a good buck doing it most times. Try to break a laurel bush sometime it is not easy and it takes a bigger buck to do it.

i can believe that i dont get many rubs on laurel but when i do its normally from a big deer. its typically not a preferred tree it is not porous or aromatic. i think when you find a laurel rub its often done in a display of frustration twords a doe during rut. i can just see in my mind a doe backed into the thick hiding in a hole, and a frustrated big buck trying too get her up so he can breed her.

[ghoasthunter]

located a mountain buck bed today he is using a bed in 10 acre rhododendron swamp at the bottom of a drainage below a hard wood point that does bed on

this is the bucks path up too doe bedding i found today. he sits in his bed facing west down wind of point. when he leaves the bed he travels east along the edge of swamp feeding on rhododendron buds and leaves. along this path on swamp there are rubs and droppings. once he gets across the drainage which is about 100 yards he then cuts strait up the drainage twords the does and several scapes all under one hemlock tree.



this is where the buck stops cutting across the bottom edge of dranage and cuts up the hill notice the heavy brows line. im looking strait at swamp scapes and point are at my back. this buck is secure in this area because all the air is hitting him all day he is actually facing the wind in his bed and using his ears too hear behind him. when he leaves his bed he cuts cross ways and uses thermals pulling down off the mountain drainage above. i only ever see mature bucks use the wind like this he keeps the wind in his face the whole time he moves from his bed till dark.


this is also where i will try and intercept the buck before he walks up the hill twords the scrapes and does. i will sit in the cluster of trees with my back up too edge of water im intercepting the deer where hes browsing before the scrapes. right at the end of the heavy beat down moss trail. the area this buck is using looks like a barn yard with droppings rubs and brows line. when i hunt mountain bucks i dont even bat an eye unless i see this kind of sign. if there is actually a buck in the area this is the sign you should expect too find. if you are seeing random sign in possible bedding start following the sign till it heats up or your too far away for a high percentage sit.


this is a view up the hill from the scapes looking at the point with doe bedding.


this is what the buck is eating

Is the bed on transition or just a higher spot in the swamp ? Sorry for all the questions. Trying to learn all I can lol

yes the rub is in the bucks bed it a real tall one too starts at my inseam and goes up too my armpit and im six foot tall.the bed is bare dirt and full of hair of hair from the season. the buck is setup on the west corner of swamp where he can see a good 80 or 90 yards in three directions and all the terrain is kind of like a bowl around him that channels all the air strait too the bed. it was cool too see i walked around the bed throwing milk weed and no matter where i stood it all washed at the bed. the only spot it didn't was in the swamp itself. its a very tricky spot that is going too need a super calm wind too hunt anything heavy and its going too swirl scent across the whole swamp edge. i have a feeling if the buck heads in ill have a short period of time too make a shot before he busts me. but there is really no real good way other than what i decided to setup for. but thats pritty normal when hunting a big bucks bed its only time before you will eventually get busted.

Really good stuff man. Makes me realize I need to keep looking

you should still try spots your not sure of though it takes years too locate enough premo beds too get a season out of them. somtimes the stars align but if you find that hot spot dont hold off waiting for everything too be absolutely perfect. get on it while the deer is there find these spots and check the surrounding areas and as soon as you get a indicator that bucks in that pattern dive in. and if you hit the meh stuff while waiting all your doing is getting better for the right moment and making sure that deer is only going too be in the spot you want. just dont hunt spots the buck might be going for for that pattern. if i blew out that point the does were on that buck has no reason too use that bed for most part.

Good size track in it. Rubs in vicinity but not in bed. To the rear or tail of the deer there's an extremely steep slope that I don't think anyone could climb. The bed is on the edge of patchy laurel that covers the top of the hill. Below that edge is a couple benches loaded with oak. I have a plan to hunt it but it could be marked up doe bedding. I found a lot along that Laurel transition line around the whole top of the hill.

if there are lots of rubs present its probably buck bedding doe bedding and travel deer bedding is mixed in laurel. if deer exit down hill does normally bed lower than bucks. if deer exit high bucks could be bedding below. bucks like too put a buffer of other deer between them and direction of travel a lot of times. this is a major during rut and when under high hunter pressure.

