Hill country...

[cbigbear]

On the WMA you are specifically reffering to (the one you killed your buck on anyways), trust me when I say do not count on a buck bedding in one location over and over. You're looking at deer with no reason to be in one particular area and they tend to have big home ranges. The only spots that will see repeat bedding out there are the thick swampy areas and clear cuts once the pressure pushes the deer into them. There are so many different ridges that they have hundreds of options of optimum bedding location within their home range.

So, you're of the opinion that these bucks do not have favored bedding, unless pressured?

Preffered? Sure. I know for a fact they have countless preffered areas though and as a result if you think you know exactly where a deer is bedding at all times you are just hoping.

I'm not talking about the WMA you and I have discussed.. Conpletely different place.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

What do you feel increases the bucks core area or home range size on a given hill property - terrain, pressure, cover, food sources, etc?

[Thermals]

I think in the perfect world the points on a topo would play high odds given everything is perfect. But it seems more or lease there other spots they prefer that are less noticeable on the map for some reason( less pressure, better wind and thermals, great get away cover, very noisy to get to the buck spots, I deffenty would comb the land over and find everything you can. But I also think going in blind to the points that a stick out well with the right wind and thermals would be a place they like to be, maybe be a preferred oaks on a point with good wind and thermals could be golden. I have one place that is like a bowl with ridges all around it with what you would think good bedding would be but there is even more cover at the bottom and I think that and the thermals plays a bigger role with great escapes in all directions.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

Getting to look at properties all over the place has been a great advantage for me... What I see is bucks preferring the points, subtle or not, that have good back cover and somewhat open side hills. They also stay away from areas humans encroach... So, points on private property that are obvious, may be great if the hunters know this and avoid disturbing the bucks, but on public land hunters often walk these ridge top points, and set stands right on the points for gun hunting not knowing any better... In these cases your not going to find good beds on that point...

On public I usually find good bedding points as the subtle ones that are not right where people walk, or the ones right next to the road everyone walks past...

As far as bucks wandering for miles, I really don't believe that... Some bucks have bigger core areas no doubt, but they usually have a certain area they spend most of there time, rut can be an exception... I also fully believe that the 0lder bucks tighten that area even more. They may seem to dissapear, but there still around somewhere. I know plenty of friends who have hunted the same buck for a few years and then get it in big country.

[Master Chief]

Getting to look at properties all over the place has been a great advantage for me... What I see is bucks preferring the points, subtle or not, that have good back cover and somewhat open side hills. They also stay away from areas humans encroach... So, points on private property that are obvious, may be great if the hunters know this and avoid disturbing the bucks, but on public land hunters often walk these ridge top points, and set stands right on the points for gun hunting not knowing any better... In these cases your not going to find good beds on that point...

On public I usually find good bedding points as the subtle ones that are not right where people walk, or the ones right next to the road everyone walks past...

As far as bucks wandering for miles, I really don't believe that... Some bucks have bigger core areas no doubt, but they usually have a certain area they spend most of there time, rut can be an exception... I also fully believe that the 0lder bucks tighten that area even more. They may seem to dissapear, but there still around somewhere. I know plenty of friends who have hunted the same buck for a few years and then get it in big country.

I photograph bucks often over a mile away in just a days time on the WMA I was reffering to earlier.

There are a lot of hill points for the bucks to choose from and not a lot of bucks to bed on them.

You can undoubtably find a core area though and it is more likely he will be bedded somewhere in that area just as it is more likely he will be feeding in that core area, but you cannot count on him being bedded on "x" point everytime the wind is blowing "x" direction.

cbb-I have no idea. Some of the bucks I've monitored I only get pics of in a certain area. Others miles apart. Deer are individuals and why they do everything they do none of us know

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Tennhunter3]

I'm really liking this thread a lot of good information from everyone. I do know of some preferred bedding I got my buck this year within 70 yards of his bed. And I know another buck bedding area in a thicket 60 yards off the road over by the East side of ranger road. I know roads don't effect deer much I do know I often feel dumb sitting 40 yards off a road in blaze orange. I also have never harvested a buck within 300 yards of the road all mine have been in areas other hunters don't go.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Master Chief]

Also on the corr area-this is often bound to change when hunters start crowding the rubs found in the corr area. This particular property does not get much pressure at all during our bow season. This is when you may be able to pull off bed hunting in the beds you found. I've never tried it, but will this next season. Omce the pressure comes around you best to simply find where others aren't hunting.

