How to hunt a creek bottom

[woodsdog2]

Great information @woodsdog2 thanks for taking the time to post all that! Seems like there is no room for error when hunting a creek bottom and you must be in your A game.

No just learned by making a lot of mistakes over the years!!!!

 

[leegdn1990]

@woodsdog2 if you was me and by just looking at my map, where would you want to set up?

 

[woodsdog2]

@woodsdog2 if you was me and by just looking at my map, where would you want to set up?

Leegdn I think the stand locations you have aren't bad at all but I also like that drainage that comes down from the opposite side of the creek from the south. I put a yellow dot in there to mark what I'm seeing there. The top looks like a gravel pit area or something. What is on the top, north of the creek in the brown areas? I like the stand location to the west for a north east, east, and southeast wind. Evening thermal activity there should be decent because of the sharp bend. Deer traveling north, south or from the east will not smell you from what I can tell. I also like the east stand for a west, northwest and even a south west and certainly a south wind. From a picture its hard to tell but do they cross the creek every day from the opposite higher hillside. They also have feed on that side on the top too so there's no telling when they will hit what food but that strip of cover along that creek looks like a great travel corridor and yes, you need to skirt the perimeter of that parcel from your access point depending on the wind as you most certainly know. I would really like that section where the drainage comes down from the other side, evening thermals can pull your sent down that drainage and if you could get in there and climb a little higher that might be a great spot when the conditions are right and you can access it by not boogering things up. Your other stands are great observation stands too and you may want to sit those with the right winds a couple of times first to see what's going on. I hope this helps you a little bit.

 

[leegdn1990]

Leegdn I think the stand locations you have aren't bad at all but I also like that drainage that comes down from the opposite side of the creek from the south. I put a yellow dot in there to mark what I'm seeing there. The top looks like a gravel pit area or something. What is on the top, north of the creek in the brown areas? I like the stand location to the west for a north east, east, and southeast wind. Evening thermal activity there should be decent because of the sharp bend. Deer traveling north, south or from the east will not smell you from what I can tell. I also like the east stand for a west, northwest and even a south west and certainly a south wind. From a picture its hard to tell but do they cross the creek every day from the opposite higher hillside. They also have feed on that side on the top too so there's no telling when they will hit what food but that strip of cover along that creek looks like a great travel corridor and yes, you need to skirt the perimeter of that parcel from your access point depending on the wind as you most certainly know. I would really like that section where the drainage comes down from the other side, evening thermals can pull your sent down that drainage and if you could get in there and climb a little higher that might be a great spot when the conditions are right and you can access it by not boogering things up. Your other stands are great observation stands too and you may want to sit those with the right winds a couple of times first to see what's going on. I hope this helps you a little bit.

Thanks again @woodsdog2 for more great information I greatly appreciate it. So north of the creek area is dirt/gravel. Yes they are crossing the creek every day from the higher hillside. All my pictures on my trail cameras are almost all in the evening. They appear to be coming from across the creek coming from the south heading north. Not exactly sure where they are heading. My guess would be out to the field that is across the road maybe? Here is just one of many trails I’ve found along the creek. This particular trail is almost directly behind the east stand location. Also here is a picture of the drainage coming from the south.

 

[woodsdog2]

Yep that looks like they are crossing that all the time and it is shallow so it funnels movement but not like a deep river. If that heavily use trail is in back of the east stand I would wait for the right wind and hunt that east stand for sure.

 

[leegdn1990]

Yep that looks like they are crossing that all the time and it is shallow so it funnels movement but not like a deep river. If that heavily use trail is in back of the east stand I would wait for the right wind and hunt that east stand for sure.

Thanks brother hopefully I get a chance at that nice high 8 pointer!

 

[neonomad]

Our farm has all the best woods / bedding in a river valley off an 80-100 foot drop off. I’ve been at the edge of that valley with a breeze blowing toward the fields... and in the evening when the wind stopped I watched a piece of milkweed go from me to 6’ above the ground and float all the way down the hillside, traversing the river bottoms 90’ below me, it’s crazy. But it’s a good puzzle, I do the best I can to have a breeze that flushes parallel up or down the valley away from me and prime real estate.

 

[Testep]

Creek bottoms are great on heavy wind days. I setup off of a thicket where deer bed on some public land, about 50 yards from thicket where it dumps into a creek bowl. They cross it too water, food, and some other grass bedding. I have never seen them set foot in the bottom of this creek bed accept for the 3 days that were 15mph+. I imagine without the wind my thermals drag my scent into that bowl and I never see them as they exit the other side of thicket. The other trouble is getting close enough to bedding to force them to cross you without letting anyone know you are there. As someone else mentioned, finding how they move through the creek, and setting up on flats and fingers is a better move for low wind.

 

[raisins]

And also the Mature bucks are probably not going to be near the bottom anyway when season rolls around. They want to find a small saddle on the middle of the ridges to look down into the bottoms and as much of the surrounding area as possible for threats (meaning you) and if there is trouble will usually run down that hill to get out faster. And also usually with the wind at their back or, somewhere that they can get that swirling action to get as much scent in the area as possible. With all that said, Good Luck!

One thing to keep in mind is that the soil is usually wetter/thicker in bottoms compared to ridges, so it can hold some types of sign better than up on a ridge where the soils are eroded and well-drained. This only holds for ground markings though and not rubs, and deer poop disappears quicker in bottoms because it doesn't dry out and stay dried out.

 

[woodsdog2]

Thanks brother hopefully I get a chance at that nice high 8 pointer!

How did your season go hunting this spot? Were any of my suggestions helpful to you and the other ones provided? I forgot all about this post until @raisins just responded to it.

 

[VFL]

How did your season go hunting this spot? Were any of my suggestions helpful to you and the other ones provided? I forgot all about this post until @raisins just responded to it.

I was just going to ask the same as I hunted a creek bottom heavily this year and learned a lot (and killed a mature 8 100 yds from his bed)....this is a good thread. Let's keep it going!