Ridge bedding

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Elite
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Ridge bedding

Unread postby Elite » Sat Mar 20, 2021 3:33 am

I will be scouting ridges for morning rut spots soon. I’m not very familiar with ridges in terms of where does will bed so I attached a spot I plan on scouting soon. I marked spots where bucks may bed on a north wind and possibly west. Where would does bed in this particular spot? I’m assuming at the top but need feedback. Thank you!
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may21581
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby may21581 » Sat Mar 20, 2021 11:46 am

When you scout for the buck beds you will find where the does bed based on historic sign in the area. Its hard to tell based on the topo but generally what I find in the hills and ridges is there bedding in consistent year after year and isn't really wind based. They generally group up and watch each others back. I find them most of the time in the bottoms along creeks, in hollows, and on little points and ridges that have all the good buck bedding features minus the thick to the back and wind.
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:39 am

Elite wrote:I will be scouting ridges for morning rut spots soon. I’m not very familiar with ridges in terms of where does will bed so I attached a spot I plan on scouting soon. I marked spots where bucks may bed on a north wind and possibly west. Where would does bed in this particular spot? I’m assuming at the top but need feedback. Thank you!


Did you find anything good?

I was going to say that its difficult to say anything for sure, just like bucks. I will that I really do like those 'Round Top' style ridges for locating Does. They can shift around the ridge and bed in groups on the very top and be very secure. That can be said about bucks too but in general I like round tops for finding Does. Also a great location for acorns.
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby Elite » Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:27 pm

<DK> wrote:
Elite wrote:I will be scouting ridges for morning rut spots soon. I’m not very familiar with ridges in terms of where does will bed so I attached a spot I plan on scouting soon. I marked spots where bucks may bed on a north wind and possibly west. Where would does bed in this particular spot? I’m assuming at the top but need feedback. Thank you!


Did you find anything good?

I was going to say that its difficult to say anything for sure, just like bucks. I will that I really do like those 'Round Top' style ridges for locating Does. They can shift around the ridge and bed in groups on the very top and be very secure. That can be said about bucks too but in general I like round tops for finding Does. Also a great location for acorns.



I’m tentatively planning on scouting next Monday. The snow screwed up my scouting schedule...will report back what I find :dance:
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby buttonbuck » Wed Mar 31, 2021 11:16 pm

I find it easier to locate doe bedding and then work around that to find buck bedding. I also like to hunt the does to get a buck, he'll be around.
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby MichiganMike » Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:39 am

buttonbuck wrote:I find it easier to locate doe bedding and then work around that to find buck bedding. I also like to hunt the does to get a buck, he'll be around.

Agreed! Find the doe bedding first. They could be bedding low in the thick marsh/creek bottom etc. whatever it may be down there. The buck will be bedded just off from them to monitor them either coming in or leaving the bedding area. He wants to be as near to them as he can get away with. But he could have beds on that ridge too to watch below. I would scout all of it.
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby Elite » Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:49 am

MichiganMike wrote:
buttonbuck wrote:I find it easier to locate doe bedding and then work around that to find buck bedding. I also like to hunt the does to get a buck, he'll be around.

Agreed! Find the doe bedding first. They could be bedding low in the thick marsh/creek bottom etc. whatever it may be down there. The buck will be bedded just off from them to monitor them either coming in or leaving the bedding area. He wants to be as near to them as he can get away with. But he could have beds on that ridge too to watch below. I would scout all of it.



That’s the plan!
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby MichiganMike » Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:53 am

Elite wrote:
MichiganMike wrote:
buttonbuck wrote:I find it easier to locate doe bedding and then work around that to find buck bedding. I also like to hunt the does to get a buck, he'll be around.

Agreed! Find the doe bedding first. They could be bedding low in the thick marsh/creek bottom etc. whatever it may be down there. The buck will be bedded just off from them to monitor them either coming in or leaving the bedding area. He wants to be as near to them as he can get away with. But he could have beds on that ridge too to watch below. I would scout all of it.



That’s the plan!

Cool! good luck hope you get some good intel and on to something big!
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby Elite » Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:37 am

There’s several good fingers to the south going into the swamp. This ridge is to the north of that swamp. I want to post an aerial but also don’t want to give the spot away :whistle:
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby Elite » Tue Apr 06, 2021 7:52 am

It was a bust. I walked the transition lines and top 1/3 with no buck or doe sign. It’s possible that this spot is hunted or walked by the landowner to the west. I’m writing it off.
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby Elite » Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:28 am

I found a doe bedding ridge this weekend with multiple beds in the open-crap and hair in the beds. The two ridges have a saddle cutting them in half. However, I found no buck sign on these ridges or leeward sides. I picked a tree regardless but wanted your input if this would be a spot worth hunting during the rut without any buck sign.
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby headgear » Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:08 am

I seem to have a few spots that look like this, really having a hilltop means they can bed in any direction so I think they like that. However the best spots are usually a clearcut hilltop, open woods might not be as attractive.
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Jun 09, 2021 4:23 pm

For me that would depend on how many beds or Does I think are living there. Also what is the pressure situation? What is the stem count? Are big bucks in the area?

Not finding any buck sign, not even young buck, would be very discouraging. I will say this time of year is not the best time to do so if there is very little sign to find.

I definitely would go harder next outing to find what I wanted and no marginal spots. Id go look at the best ones.

You picked a tree so if youre down on your luck during the rut then it may be worth a hunt you see
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Re: Ridge bedding

Unread postby Elite » Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:16 am

<DK> wrote:For me that would depend on how many beds or Does I think are living there. Also what is the pressure situation? What is the stem count? Are big bucks in the area?

Not finding any buck sign, not even young buck, would be very discouraging. I will say this time of year is not the best time to do so if there is very little sign to find.

I definitely would go harder next outing to find what I wanted and no marginal spots. Id go look at the best ones.

You picked a tree so if youre down on your luck during the rut then it may be worth a hunt you see



Not sure what the pressure is like on this piece as it’s new to me. I didn’t see any illegal stands in trees or garbage. This piece is in a county with no baiting allowed so maybe that’s part of it?
All the buck bedding and rut sign was ~200-300 yards North in the tag alder swamp along the river.
I might give this saddle between doe bedding ridges a shot on a west wind come fall.


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