For someone more experienced with beds than me that leads me to curiousity on something..

I've seen bucks coming from heavily hunted areas in the AM right after dark. Have any of you seen a tendancy to not care about pressure during the dark hours.. Includong bedding? I would bet evening bed locations are a lot less abundant than areas they bed outside of daylight hours. (Which would be good to understand for morning hunts)

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Master Chief]

I'm really liking this thread a lot of good information from everyone. I do know of some preferred bedding I got my buck this year within 70 yards of his bed. And I know another buck bedding area in a thicket 60 yards off the road over by the East side of ranger road. I know roads don't effect deer much I do know I often feel dumb sitting 40 yards off a road in blaze orange. I also have never harvested a buck within 300 yards of the road all mine have been in areas other hunters don't go.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Are you reffering to the bed off of ranger with a pine rub about the size of a coke can by it? Specific location would be just before you get to where the trail forks and goes to that clear cut with a big oak tree in it? That's close to where one of our cams was stolen this year btw lol. There's a lot of pressure down there, but several years ago a really nice 12pt was killed on that trail

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Tennhunter3]

I hunted that bedding area where the field is park by it go east torward the road. Several nice bucks used to eat across the road in that tiny field.There used to be coke cans n trash where someone had dumped it not sure how it got back their though had to have been after it was logged years before that. I haven't been in the area in about 2 years but I was on to a nice buck a few years back. It's 4-5 ridges above that big bottom used to be full of nice rubs. This year I hunted mostly lost green Robertson and hunted some east of Lewis trail also. I had a cam stolen up by deer 2 years ago I hunted all east side of the park. Saw a great buck between that ranger east side northwest of the power line several years ago I know that guy who owned that private piece next to it killed a 7 point in there 2 years ago I had let that deer walk on several occasions.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Jphunter]

Dan, Some of the mountain type ridges that I have seen don't really have a military crest but they have benches and small spurs. Are these the ones that you are talking about when you say deer seem to prefer a cross wind instead of a down hill wind?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

I photograph bucks often over a mile away in just a days time on the WMA I was reffering to earlier.

There are a lot of hill points for the bucks to choose from and not a lot of bucks to bed on them.

You can undoubtably find a core area though and it is more likely he will be bedded somewhere in that area just as it is more likely he will be feeding in that core area, but you cannot count on him being bedded on "x" point everytime the wind is blowing "x" direction.

cbb-I have no idea. Some of the bucks I've monitored I only get pics of in a certain area. Others miles apart. Deer are individuals and why they do everything they do none of us know

I agree with all of this... But deer still can be predictable. Many of the bucks I hunt I see shift around... But, when there in a certain area, they bed in a certain place, or in one of a few... But yes, they move around. Not a long ways, but they move to different food sources and cause of different winds and who knows why else... It happens everywhere.
The mature 10 pointer I shot a couple years ago in the marsh behind my house spent most of his time on private land over a mile from where I shot him,... But, as soon as he left sign he was on my side of the roiad again, I went straight to the bed I thought he would be at and killed him that day.
Me and Andrae both hunted a giant Non-typical for a couple seasons and he had a 3 or 4 day pattern. He would bed each of his main bedding areas in circular fasion, when I would see him on one end of the property where I was trying to get him, like clock work the next day he would show by Andrae 3/4 of a mile away, then he would dissapear for a couple days and then show up in my bed again... They got lots of points to bed on, but certain bucks will prefer certain spots, when they are in the area...
Low density areas are hard, cause you have to go so long without seeing a shooter you start to question yourself... lack of sign is a confidence buster too... I think rut is the easiest time to get a decent buck in low density hill country, but its hard to target a certain buck.

[dan]

Dan, Some of the mountain type ridges that I have seen don't really have a military crest but they have benches and small spurs. Are these the ones that you are talking about when you say deer seem to prefer a cross wind instead of a down hill wind?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

It depends on the elevation and relation to the top of the ridge... If they can't smell the wind from above, cause of elevation where the bench is, they like a cross wind where they can smell from behind and below. That could get a little complicated though, cause the wind speed can make a difference on how far down scent from above rolls... Just making the statement that I have seen consistent bedding on lower benchs with more of a cross wind.

