Downsouth13

I have been hunting for years and have taken some trophy bucks by anyone's standard. I watch shows and read articles about hunting bedding areas and routes in between bedding and feeding areas, but no one tells you how to locate them. I do a ton of scouting and set my stands in some nice positions but now I'm ready to find these "Mythical" bedding areas to see if my racks can get bigger. I'm open to all suggestions.....

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gzg38b

One of my spots has a textbook bedding area. It's about 200 yards from the edge of an agricultural field, in the middle of a mature woodlot up on a ridge. The woods are pretty dense, but at one spot the trees open up andtheres about a40 yard circle of tall grass (about chin high) that is full of deer beds.

After the season I walked through it and found 6 or 8 different beds (where the grass was knocked down) and their was hair and some droppings nearby. There was also several easily indentifiable trails heading into the bedding area from 2 different directions.

This was an obvious bedding area - when you see it you just KNOW that's where they bed.

Unfortunately, they also bed in many places that just aren't that obvious.

mofireman

This is a great topic, as I also wonder about it a lot. I hunt on a parcel that is only around 40-50 acres and for the most part, I'm not even sure they are bedding on us! I think what we are hunting is just a transitional piece of property between the bedding areas and the food/water source. I mean, there is some thick stuff just off our property line. A cedar thicket that is so thick, you really need to be on your hands and knees to see anything when walking through it. I've walked through it several times over the years just looking for sign, and never really noticed any obvious bedding sign.

I'm also not aware of any cropland within 1/2 mile or further from the parcel that we hunt. When deer feed on us, it's either browse, acorns, or persimmons. So I've always kind of been at a loss as well because I think we hunt on a transitional piece of land!

dukemichaels

Common sense.

Really look for the sign. That's your best bet.

The Q is really way to large for alot of guys to answer. Try narrowing it down a little.

Here's an analogy.. maybe it helps.. maybe it doesn't. Whitetail are kinda like bass.. they hang around structure. Islands.. near tops of ridges.. around deadfalls.. some small heavy cover thats surrounded by lesser cover.

It's a vague Q.. if you understand something about bass.. you'll get the idea. Or not.[&:]

dukemichaels

I almost forgot one thing.

When you walk into the bedroom of a bruiser buck in autumn.. you can smell him.

That's when things really get exciting.

Downsouth13

From what everybody is saying, it seems really pointless to look for a bedding area since it can be located anywhere and deer may change their bedding area numerous times during a season. Is that a wrong assumption? [align=right]
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Siman08/OH

They can change their bedding areas numerous times during the day

early in

On the public land that I hunt, it's usuallyjust the THICKEST growth that you can find that the deer will be bedding in. I hunt the edges of these thickets and have good success.

MOTOWNHONKEY

Remember you are looking for an individual bed when hunting a mature buck. Sometimes there will be evidence of other beds around his that are usually young (satellite) bucks. Most times after the bachlor groups disperse he will be by himself. Like Duke mentioned mature bucks like heavy cover. I located my 04 bucks bedding spot to a T. I litterally watched him morning after morning go up a 15 foot hill and belly crawlto his spotthen I couldn't see him. I watched him come out of it in the evenings. Like clock work about 20 mins before last shooting light. As the season progressed he started getting back the the bedding spot later and later. From past expierences with bucks in their bedding spot I knew to be paitent and totally quiet until he started comming home later and was more aggressive. Sure enough on an early nov. morning he came home well after sun up. I let out one light grunt as he started up that 15 foot hill and he litterally ran to my spot. 10 yards out looking to kick anyones butt that would dare enter his area. Well a straight down shot just behind the shoulder blades and he fell within thirty yards. You have to look for individual trails and follow them.