Where do deer Bed?
10-25-2002, 02:56 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Towanda PA USA
Posts: 60
Where do deer Bed?
Anyone out there have any info on geographical favorites where deer bed? On my tract of land (204 acres) I have been searching in earnest, for the three years that I have owned it, for that magical bedding area. I have found areas where I consistently find deer beds, but not an overwhelming amount of them. I questioned the deer population at one time but my cameras and deer sign tell me that my herd is fair. Maybe I am looking for something I will not find, like 10-15 beds all in a fairly small area.
Any help would be great.
Kevin C.
Any help would be great.
Kevin C.
10-25-2002, 06:23 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 2,059
RE: Where do deer Bed?
Deer bed where they have cover and protection from the elements but have good view and scent coverage of the area. This could be: in cedars, side/crest of a hill or knoll, an island in a swamp. The other things that help make their selection are: least amount of human traffic, proximity to food and water.
Dan O.
Dan O.
10-25-2002, 08:09 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: Where do deer Bed?
Kevin, The deer on our farm like three kinds of bedding areas.
1. Wide open mature woods - on the ridge, very little cover, and not much sign is left. The deer use visibilty for safety.
2. Where very thick cover meets semi open cover - like where a thicket buts up to an overgrown orchard, or pasture - its the edge they like. - They do not bed right in the thickest stuff unless they are very pressured.
3. My favorite - goldenrod, with young pine trees 4ft-15ft tall interspersed - prefferably on a side hill. This set up seems to be preffered by bucks in our area. Its also a set up that you can make, in 4-10 years time. I've been "enhancing" our areas like this for the last several years by transplaning 2-4ft pines from a freind's overgrown 10 acre field (with permission of course). I enhance, with stand sites, and natural funnels in mind, so far its been paying off.
Generally, I find that during the pre-rut - the bucks would rather bed on high ground. They can be found anywhere in the heat of the summer though. I've had bucks bed in low spots in hunting season, but the are hard to hunt, and in my experience, they tend to shy away from low areas because swirling winds make it difficult for them as well. Look for terrain features that offer consistant winds, good or fair visibility, and thick cover nearby.
Bucks will bed together in the summer, but it doesn't do much good come hunting season. Sometimes two or three might bed together in the early season still, but they move around so much in the pre-rut that they are unpredictable. I like to know where the bucks bed come late Oct., usually not far from does, and usually alone.
Its not uncommon to find 6 or 8 doe/fawn beds together, but I rarely find more than that. Does live in a family group, and there is usually only one dominant female so the groups tend to be not much more than this. Come the 2nd week in Nov, I concentrate on Doe bedding areas for bucks, as the are usually bedded with them by now, or at least hanging around them alot. When I say I concentrate on these bedding areas, I mean I hunt funnels, and staging areas between them the food, rarely right tight, or in a known bedding area.
One last thing, once you pinpoint a good bedding area that is used during the hunting season, NEVER go into it - all year if you can.
1. Wide open mature woods - on the ridge, very little cover, and not much sign is left. The deer use visibilty for safety.
2. Where very thick cover meets semi open cover - like where a thicket buts up to an overgrown orchard, or pasture - its the edge they like. - They do not bed right in the thickest stuff unless they are very pressured.
3. My favorite - goldenrod, with young pine trees 4ft-15ft tall interspersed - prefferably on a side hill. This set up seems to be preffered by bucks in our area. Its also a set up that you can make, in 4-10 years time. I've been "enhancing" our areas like this for the last several years by transplaning 2-4ft pines from a freind's overgrown 10 acre field (with permission of course). I enhance, with stand sites, and natural funnels in mind, so far its been paying off.
Generally, I find that during the pre-rut - the bucks would rather bed on high ground. They can be found anywhere in the heat of the summer though. I've had bucks bed in low spots in hunting season, but the are hard to hunt, and in my experience, they tend to shy away from low areas because swirling winds make it difficult for them as well. Look for terrain features that offer consistant winds, good or fair visibility, and thick cover nearby.
Bucks will bed together in the summer, but it doesn't do much good come hunting season. Sometimes two or three might bed together in the early season still, but they move around so much in the pre-rut that they are unpredictable. I like to know where the bucks bed come late Oct., usually not far from does, and usually alone.
Its not uncommon to find 6 or 8 doe/fawn beds together, but I rarely find more than that. Does live in a family group, and there is usually only one dominant female so the groups tend to be not much more than this. Come the 2nd week in Nov, I concentrate on Doe bedding areas for bucks, as the are usually bedded with them by now, or at least hanging around them alot. When I say I concentrate on these bedding areas, I mean I hunt funnels, and staging areas between them the food, rarely right tight, or in a known bedding area.
