Beds - current use versus stale??

[mheichelbech]

Wondering how you all can tell what is a current and actively used bed/bedding area versus one that is not. Particularly when there hasn’t been any rain and the ground is hard as a rock and tracks are not visible. Especially early season when bucks may not yet be rubbing or shedding much hair.

I find that unless I’ve visibly seen a buck I’ve jumped up that it can be hard to tell. Of course a bed could even look freshly used but be stale when found...meaning the buck had been using it up to a week before but has since abandoned it for a new food source area or some such thing.

This brings up a second question, what percentage of beds/bedding areas are permanent, meaning, they use it regardless of changing food sources and can be expected to be in the area most of the year. What kinds of bedding can hold buck this way?

I have found that major points in which a buck can easily go from one side to the other with wind changes can result in permanent to semi-permanent usage. The other situation are those overlooked areas that we often talk about.

Other bedding I have found to be more dependent on non-permanent factors, for example food (especially corn), water access, especially if hot and dry, etc.

[<DK>]

I have grown to like walking creek bottoms below bedding bc it stay moist enough to catch a track from a heavy one. Assuming I know the area, 1 track is all I need to see. I have found tracks laid in gravel in a creek or on access trails. Sandy spots mixed w pea gravel would be good when its dry too. I find alot of hunter boot tracks that way too. Water holes should have tracks around them. Fence crossings would be an overlooked spots to check as well.

Scrapes are opening up now in my area too. Dry or not, they show.

Droppings would be the next clue id searching for if things are too tough to find the sign. Old sign, w fresh sign of food being eaten would be a cherry on top.

As far as beds go, they just switched to winter coating so there should be some trace of hair. Especially if its been dry. Also, at this point there should be rubs or at least sign of shrubs that have been rubbed/broken. To be honest, were only a few weeks out from seeing more deer using winter/pressure/in season bedding. W.e. you want to call it. Right now alot of deer are still utilizing crops that havent been harvested, fields that havent been cut, cool water source areas. I have also seen them bed at lower elevations this time of year.

#1 factor you mentioned that jumps out at me would be - DRY. So water would be my goal right now.