I think I have heard this from some of Dan's videos, but wanted to verify I am thinking about this correctly. When it comes to bedding in swamps, is the bed usually in a spot where the wind is coming from the dryer land areas into the bed? This would make the swamp area to the backside of the deer, giving them the chance to hear anything trying to sneak up from behind?
Asking this because I have found a couple of beds on the opposite side of the same swamp and it certainly could be used in this way for two completely different winds.
Swamp Bedding and Wind
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- headgear
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Re: Swamp Bedding and Wind
That sounds right to me, there are a ton of wind based beds, I find them on just about every transition or any little knob where a deer can scent behind them and either hear or see what could be coming downwind of the bed. You even see this out in remote swamps and islands, several beds for different winds depending on the terrain.
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Re: Swamp Bedding and Wind
double post
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Re: Swamp Bedding and Wind
Thanks headgear. Anyone else have experience with this?
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Re: Swamp Bedding and Wind
Sounds about right. I have seen where you have different tree heights the wind circle back coming off the top and give a false impression of which direction they would use that bed on. Example if there is a small swamp/creek and it cannot be timbered but the surrounding area is timber the wind could tumble back like hill country. Actually had a member on here tell me that then confirmed it myself. Kinda crazy
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Re: Swamp Bedding and Wind
IME not all swamps are the same. where Dan hunts the woodlots are relatively open, certainly nothing like southern woods can be as far as thick. Deer up there do tend to leave the hardwood areas and bed down in the cattails "swamps." In many of the southern areas, we do not have the cattails so it really depends. A lot of the better bedding in many southern swamps is in the actual woods, they will face the water with wind over back blowing out into the water ---- UNLESS the water is really deep, then I have seen them bed exactly the opposite, bedding near the edge, facing the dry land, with wind in face.
So it really depends on what your environment is. The bottom line is that mature bucks will always bed using the wind, and they certainly like it if they can also have a visual advantage. But if there is a hard/impenetrable edge - wind will be the sole factor. Kind of like lake bedding - I have a video where I show a mature buck bedding on a peninsula that juts out into the lake - the bucks would be silly to bed out on the peninsula as there would be no exit except a very long swim to escape. His bed is before the peninsula on high ground with wind to face and blowing towards the peninsula. Its on high ground and he uses both the wind and sight to guard him and relies on the lake to keep him safe from downwind.
So it really depends on what your environment is. The bottom line is that mature bucks will always bed using the wind, and they certainly like it if they can also have a visual advantage. But if there is a hard/impenetrable edge - wind will be the sole factor. Kind of like lake bedding - I have a video where I show a mature buck bedding on a peninsula that juts out into the lake - the bucks would be silly to bed out on the peninsula as there would be no exit except a very long swim to escape. His bed is before the peninsula on high ground with wind to face and blowing towards the peninsula. Its on high ground and he uses both the wind and sight to guard him and relies on the lake to keep him safe from downwind.
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Re: Swamp Bedding and Wind
DaveT1963 wrote:IME not all swamps are the same. where Dan hunts the woodlots are relatively open, certainly nothing like southern woods can be as far as thick. Deer up there do tend to leave the hardwood areas and bed down in the cattails "swamps." In many of the southern areas, we do not have the cattails so it really depends. A lot of the better bedding in many southern swamps is in the actual woods, they will face the water with wind over back blowing out into the water ---- UNLESS the water is really deep, then I have seen them bed exactly the opposite, bedding near the edge, facing the dry land, with wind in face.
So it really depends on what your environment is. The bottom line is that mature bucks will always bed using the wind, and they certainly like it if they can also have a visual advantage. But if there is a hard/impenetrable edge - wind will be the sole factor. Kind of like lake bedding - I have a video where I show a mature buck bedding on a peninsula that juts out into the lake - the bucks would be silly to bed out on the peninsula as there would be no exit except a very long swim to escape. His bed is before the peninsula on high ground with wind to face and blowing towards the peninsula. Its on high ground and he uses both the wind and sight to guard him and relies on the lake to keep him safe from downwind.
Thanks Dave! Yes, I can totally relate to the differences in my southern swamps and what Dan and others hunt up North. I have found two beds right on the edge of the swamp, outside of the timber areas. In my scouting I learned that the transition to timber is all mud that when it gets wet is incredibly difficult to muck through. Starting to make sense to me as to why this buck might be bedding closer to the swamp, as it is actually easier to pass through. If he is using the wind the way I am imagining him to, these beds would be good for a North wind and a south wind. One of them he is most certainly facing away from the swamp (based on the view from the bed). The other, he would be facing the swamp with tons of thick brush behind him.
Excited about learning this area and when he is using these beds. Appreciate the help!
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