The topo shows the wooded areas in green? If so, I dont see the ridge connecting two wooded areas?
The green on that map if I remember correctly is showing the public land, but I would have to go back and watch it to know for sure... I was using a terrain map, not a topo.
As far as the ridge connecting to "wooded areas" That is not what I was saying at all... That ridge was the only ridge connecting to areas of bedding ridges. Ridges are like roads for deer during the rut. If the buck wants to look for does at the budding points on either side he will most likely go thru on the leeward side of that ridge rather than thru the bottom.
I walked straight up the draw till I started seeing the cruising sign. I purposely go slow and look ahead so I don't go beyond where I want to set up Deer travel mostly along the ridge, not at angles so my path is straight up ( or straight down) to the right elevation and once the tree is picked I try to walk in a way so that I can shoot any deer that crosses and locks on my scent. Yes, from ground and air it was very apparent that deer would likely not pass thru above me at that location.You walked up the draw, did that deer get to your entrance trail at all?
Watching the video it appeared to me that the buck came to a scrape and started to do a rub urination and thats when he noticed you.
I don't think so... There was no scrape there, and to me, he expressed the classic signs of catching my scent. Not sure if I said it in the video, but since I was set up to shoot forward, I was sticking out like a sore thumb from the trail he came from.