[Grasshopper]

hears a really good tip for cyber scouting laurel and rhododendron swamps pull up a satellite image of your area you want too check. then simply go back in history till you find winter imagery. now your hardwoods are brown and laurel are green. now you can see the edge line and see all the coves and pockets in the area now look at these spots like your looking for bedding along a cattail swamp green being the cats. you will find bedding in the exact same layout. now mirror this over and too topo imagery and all the high spots on elevation with good line of sight should be producing the better buck and doe bedding. this same method will also work in pine and ceder patches. its not always leeward bedding but but the elevation benefits combined with the edge bedding will give you your likely wind for the spot. take a history of you primary winds for when you plan too hunt and you just turned a sea of cover into a small sections you need to focus on when you scout. following the edge like this in all brown hill country and mountains works the same heavy cover produces the edge for the wind and trumps the 1/3 leeward elevation rule. you just need boots on ground too see this because you cant see the transition threw a image. this is extremely helpful in rolling mellow hills where it is was open. the wind makes deer can shift all around throw in heavy back cover and you just shrank the bedding locations and made it more predictable. if the wind is blowing in from a different direction the deer dont always shift completely over the hill they simply just relocate along the edge cover and use the wind too back rule.

Hey how are you getting historical views on satellite images?

[wadegarrett]

I spend most of my time hunting areas of mountain laurel in PA. I haven't read this entire thread yet, but I'll try to summarize what I have learned (much of which has already been covered by others).

1) Get access to non-foliage satellite (as ghosthunter said). This is a game changer. For PA guys, here you go.

http://maps.psiee.psu.edu/ImageryNavigator/

It's outdated but incredibly effective.

Cyber scout a potential area by identifying the edges so you can get a "boots on the ground" game plan. Also compare with topo to find the elevated areas. Elevated areas (ridges, knolls, etc) on the edge (or inside edge) of laurel is primo. Ghosthunter mentioned this as well, and once again he hit the nail on the head. Also look for any open areas inside the laurel areas. I've found buck bedding in areas that are only 10 yards by 10 yards. Others are bigger. Open areas also act as travel routes deeper in the laurel to other bedding.

Some things I've found: A) Deer prefer patchy areas of laurel over large patches that lack unique characteristics. More laurel doesn't mean more deer 2) Deer prefer to bed in laurel over rhododendron, but they prefer to eat the latter over the former. 3) Preaching to the choir here, but they obviously bed on the edge or just inside the edge.

2) Boots on the Ground: Walk the edges and hit the areas of interest. Whenever you find an exit trail, walk it in to find the bedding. I usually won't find it much further than 50 yards. Look for the scrapes and rubs. They love to rub and thrash laurel, but the laurel easily breaks because of the lack of elasticity. This makes it sometimes easy to miss. Look for pieces of laurel laying on the ground and snapped off branches. The bark on the laurel also sometimes falls off and makes it look like a rub. It's not. Don't be fooled.

Also, if you hang cams there in the summer, don't be discourage if you don't get much activity. Deer don't seem to spend time in the laurel in summer probably because there is sufficient cover in other more open areas.

3) Find some trees to climb: Someone alluded to this before.... Put an orange hat on the bedding area and find an area to ambush without being busted. Even better, bring a trusted hunting buddy to sit on the bed and act as the alarm. Also try to see how much more aggressive you can get before the foliage falls.

The big boys usually have the bullet proof spots where they can see 100+ yards. How do you hunt these spots ? Still trying to figure that one out...

[wadegarrett]

hears a really good tip for cyber scouting laurel and rhododendron swamps pull up a satellite image of your area you want too check. then simply go back in history till you find winter imagery. now your hardwoods are brown and laurel are green. now you can see the edge line and see all the coves and pockets in the area now look at these spots like your looking for bedding along a cattail swamp green being the cats. you will find bedding in the exact same layout. now mirror this over and too topo imagery and all the high spots on elevation with good line of sight should be producing the better buck and doe bedding. this same method will also work in pine and ceder patches. its not always leeward bedding but but the elevation benefits combined with the edge bedding will give you your likely wind for the spot. take a history of you primary winds for when you plan too hunt and you just turned a sea of cover into a small sections you need to focus on when you scout. following the edge like this in all brown hill country and mountains works the same heavy cover produces the edge for the wind and trumps the 1/3 leeward elevation rule. you just need boots on ground too see this because you cant see the transition threw a image. this is extremely helpful in rolling mellow hills where it is was open. the wind makes deer can shift all around throw in heavy back cover and you just shrank the bedding locations and made it more predictable. if the wind is blowing in from a different direction the deer dont always shift completely over the hill they simply just relocate along the edge cover and use the wind too back rule.

