Iwanted toask when deer generally come back to bed but I suppose it alldepends on the area, time of year, weather, and moon phase.

And you know, I think I'll try the 2hr before first light thing next year. There is a spot I hunt that is basically the bedroom. Each of the 3 or 4times I tried to sneak in there 45min before sun-up, I've spooked deer, sometimes dozens (literally) of them.

To answer the post question, I'm looking for faint trails that run parallel to main trails.

To get to the next level we are currently:

-Shooting more and more does.
-Fertilizing our food plots, examining what works best.
-Since we will be on our new property this year, really mapping everything out and finding patterns.

This was a great thread!

Funnels in travel spots has always been a good choice for me during the cruising stage. Steve more Bucks are killed by Luck than skill every year. The big key is time spent in the woods. Give me a nimrod hunter that can stay with it and every minute of daylight and a seasoned pro that only gets to hunt weekends and I'll put my money on the nimrod every year as long as they are hunting comparable ground. That's another big factor, property you have access to.

Dan

Guys
I find walking in an hour before has been a good thing as the deer are still out on the fields where I hunt,your right that the bucks are 1st back as they like to be alone during the rut. When I walk into a bedding area to hunt I'll walk 10 steps and grunt as I'm walking and stopto listen. I'll start and stop till I get to my stand and have found this really makes the deer feel more safe.
I've actually had deer come out to the trail and see me at 10 yards and not bolt. I'll then snort wheeze if I hear a snort telling me I've been scented. This tacticreally seems to relax them . This is all on trial n error guys and I've done this for 12 of the 15 years I've bow hunted . It works great for me, before hand I was walking in andgetting busted all the time.Give it a try ,and also I'll only start this procedure with in a 100 yards of the bedding area I'm hunting.
Also look for their bedding areas on the side of a south side slope as this is the warmest spot during daylight areas so they don't use up so much body heat. Plus look for the gnarliest bush along that slope and I'll guarantee that's his bedding area, I haven't shot the biggest deer in the world, but have takena few in the 170 plus range and some in the 160 range and lost a 200 plus buck this past season on a 12 yard shot,that I may still find as I can't believe he isn't dead on a 12 yard 1/4ing away shot that the arrow was buried to the fletching behind the shoulder. Tons of blood for 70 yards then nothing[]
Best time to find these bedding areas are right now while you still have some snow in thebush showing you the trails to and from bedding areas. Don't be shy and think that tight bush ahead of ya could hold a deer as they are the spots that we walk bye and bye each timeout with outeven a glance. All the time he canbe in his bedand watch you go by and walk out behind you. I've seen this a few times tooGood luck and good shedding and hopefully you'll find some honey holes for next season. Give it a shot if you haven't tried it Shultzy.
Rocky

I am at the hunting stage where I am looking to kill 8 pointers or better, 3.5 year olds or bust. I have the spent the last 5 years out of the 15 years I have hunted, slowly increasing my knowledge of hunting to the point where I expect to be on decent deer each year for my personal goals, which has been 6-8 pointers. I am seeing more things in the woods and relating the evidence to seeing more deer, and bigger bucks. It has been a slow process but I think it has been slowly paying off.

I have been working very hard this off-season on my scouting, and have already found at least 3 new spots with a great deal of potential, based on the buck sign, and the sheer distance these places are from where I believe most people would quit walking into the woods to hunt.

Scent control for me needs to improve. I have always been good, but the last couple of seasons I have slouched a little in terms of wearing my hunting clothes in my truck on the way to the hunt. I never walk in restaurants or anything with my hunting clothes on, but just sit in my truck. I KNOW that is not good but when I am tired, I get sloppy as we all do I guess. I am going back to changing into my hunting clothes when I get to my hunting spot.

I will not invade prime bedding areas until the right time...NOT even once. This is something I have done over the last 4 years and it has paid off in 3 good bucks for me and my personal goals. I will even take it one step farther this year in that I will kind of get a game plan for all my hunting spots, based on the time of the season in relation to the rut, and hunt systematically with some flexibility based on the current buck sign.

I will do things others wont to get deer. I have begun using my kayak to scout remote parts of the lakes I hunt around....I will use a tree saddle this year to slip in and hang quietly in the mornings to try and take some lower pressured bucks.....

Enough of my ideas, I have alot to learn...........

shadow

Good post Shadow! I like your way of thinking.