What defines most bedding areas is NO human intrusions. can be anywhere...could be within yards of the gate you open entering hunting camp. You ever came to a spot so thick you just back out and dont go there again..too thick to hunt but perfect spot for a deer bed. How many storys have you heard about the big buck killed on the hill right behind the check-in-station...nobody would hunt there...but a buck would bed there and watch as all the hunters came & went. Does'nt take long for him to figure out after an hour or so after dark things get quiet and safe to come out.

Some of the best bedding areas are ruined every year by that 1 guy in camp that has to walk everywhere...he sits all morning in an area hes stunk up for 2 weeks before season and wonders...wheres all the deer? So he decides to get down mid-morning & walk contaiminating hundreds of acres with his scent. You can bet no matter how good an area is those deer are vamoose..gone..they know where a spot is this wont happen. :bash:

Human intrusion defines most bedding areas! :s4:

I dissagree that human invasion defines all bedding areas.. I have studied buck bedding my whole life and agree that human invasion can lead to bedding areas not getting used, but there are reasons for each type of buck bedding. They do not bed in a spot for just the reason that no person goes there...

O/P I could not copy your map to mark it up, so I sent you a PM

[QUOTE=Bukmastr;3838758]I dissagree that human invasion defines all bedding areas..


Did'nt say "all" bedding areas...."MOST" bedding areas! ANY bedding area...no matter the terrain can be ruined by that one hunter tromping thru it,,,ALL deer/Bucks bed somewhere..."ALL" mature bucks have a sanctuary...and you can bet theres no human scent.

It is my experience that mature bucks bed in several different areas in their core area. You would have better luck finding this. Typically they like to bed 1/3 from ridge tops and in fallen timber.

So I would have to locate multiple bedding sites! Since the deer density is fairly low in Alberta so bucks can have a large core area. If I were to guess the core area is around 1 mile X 1 mile. So knowing where their large core area is, should I be trying to get close to one of these multiple bedding sites or try to find some sort of funnel (funnels are a little hard to come by due to the large amount of woods out there, but maybe I can find one)?

finding a bucks core area takes several pieces of a puzzle your trying to put together. Some of the pieces you should be looking for are sheds, this is a good indicator where the buck was at when he casted his antlers. Another one is previous years field observation notes. Such as spotting of bucks, scrapes, rubs, ect. If you do not keep a hunters journal I highly recommend you start. If you are able to use trail cams these are great tools. I use mine in a tactical fashion, by starting out placing mine along trails trying to get a photo of him. Once I get a single photo I then move my camera farther back until I began to get more and more pics until im confident I found his core area. After awhile you can pattern him and know when and what day he is coming thru that particular area. If u try this take notes on wind direction because the wind will dictate which way he may approach from. Then u can hunt that area on the wind direction the buck prefers. Hope this makes since and helps!

Oh as far as your question about hunting funnels there are two types; cover and terrain related funnels. I just recently wrote an article called "path of least resistance" that will be published with my other articles at www
whitetailjournal.com this is a touchy subject for some experts but I get tired of hearing hollywood hunters think deer take the most easy route. Young deer do, mature animals do not. If I were u I would hunt the nastiest stuff I could find between a known feeding area, you would know his known feeding area from previous field notes if you had kept any.

Oh as far as your question about hunting funnels there are two types; cover and terrain related funnels. I just recently wrote an article called "path of least resistance" that will be published with my other articles at www
whitetailjournal.com this is a touchy subject for some experts but I get tired of hearing hollywood hunters think deer take the most easy route. Young deer do, mature animals do not. If I were u I would hunt the nastiest stuff I could find between a known feeding area, you would know his known feeding area from previous field notes if you had kept any.

Oh as far as your question about hunting funnels there are two types; cover and terrain related funnels. I just recently wrote an article called "path of least resistance" that will be published with my other articles at www
whitetailjournal.com this is a touchy subject for some experts but I get tired of hearing hollywood hunters think deer take the most easy route. Young deer do, mature animals do not. If I were u I would hunt the nastiest stuff I could find between a known feeding area, you would know his known feeding area from previous field notes if you had kept any. As far as hunting his bedding area, a big buck has little tolerance for human intrusion. I myself do not hunt his bedroom. The owner of lone wolf tree stands believes in hunting this way. He will walk thru a bucks bedroom, jumping him out and then immediately hanging a stand in that area the same day and waiting for his return. Ya just never know with whitetails! That's why we love it!!!

Bucks leave rubs and srapes in areas where does are active, generally at dawn and dsusk. And does are active in travel corridors, funnels, and in in and nears staging areas and food sources. which is whey bcks leave rubs and scrapes there. Lots of doe travel and buck s checking.



I have been hunting since 1956, spend two summers in guide school in Jackson Hole, gudiing and then outfitting since 1989 and researching deer (10 years), turkey 4 years0, ducks, geese (3 years), elk (3 years) and now bears (currently in my thrie year) beginning in 1989.

If you have questions on deer biology and behavior, or on hunting g techniques. feel free to ask me here or at [email protected].

I don't have all the snswers by far, but I have more than a few.

God bless and let me kow how you do. If you read the "Thank You" thread you'll see why I have to live vidcarious through your hunting escapdes this year.

T.R.