Buck bedding tendancys...

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kenn1320
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby kenn1320 » Wed May 11, 2011 2:16 pm

The other notation that I made is that he used this staging area during daylight exclusively on days that had an afternoon southwest wind. I saw him 3 times under these conditions during daylight including the day I killed him, on an afternoon with a (insert any other wind direction other than SW here) he would not show, nor would the other young bucks. I firmly believe that this buck was using this bed almost everyday.


DropTyne, was a SW wind in his favor so to speak for that bedding to staging route? You said you believe he was bedding there daily, did you ever get a visual that he was, but was leaving with the wind in his favor?

Dan have you ever found a case where a buck may have 2 staging areas and heads to which ever is better for the wind that day?


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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby DropTyne » Wed May 11, 2011 3:51 pm

kenn1320 wrote:
DropTyne, was a SW wind in his favor so to speak for that bedding to staging route? You said you believe he was bedding there daily, did you ever get a visual that he was, but was leaving with the wind in his favor?

Dan have you ever found a case where a buck may have 2 staging areas and heads to which ever is better for the wind that day?


Kenn, I did not get a visual that he was bedding there daily, I just know that we have discussed the wind and bedding before and the concensus is they choose their beds in the a.m. by utilizing wind. From my observations the morning winds had little to no effect on this particular bucks choice about where to bed. I personally saw that no matter what the wind was in the morning If I got a SW afternoon wind the buck would show. This leads me to believe the general area he was bedding, which was a relatively flat lowland, was utilized because of its thick nasty brush, I think the buck was using noise to protect himself from predators not the wind or sight.

This is obviously a case of a personality trait of this particular buck and may not be consistant with all or even many bucks. I would also like to add that not everyone on this site agrees with my theory that "some" movements in the evening toward food are made in regards to the current wind direction at the time. That is something I have been observing on a property that I hunt and it seems to happen too often for it to be a coincidence.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby dan » Wed May 11, 2011 8:30 pm

Dan have you ever found a case where a buck may have 2 staging areas and heads to which ever is better for the wind that day?


This is obviously a case of a personality trait of this particular buck and may not be consistant with all or even many bucks. I would also like to add that not everyone on this site agrees with my theory that "some" movements in the evening toward food are made in regards to the current wind direction at the time. That is something I have been observing on a property that I hunt and it seems to happen too often for it to be a coincidence.


Multiple staging areas? Yea kinda... Cause of travel into the wind? Not really.
I believe Droptynes discription of how his buck reacted, but thats not a trait I see very often.
Generally wind direction has more to do with bedding than travel. However I have noticed that mature bucks tend to exit there bedding areas in daylight or earlier on days when the wind tdells them its safe in the direction they want to travel...
For the most part though, I have seen more of a trend for bucks to have the wind to there back rather than into there faces... I think they worry more about predators tracking them from behind than what lies ahead.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby JRM6868 » Thu May 12, 2011 10:33 am

Another bed That maybe doesn't get mentioned much is the pressure bed. We have a spot on two different properties that bucks use when the pressure is on during gun season especially. There are many gunshots and people in the woods and there's certain spots bucks will go to that no one else usually goes. One is in a clearcut surrounded by a 4 wheeler trail and although it's not the bucks perfect bedding area throughout the year they head there when the pressure is heavy because they know it's safe. I found this out one time doing a walk back to camp one time and jumped a buck. I did this on 3 differnt occasions through the years just to see what was in there duing gun season. I've walked that area multiple times through the years after and before season and the little area is void of sign and deer so my assumption was it was the deer's pressure bed where he goes temporarily to be safe even though it doesn't have everything he needs or wants in a bed.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Fri May 13, 2011 12:35 am

JRM6868 wrote:Another bed That maybe doesn't get mentioned much is the pressure bed.


I agree that these beds do not get discussed very much, and they certainly do exist. There are beds deep in the cedar swamps I hunt that never show any buck activity until Michigan's gun deer season opens up. The buck population of these swamps definitely increases during gun season, the older bucks know they can move into these areas and hole up for a while.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby JRM6868 » Fri May 13, 2011 3:02 am

Singing Bridge wrote:
JRM6868 wrote:Another bed That maybe doesn't get mentioned much is the pressure bed.


I agree that these beds do not get discussed very much, and they certainly do exist. There are beds deep in the cedar swamps I hunt that never show any buck activity until Michigan's gun deer season opens up. The buck population of these swamps definitely increases during gun season, the older bucks know they can move into these areas and hole up for a while.