One last thing, once you pinpoint a good bedding area that is used during the hunting season, NEVER go into it - all year if you can.
10-26-2002, 07:59 AM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Livonia Mi USA
Posts: 551
RE: Where do deer Bed?
Your property may not be condusive to bedding for any number of reasons. The area you have found may be the bedding area on you place. The whole 200 acres may be the bedding area because of safety factors... Try jumping the deer in the morning or mid afternoon. Consistency will be the smoking gun.
Romans 10:9 Psalms 42
Romans 10:9 Psalms 42
10-28-2002, 06:24 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Tunkhannock, PA USA
Posts: 171
RE: Where do deer Bed?
I think that Cleebs area as has more to do with as far as what kind of cover is available. Most of his property is in the pole timber stage which I dont think is very condusive to bedding. He has areas on the fringe of his property that are open hardwoods and thicker logged areas that have been timbered off in the past 5 to 10 years. (for the most part) His property is in the pole timber stage, probably logged in the 10 to 15 year ago area.
From my experience deer dont seem to hang out very much in this type of cover although they use it to travel through. There is not alot for them to eat as the browse is higher than they can reach and the close proximity of the trees cuts the sunlight so there is nothing in the understory for them to eat either.
I also agree with FH, for the most part I think the bucks like to bed on the high ridges with the wind at their back where they can look down and be able to see a long ways and be able to smell or hear anything sneaking up behind them. We seem to kill most of our bucks from either up high on a ridge or steep thicker side hills that are thicker than the hair on a dog.
You have to remember that his area and mine are very mountainous and non-agricultural also.
I think the deer also are very hard to pattern in the moutains. I think the deer tend to roam over a wider area in search of food than the farm lands. You can really see this when snow is on the ground, the deer tend to bunch up and when you find them you will usually get into alot of them.
From my experience deer dont seem to hang out very much in this type of cover although they use it to travel through. There is not alot for them to eat as the browse is higher than they can reach and the close proximity of the trees cuts the sunlight so there is nothing in the understory for them to eat either.
I also agree with FH, for the most part I think the bucks like to bed on the high ridges with the wind at their back where they can look down and be able to see a long ways and be able to smell or hear anything sneaking up behind them. We seem to kill most of our bucks from either up high on a ridge or steep thicker side hills that are thicker than the hair on a dog.
You have to remember that his area and mine are very mountainous and non-agricultural also.
I think the deer also are very hard to pattern in the moutains. I think the deer tend to roam over a wider area in search of food than the farm lands. You can really see this when snow is on the ground, the deer tend to bunch up and when you find them you will usually get into alot of them.
10-30-2002, 09:16 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: Where do deer Bed?
ilbback - your's and cleeby's area is not much different than mine, though I think we have a few more dairy farms than you.
One point I didn't mention - that might be even a little more imortant in your area - would be to look for funnels, at the heads of draws. I think you know what I mean, but if the bucks are bedding high, and looking for does low (where limited agriculture likely is), they will have to cross drainages (draws) - they'll usually cross at the head - because its easier.
A perfect situation to hunt, would be where a draw splits a bedding area, with a food plot in the general area. I'm sure you guys are extremely familiar with this scenerio, but thought it was worth mentioning.
One point I didn't mention - that might be even a little more imortant in your area - would be to look for funnels, at the heads of draws. I think you know what I mean, but if the bucks are bedding high, and looking for does low (where limited agriculture likely is), they will have to cross drainages (draws) - they'll usually cross at the head - because its easier.
A perfect situation to hunt, would be where a draw splits a bedding area, with a food plot in the general area. I'm sure you guys are extremely familiar with this scenerio, but thought it was worth mentioning.
11-02-2002, 08:31 AM
#9
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Tunkhannock, PA USA
Posts: 171
RE: Where do deer Bed?
FH, our hunting area is "miles" from farmland. The closest farm to my property is approx 4 or 5 miles and cleebs area is at least that, probably more. Very mountainious, funnels are really hard to find as there really are no fields around to create woods funnells. More on my property than his. But for the most extent its vast, vast areas of forest. Like you said bout the only funnels around are saddles or terrain breaks.
Alot tougher huntin than the farmlands!!
Alot tougher huntin than the farmlands!!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
IndyHunter83
Black Powder
53
11-05-2009 07:31 AM
karlaghn
Hunts/Outfitters
1
06-17-2009 08:56 AM
santiagodm
Hunts/Outfitters
0
08-14-2008 12:20 AM
JeremyKS
Hunts/Outfitters
0
11-14-2007 11:10 AM