Hey how are you getting historical views on satellite images?

http://maps.psiee.psu.edu/ImageryNavigator/

This mapping site shows non-foliage, but its very outdated. Maybe there is a more up-to-date spot to get this, but this is what I use. It also has topo and lidar. You can't view multiple layers at once though. When trying to compare satellite with topo/lidar, I literally put my finger on the screen of my computer and hold it there until i swap back and forth. Innovative, I know :)

[wadegarrett]

Mtn laurel is it’s own beast. We all know deer bed, eat, and travel through it. What makes it tough in pa hill country is how dense and thick it is. Some guys mentioned isolated patches and that’s 100 percent the way to hunt it.

Some of my oldest bucks I killed in pa came outta laurel thickets. They love the transitions from laurel to hardwoods and back to laurel. When I find txt book bedding it’s oaks and hardwoods on the top, laurel starting to roll over the crest, then the bed back to it. Wind often times doesn’t matter.

Hands down the best laurel bedding I’ve found has been in thermal hubs along the creek bottoms. Granted a lot of it is for bedding and night bedding but guys wouldn’t believe how many old bucks will bed on the lower 1/3 because the laurel is thicker and smaller patches.

Go walk a lot of those state game lands in the creek bottoms. Laurel will go from the creek up 50/100/150 yards then break to a transition. Once ya get 1/3-1/2 up the mtn the whole damn mtn side is covered in laurel. They will completly avoid it. Laurel is a puzzle and it takes serious boots on the ground.

Laurel thermal hubs are a great spot for the rut, often times you won’t find a defined path crossing from one ridge to another or one high spot down to the creek and back up. A saddle or pinch if ya would but based off the laurel patches. It funnels em down of the laurel where they scent check for does and is amazing in the rut, one of the only times I will drop super low in the thermal hub. You’re going to see a lot of 1.5-3.5 yr olds take the same trial but the old ones are also forced to used that natural pinch checking for does. I’ve killed a pile of bucks hunting that way. Here is one of my laurel kills during the stupid inline muzzleloader doe season a few years back.

Those big old ones like to get the first hot doe coming into estrus. I’ve said it time and time again oct 20-oct30 I see more mature bucks then during the rut, that’s another topic tho. Those old dude was down wind of a doe besding area. Coming back to bed late or up snacking, I shot em 1041 am.

I agree with you about October 20th to the 30th being the best time to kill a big one. I have witnessed the same thing. The rut is just such a crapshoot and you can have days wasted when they go into lockdown. It’s seems like they never come out of the laurel on those days and nothing moves during daylight. The new muzzleloader bear season is a real punch in the gut for me. The laurel thickets will be were all the bear hunters gravitate to . I mentioned it before and never get any kind of response but I think it’s crazy to drive out those places in mid October. Rattlesnakes are not denned up yet and I see them out and about that time of year. Last thing I would want to do is be crawling on my hands an knees trying to kick a bear out of these laurel patches.

Totally agree about the new bear muzzleloader. Hunters generally don't put the coordinated effort to put on drives for does so the current doe muzzleloader season hasn't been bad, but they will for bear. Any area in PA that has laurel, will have bear hunters. Brutal. Don't mean to derail the thread, but that season is going to be bad for archery hunters.

[Uncle Lou]

I've posted this video before, but this shows in detail how this buck was bedded and how I got in on him. He was bedded right on the edge of this patch of laurel. Interesting note....about half of the bucks on my wall were killed from this bedding area. It holds mature bucks year after year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SKe4g5PNC0

If some of you haven't clicked flinginairos link yet, you should. Outstanding Jared. Now that is how you win the BBC on the BEAST right there. That was a tremendous documentary of a well executed hunt.

[BBH1980]

Did some scouting today. Big hill climbing 700' in 1/2 mile. All sign and laurel 3/4 the way up. Found this bed just inside scattered laurel on the top where a broad point starts. Looking down the point to an oak shelf. Followed trail along the crest just inside the Laurel edge. I cleared the snow at base of the tree and found hair. There's a clear browse tree in front of bed along with a browse line along the trail that you can just make out in pic. Point is facing east. He's sitting behind the tree looking down wind to back. This is an opening in the Laurel. It gets thicker in front and behind. The trail is headed out of or to a thermal hub below. Further down the point where the oak shelf drops there's heavy rubs and laurel starts again. The oak shelf is between laurel patches. That trail skirts the leeward high side of the thermal hub also.

[BBH1980]

Small browse tree in bed

[BBH1980]

Faint trail to and from hub

[BBH1980]

Rub tree on Laurel edge oak shelf

[BBH1980]

To echo what you guys are saying... The activity absolutely revolves around that Laurel. They aren't going deep but just inside the edges of it. They are definitely eating the leaves also.