I have been bored with all the snow the last couple of weeks, so I have been on the computer going through topo and aerial maps like crazy. I am going to show you two pictures. The place is pretty unique. It is a 100 yard x60 yard or so strip of timber on top of a hill, surrounded by open clear cuts/new growth for 360 degrees. I scouted this particular area 3 years or so ago but never hunted it, and actually I wasn't as good at scouting back then as I am now...I didn't really know what I was looking for when scouting. I have hunted this particular large military base for 10 years, and I saw the largest buck of my life not 300-400 yards north of this particular spot about 4-5 years ago. He would go possibly 140-150. The point is, bucks like that do exist, and I guess for some reason one of them felt comfortable in this area. So to make a long story short, do you think my analysis makes sense in regards to the bedding/entrance into the bed based on what you see? He smells over his back, and has great vision over the open ground. He can see and smell anything potentially scent trailing him from down below. I have many more potential spots like this that I want to check out. Spots that many people just drive right past when they go hunting...spots where a big buck just might feel comfortable enough to give me a shot in the boiler room. Give me your thoughts. The markings are the same on each picture in regards to the exact location of where I think a buck would enter and bed.
I dont see anything that would lead me to believe that a buck in not bedding there. You've got the wind, thick stuff and some visibility. You might wanna think about a mock scrape in that patch of woods, they would probably feel comfortable enough to check it during daylight.
It's quite likely you've found a general area of bed for a buck. However.. the distance from that road would make that possible entry of said buck nearly void if I were hunting him. As in.. I can't hunt it anyway. He more than likely crosses that roadway well before daylight if he's taking said route. Hunting him in the eve is likely the best bet (if we're talking the wind direction you are giving)... and I'd choose west of hid bed.. near the creek where a crossing is. Either cut the distance to him going up 'his' hillside (which may not be possible) in between the creek and him or cut the trail that will likely split what would most likley be the closest two creek crossings from the road. And of course keeping distance in mind.. too close and you bump him.. too far and he lives. If it were me.
Thank you guys very much for your responses. I wil be looking at this spot a lot closer once the snow begins to melt here in the next week or two. We still have 20+ inches on the ground. In the future I think I should put the words, BOWTECH, TRAIL CAM PICS, BIG BUCKS, or FPS in my thread title to get more thoughts on my maps. LOL. We are talking about killing deer and how to do it, but I guess talking about stuff like new bows and glitz is more interesting.
BOWTECH. If you comb that area well enough, the snow should tell you alot about the area. I'm chomping at the bit for the snow to melt some, no way i'm wading through 2ft of snow.
Are you saying that a N wind is your predominate wind direction? To add... It seems to me lately people have again been on the kick where bucks only enter their beds from the downwind side. This in my experiences in several different habitat types is not always true. They can and do enter the setups from any and all directions.
I totally agree with this. What I have found is that in deer hunting RULES are ment to be broken and the deer break them all the time. If they didn't they would be waaay tooo easy to kill. As soon as someone tells me this works all the time, that is when I walk away.
North/Northwest is the predominant wind direction, yes. I understand the "random" nature of deer. I have seen more big bucks enter bedding areas using my above example than the reverse. I am not saying I have killed them, but the one's I have seen in the morning getting back to high ground/thick stuff shows me that they generally enter with the wind in their face. Would it help if I just labelled my map by placing the blue dot for a buck bed and did not put any wind direction? So are we really saying that hunting big bucks is a crap shoot and that the wind has no bearing on how a big buck enters/exits his bed? I am not being sarcastic, I am really trying to understand everyone's points. Thank you.
In hilly topography I rely more on thermals than wind direction.... I am not saying I disregard the wind in the hills.... I am only saying when there is a spot I "need" to be in and the wind isn't just right, I try to place myself in position to take advantage of the thermals. If a buck only traveled with the wind in his favor, we would never kill any of them
So are we really saying that hunting big bucks is a crap shoot and that the wind has no bearing on how a big buck enters/exits his bed? I am not being sarcastic, I am really trying to understand everyone's points. Thank you. From what I observe yes. If they followed the rules every time we could kill one on every sit. (almost!!)
Thanks Buckeye. To be honest with you, I have only started to learn about thermals the last two years. I am a novice when it comes to understanding when thermal conditions really override the wind, and when thermals are really induced to a point that makes them a viable condition that I have to pay attention to in the woods. I had a fantastic hunt last year where I really saw the thermals come into play. Two bucks were bedded on a hillside about 300 yards away from me, across a small creek that spilled off a lake. The wind was not good for my stand location, but I banked on the thermals working to my benefit the last 30 minutes of the day, when potentially a big buck would be on his feet in late October. Well I did not see a single buck until the temperature started dropping rapidly. The bucks literally walked with the wind to their backs and slowly crossed the creek not 20 yards in front of me just prior to sunset. They used the dropping thermals to scent check the base of the large hill upon which I was sitting to smell for danger. Luckily they stayed to my west and did not catch my scent at all. It was a lot of fun. And thank you John for your honest reply.
