How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

I'm curious to hear how you all go about this. I myself struggle with this not knowing 100% for sure where a particular buck Is bedding. Also, do you believe there bedding area's change through out the fall? How do you know this as well? I don't want to hear opinion's, I want to hear facts that have proof.

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

I truly dont know where my big buck population beds but I have a pretty good idea where they live. The single greatest thing a hunter can do is watch forpreseason evening movement. It is prooven that big bucks are taken after the hunter has patterned that buck and humans dont enter that areauntilopening day! After opening day with pressure bucks get nocturnal and it turns getting lucky. A mix of fact and opinion.....

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

This question properly addressed can take pages upon pages to answer....most times called a 'book'.
I'm not trying to be smart here bud, but there's nothing that can be better that 'scouting'. Using cameras is the most recent technological way. Getting yourself in the outdoors where the deer are and thiswill produce somesigns.
I find the months of January thru to March to be an excellent time to learn about deer habitat, movement, feeding and bedding areas, especially when there's snow on the ground.
In the summer months, finding the 'natural food sources' in undisturbed areas will give you a clue as to where the big boys are. Most places that are hard to access, is usually a good place to look.
Scouting and more scouting, learning the land, finding travel routes, knowing where the does will be and are feeding, looking for sign of other predators like 'yotes' will sometime tell you where the deer will be very cautious.
Honestly not to repeat myself too much, it's all about knowing where you hunt and putting in the time scouting and 'trhinking like a deer'.

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

Facts? I think most I've ever read on the Subject are opinions, but then if you see a Buck lay down he is bedded[8D]

I like everyone else have my opinions, but since that does Not interest you Steve I'll keep it to myself.

Steve, I also really believe you are smart enough that your thoughts about this are as valid as anyones;)

Dan

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

:D:D:D:DUsed rubbers buddy.:D:D:D:D

Seriously though it seems the doe's bed in groups and the bucks solo especially the mature dudes.
Post scouting is a great time right now.

T

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

I dont know where my bucks are bedding, and that is one thing i want to try and find out. I can almost say for certain that they are not using my properties. I know where some of the little guys are bedding but not the mature bucks.

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

Thanks for your response ampahunter, lots of good Info but I've got to ask you about what I quoted above. What good Is finding bedding and feeding area's In the winter If there yarded up deer from miles away? As you know the northern regions get lots of snow and thus deer yard up from miles away on food sources. Many of these deer have never been In your woods before and may never again unless there's ample food there next year and the snow Is deep again. What I'm trying to say Is the area's where deer don't group up your above logic would make more sense to me then being them are your home deer and not deer from miles away that are never In your woods during the hunting season.

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

Dan, I ask this because I want facts and good answers. Otherwise everyone and there cousin could reply and say "I think they do this" or "I think they do that but then again I'm not sure either". That's not what I'm asking.

I do too much guessing on this (mature buck bedding area's) so I don't think my knowledge on this subject Is very good. That's why I'm asking for Input here, I want to learn.

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

Steve, I knew what you were getting at. I understood.

A mature Buck is going to bed in the most advantageous place for his safety/privacy, and depends greatly on the time of year, stage of Rut, etc. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it's the opposite of what you may think.

Once the Rut is on a lot of Bets are off!;)

Dan

RE: How do you guys know exactly where your big bucks are bedding?
 

Dan, where I live here in Mn there is some farm land and woods. Mostly woods. In general deer have been put into categories such as farm land, big woods and then semi farmland-big woods. I use to think because It was roughly 65% woods here and 35% farm land they would be semi farmalnd but they are more big woods than farmland they just might have a somewhat smaller core area. Greg Miller was actaully out here and hunted some and we went through it together. I thought I had figured out the bedding areas for the bucks but it turned out that they were bedding all over the place in there core areas wichI figured wasabout400 acrs roughly for the few bigger ones I was hunting. I supposewhere theybed decided on the wind. And also a couple of mature bucks that I had seen all summer together were still bedding together all the way up into the beginning of November, I seen them get out of there beds together and that was the end on October. I believe that they would be back bedding together now even except we shot the one, but the other one is still there in his core area. A friend of mine caught pictures of them using the same scrape about a mile from here as well in November. So to answer your question you have to determine what kind of deer you have, if it is big woods then they will mostly likely be bedding all over in there core area playing the wind. If they are farmland they will be most likely be using alot smaller area and alot of the times probably the same bed. Semi, is most like farmalnd just a little bit bigger area. I thought I had mine all figured out but they are all over bedding in there.