[Master Chief]

I photograph bucks often over a mile away in just a days time on the WMA I was reffering to earlier.

There are a lot of hill points for the bucks to choose from and not a lot of bucks to bed on them.

You can undoubtably find a core area though and it is more likely he will be bedded somewhere in that area just as it is more likely he will be feeding in that core area, but you cannot count on him being bedded on "x" point everytime the wind is blowing "x" direction.

cbb-I have no idea. Some of the bucks I've monitored I only get pics of in a certain area. Others miles apart. Deer are individuals and why they do everything they do none of us know

I agree with all of this... But deer still can be predictable. Many of the bucks I hunt I see shift around... But, when there in a certain area, they bed in a certain place, or in one of a few... But yes, they move around. Not a long ways, but they move to different food sources and cause of different winds and who knows why else... It happens everywhere.
The mature 10 pointer I shot a couple years ago in the marsh behind my house spent most of his time on private land over a mile from where I shot him,... But, as soon as he left sign he was on my side of the roiad again, I went straight to the bed I thought he would be at and killed him that day.
Me and Andrae both hunted a giant Non-typical for a couple seasons and he had a 3 or 4 day pattern. He would bed each of his main bedding areas in circular fasion, when I would see him on one end of the property where I was trying to get him, like clock work the next day he would show by Andrae 3/4 of a mile away, then he would dissapear for a couple days and then show up in my bed again... They got lots of points to bed on, but certain bucks will prefer certain spots, when they are in the area...
Low density areas are hard, cause you have to go so long without seeing a shooter you start to question yourself... lack of sign is a confidence buster too... I think rut is the easiest time to get a decent buck in low density hill country, but its hard to target a certain buck.

Thanks for a good response. I'm starting to understand the idea behind bed hunting a lot better than before.

I hunt a lot of public and have a lot of options on where to hunt so I may start doing this bed thing (I've already found several to get after) during early season as an alternative to just hunting various funnels/edge habitat (which has been working okay for me but I see no reason not to experiment)

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Zona]

Getting to look at properties all over the place has been a great advantage for me... What I see is bucks preferring the points, subtle or not, that have good back cover and somewhat open side hills. They also stay away from areas humans encroach... So, points on private property that are obvious, may be great if the hunters know this and avoid disturbing the bucks, [glow=red]but on public land hunters often walk these ridge top points, and set stands right on the points for gun hunting not knowing any better...[/glow] In these cases your not going to find good beds on that point...

On public I usually find good bedding points as the subtle ones that are not right where people walk, or the ones right next to the road everyone walks past...

As far as bucks wandering for miles, I really don't believe that... Some bucks have bigger core areas no doubt, but they usually have a certain area they spend most of there time, rut can be an exception... I also fully believe that the 0lder bucks tighten that area even more. They may seem to dissapear, but there still around somewhere. I know plenty of friends who have hunted the same buck for a few years and then get it in big country.

Welcome to Pennsylvania. Nothing screws up a great point like a 15' ladder stand.

[Jphunter]

Dan, Some of the mountain type ridges that I have seen don't really have a military crest but they have benches and small spurs. Are these the ones that you are talking about when you say deer seem to prefer a cross wind instead of a down hill wind?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

It depends on the elevation and relation to the top of the ridge... If they can't smell the wind from above, cause of elevation where the bench is, they like a cross wind where they can smell from behind and below. That could get a little complicated though, cause the wind speed can make a difference on how far down scent from above rolls... Just making the statement that I have seen consistent bedding on lower benchs with more of a cross wind.

I see what your saying, I have probably been over looking some of these lower elevation spots because I have been focused on the more obvious points.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

I see what your saying, I have probably been over looking some of these lower elevation spots because I have been focused on the more obvious points.

I think in a lot of cases the biggest or oldest bucks are using the less obvious spots.... Thats one point I have a hard time getting across. You need to get good enough at looking at beds to know which ones to dismiss, and which ones to focus on... In high populations you can literally find beds everywhere. But that don't mean the target bucks are bedding "everywhere" they are still sticking to the types of terrain features that have the best bedding. Its the lesser deer that are in most of the other spots.
A good buck bedding area should leave you thinking "this buck has the perfect spot" I would of never looked or thought to look here, and "he has all his bases covered"....