bedding areas?
 

hunting near or in bedding areas good idea or bad? let me know what u think thanx

RE: bedding areas?
 

IMHO near very good....in very bad

RE: bedding areas?
 

If you want to kill trophy bucks on a consistent basis, then it' s a great idea. If you' re a sloppy hunter or someone who isn' t fanatical about entry and exit routes, then its probably a bad idea. When hunting the bedding areas you must use extreme caution in laying your scent. I think Rack' s signature says it best..." Hunt the beds, hang the heads" or something to that nature. You won' t find a truer statement

RE: bedding areas?
 

Amen to that. Pretty much the only way I hunt in the mornings, or during the rut, when I' m staying all day. Locate a way to get into the bedding area without alerting the deer where they' re feeding, and set up on the downwind half or third. Be quiet, stay as long as you can.

RE: bedding areas?
 

thanx for the replies and keep them coming i was juss wondering because i read a little bit about hunting bedding areas in a magizine

RE: bedding areas?
 

I post to many of these type of threads - I am not trying to toot my horn or come across as some sort of expert. But it really is the only way I hunt. I am just offering my advise because I think it is often an overlooked gameplan when hunting public or pressured woods.:):D

I know I sound like a broken record to most of you:D

RedNeck:)

Hunting the beds can be a great gameplan - but its not one to just rush into. It can take years to properly set up many different beds and woods to last a long season. These are high impact stands and one mistake can easily ruin the stand for the year. If the only woods you hunt has only one or two bedding areas then IMO hunting the edges of them would be better. But if you have access to alot of thick land then by all means give it a try.

You want to look for large trails inside the bedding area - opposite of hunting open woods wher bucks usually travel on the smaller side trails. In the thick, thick bedding areas big bucks will often navigate through them by use of these more worn trails imo.

Try to keep the amount you walk to and from your stand to a minimum. Take people trails or roads as close as you can to your stand then cut into the bedding areas from the opposite side the deer may be feeding. The less you actually have to walk in the beds the more chances you will have from that stand.

Setting these stands up WELL before the season is very important - real tough to cut up a bucks bedroom and expect him to not notice. Winter scouting and numerous stand placements is crucial to the success of bed hunting.

Of course wind direction is important - but you never know hunting the beds - they can come from anywhere and usually do - if one direction doesn' t produce - try the exact opposite the next hunt - you just never know;)

Just get in one and give it a try:D - stay all day as 6ptsika said and have fun

RE: bedding areas?
 

Here in Louisiana & Arkansas there are mainly clear cut areas that stay thick thick for many years. If the deer use these areas to bed, which they do, how do you hunt them. I mean the grasses and weeds are as high as the little pines. Last year I was on the edge of a 5 year old clear cut and I could see the were coming cause the tall weeds were moving. When they got to within about 25 yds. they started walking in a small circle like an old houndog and bedded up right there. When they moved out a couple hours later they headed into the wind into a thicket of 8 year old pines and briars. Are these types of bedding areas huntable? When the deer move they seem to keep thes real thick areas to their downwind side. It' s tough!!

RE: bedding areas?
 

Yes they are, and you are right it can be tough.

When deer enter their " safe zones" , they become much less predictable. They will meander around depending on the wind and often move around from here to there during the day.

Your best bet IMO is to get into those areas that seem to thick to hunt, during the winter and clear out some lanes and routes in. I do alot of hunting in young pines - though I am fortunate enough to also have some mature pines to put a stand in. Search out trees for stands and set them up on the off season. Or hunt along the edges of the cuts where you can get into a tree.

If there are no trees to place stands in then it can get real tough:D:D. Ground blinds are in order - but again need to be set up long before the season.

It does take a bit more planing than other setups but if you can find the time to get the grunt work done it can lead into some great hunting.