thwack16 wrote:Going to hit on something that has had me going "yeah, that's not what I see" while reading and listening to beast tactics the last five years.
The thought of bucks bedding on the edge or just inside of thickets and looking into the open. I just rarely see that down here, and when I do see it, it's the very beginning of season and they're basically laying in the oaks.. Most times the bucks are tunneled into the middle of the thickest, gnarliest stuff that can be found.
Dad shot a really good buck the other evening that made it 500 yards from the white oak tree he shot it in under. 450 yards of that run was through 5-8 foot high cutover full of briars and replanted pines. We found him on a little finger ridge tucked deep into the middle of it with fresh beds and buck crap all around the one he died in. I feel sure that he lived on that ridge the majority of time, tucked deep into that entanglement. 450 yards from oaks to the east, 320 yards from oaks to the south, 1000 yards from oaks to the north, and 500 yards from oaks to the west.
Curious to see if other southern guys see this as well?
I'm glad you brought this up because I've seen a lot like this as well.
Here's some observations I've made the last season and a half focusing in on bedding amongst the wide variety of landscapes that is North Carolina...
In eastern NC, a lot of flat land. A lot of cypress swamps in the area I hunt. I have yet to see or bump a nice buck that wasn't coming from or bedded right next to water. Creeks, river, swamps, etc. They were all right next to it where they were protected by water on one side and were surrounded by thick weeds, grass, briars, etc. Most of the time there was a food source dropping directly overhead. I've found several younger bucks like the one below bedded on small islands in the swamp that were in less cover but yet to see a mature buck.
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The thicker areas where I find buck sign is just like the same I find throughout the state. I have followed rub lines through many a thicket and have found beds in the middle of them directly under a food source and where there is just enough room for the deer to move between the young trees. Often when I find these beds, the immediate area around them is matted down as if they are spending a lot of time back there circling around the tree eating the food source, usually acorns. It doesn't surprise me that I've never seen a mature buck in spots like this because it's nearly impossible to slip in quietly. Also, extremely hard to see ahead of yourself. Most of the time when I follow these trails through these thickets I come out into these open pockets usually canopied by a much older and larger oak tree. I've set up on these spots a few times with no luck yet. Theres pretty much always a trail on the other side of this opening which leads through the thicket further into another opening. Last January I followed a trail through a dozen openings like this before finally making it to a creek, where I found the biggest buck sign. This was probably at least a half mile either direction through thickets before you got into open woods. I suspect they get this deep in there when our gun season comes in and the pressure really pours on. Along with the trouble of getting back there undetected, it's a chore to navigate. I've yet to hunt that deep in there, but I expect it will be pretty daunting to come back through in the darkness. These places are for sure a one time sit. I've yet to try it this season because I'm trying to exhaust the surrounding areas outside the thickets in hopes to catching them coming out of there. I'm confident they would remain back there until I tried because no sane person would go in there.
In the hills and mountain regions of NC, I do find bedding just as described in Dan's Hill Country video. These areas are further from where I live, so I have spent less time on them.
I hope some more experienced beast hunters from the south and southeast can chime in and share their thoughts and observations. I believe from what I've seen so far that the bedding in the south vs the bedding often seen in Dan's and THP's videos is an apple to oranges comparison, however, the principles to WHY they are bedded there still hold true.
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