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Hunting Creek-bottoms

Yep, but you may not want to hear it. I guarantee that you can get away with hunting creek bottoms from an enclosed blind if you use an Ozonics unit and use it correctly. The hogs, coyotes, and deer that I’ve killed in my creek bottom prove it to me. Those who don’t believe don’t have to, makes no difference to me, but I know it works if used CORRECTLY. In a tree, all bets are off !

I don't know anything about bottoms. We don't have those here. It's all flats lol. But I do know that there are some situations in the rut in the right spot where I throw caution to the wind and just hunt them. I'm also the same guy who dropped out of my stand and packed up last night with an hour remaining because of a wind direction change that screwed me right at prime time.

There are some times where you just gotta give it a go. That stand sounds like that situation, and in the rut when animals are moving, and you have the chance a mature buck is concentrating more on ground scent might be the time. His guard is down a bit, he's moving way faster than normal etc. Especially on a clear cold night, where you know you may have a massive warming thermal in the morning saving your bacon.

I had one tree where I killed a ton of good bucks from in the rut, but I never knew where they would come from, so I just sat it regardless of wind, but I'd wait until the rut to do it. The tree was just in the right spot. Good luck with the hunt!

I love hunting creek bottoms.

Great areas. Worth the risk.

Creek bottoms a buck travel zones. Watch for the rubs along creek bottoms.

Smoke em up. You are getting ready to be amazed at how well it works. Is it fool proof absolutely not, It will buy you some time in the worse case scenario and it usually fools them. I still hunt the wind and never ignore it but its like having insurance, its there if you need it. Biggest down side I see to it is it makes me hungry. I smoke a lot of ribs in the off season. Fyi in my experience the stronger smell of smoke the better.

Very tuff nut to crack, for sure. Over the years, I’ve found some spots like you described, but the fickle winds would, almost always, cost me. The rare exceptions were usually always a hot doe running past, hard, with the buck in tow. Fortunately, I’ve got other options to utilize, so I don’t set those spots any longer.

Are there any spots up on the top edge of the flats above, or near the pinch points where you can see below, and could hang a stand and possibly brush it in a bit (if it’s naked) or put in a ground blind, and try calling, rattling, etc., to pull a cruising buck to you?

Read Scoots thread...become the cougar!

In a travel corridor during the rut a buck can come from anywhere. I would do the best scent control I can and hunt the stand. What are the %`s that the winds are in your favor....75%? I will take those odds.

How high can you get in a tree?

Now... If you’ve ever studied fluid dynamics, this might go without saying, but if there is an open area exposed to the prevailing winds, the air currents where you are will flow on that direction. One sure-fire spot I have hunted many times just proves it; the scent-flow there is nearly 90 degrees off of the prevailing winds. So much so that I call that spot the fish-barrel; as long as I’m 10 feet up, it’s practically fool-proof. Another spot at the leeward end of the open area, the air moves 180 degrees opposite the prevailing winds. As long as you are Just Deep Emough into to woods. A few paces further and you’re toast.

Just find the tightest pinch-point that’s closest to an open area or otherwise presents minimal resistance to air flow in that direction - a power line cut is good, or just thinner tree cover.

Air currents at ground level will be more influenced by thermals; find a minor trail down-thermal of the scrapes that the bucks will be scent-checking and set up fairly high at a comfortable distance down-wind (based on prevailing winds sucking air out of the woods toward the open areas).

That’s what has worked for me, anyway...

Good luck with it!

Love hunting creek bottoms, 2 of the 3 largest bucks came from the same one in a course of 8 years. Shot over a dozen does in the same area. Swirling winds, not really as the wind has a basic path up the creek I can count on , regardless of what its doing else where. Rocky bottom and plenty of background noise too. I have had bucks chase does into the creek, down it and across it, oblivious to anything else nearby. I can always hear them cross, sploosh, sploosh, sploosh, shake, shake, shake.. Plus they also travel up and down the banks a lot.

“Swirling winds, not really as the wind has a basic path up the creek I can count on , regardless of what its doing else where. ”

Up? Usually, I see the cooler air flowing downstream.... have used that repeatedly when hunting Elk up high.

One afternoon I was easing along and saw A Leg swing off the trail up ahead. Coming my way60-70 yards up. So I hustled back to the last gully I’d crossed, climbed up about 50 yards then headed back in my original direction and came down on top of the herd from above while they were still looking toward where I had been seen and scented just earlier.... The prevailing winds and thermals had been pushing my scent up-slope, but in that cold gully, the local thermals were 100% down-hill.

It’s like using an elevator to leap-frog someone who’s looking for you to take the stairs.

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