A buddy of mine is very successful at this type of hunt. He knows where the pressure bed is and during gun season he hunts one of the main travel routes to it and usually gets his deer within the first two days of the season. On some years he has taken another person there after he has gotten his and they have killed another.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby Buckfever » Mon May 16, 2011 3:09 am

Yeah I think the pressure retreat is a very strong concept, consistent with the Huntingbeast mentality and especially essential on public land or any high pressure siituation.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby dan » Mon May 16, 2011 3:21 am

The pressure bed is certainly better when there is pressure... But, I find mature bucks in these areas all season. Just less deer in general till pressure.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby Buckfever » Wed May 18, 2011 2:47 pm

I think this thread really ties in nicely to the "what makes a good hunter" thread. Just reading these attributes that these mature bucks portray, makes me want to kill them so bad. Madness indeed. If you think about how diligent we need to be to exucute on our tactics. Yeah everyone wants to get a good buck, but few really understand what we're trying to do here. But that we understand what we're up against and zealously pursue it, yeah...
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby Kodiakman » Sun Aug 14, 2011 10:39 pm

dan wrote:Generally wind direction has more to do with bedding than travel


OK, so I know I am in a little over my head at this point but I am a fairly quick study. Please bear with me, I never hunted specific beds like this before. Just so I have this right. So they want to bed with the wind at their back and their front toward a more open line of sight? This is chosen only in morning and typically not in relation to food or water but stritcly by wind and cover? Escape trails will be to their back or side to side? Staging areas will be to the front of the bed and downwind/line of sight?

Dumb question but I have to ask. So will their entry trail to their bed typically be in line with that morning's wind direction or across it somewhat?

How long will a buck use a certain bed before it moves on to another? Trail cam proof of longevity anyone? Do they have to be pushed to move beds? Season change excluded, rut, etc. Just wondering if that buck will use that bed all summer if it doesn't get pushed. Obviously it will get pushed eventually(predator, human, etc) But how long will he stay in that same bed, day after day, if not pushed?

Maybe I am overthinking or generalizing too much. I apologize for all the questions, just trying to get a grasp on everthing I have read so far. Kind of blown away a bit.
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:34 am

Welcome to the Beast, Kodiakman! 8-)

Great questions you have, I agree that there is a little too much generalization. It usually helps to break it down to the type of hunting area you are dealing with, whether it is farmland, big woods, hill country, etc. Bedding tendencies can be quite varied depending on the situation and topography at hand, including how the bucks tend to use the wind in these very different areas.

There are a ton of great hunters on this site, and another tool I use when looking at something I may have never thought of or want information about, is to copy and paste certain posts and information into a document. Utilizing the search tool for the Hunting Beast site based on author or subject matter also comes in very handy.

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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby BigHunt » Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:41 am

dan wrote:Another trait we have not discussed much is the bucks idividual personality and how that relates to bedding... Thinking back to some of the big bucks I targeted and really got to know, there seems to be some really different personalitys.
I shot two of my biggest bucks in the same general area and both were hunted for multiple years. One of them had a home range of about 5 miles and was very hard to pattern but started sticking to one tight area more and participated in less breeding after turning 5 years old... The other buck spent his whole life never leaving an area that was less than 1 square mile and all of his sheds were found within 100 yards of each other except 2, which were never found.
Another buck that both me and Andrae tried hard to kill in the same area had a routine... He would switch bedding areas daily rotating around in a circle fasion over a very large area ( 3 or 4 miles ) I found my best luck with him by hunting dryed up week old sign...
I guess the point about all this is if your going to target individual bucks, sometimes getting to learn there traits and personalitys can really help you...


so dan what bedding description worked out for you through out the years
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:06 am

Singing Bridge wrote:...Utilizing the search tool for the Hunting Beast site based on author or subject matter also comes in very handy.

Bridge

Good point Bridge. All these questions have been answered on here before. It just take a little "scouting" on the Beast to find it. ;)

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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby dan » Sat Jun 23, 2012 8:42 am

On another post someone was questioning bumping satellite deer, so I thought I would bump this thread...
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Re: Buck bedding tendancys...

Unread postby JoeRE » Fri Mar 08, 2013 1:04 am

BUMP. This is a great thread. Tons of info, very to the point. Another one of those instances where I am reading and think to myself....hey, that's what I have seen too....and that also is what I see...and so is that! Really helped put things together. Great thread!


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