Buck Bedding by Doe

[DropTyne]

So here's the scenario.... I had a real dandy buck on trail cam last year and I spent a significant amount of time trying to kill this animal. I thought I had a really good idea where he was bedded but since I did not first see the buck until after opener I was hesitant to travel into that area too far because of the risk of spooking him.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. I decided to venture into that bedding area and pin down his exact bed. I found a knoll that was completly covered with beds facing all different directions on every side of the knoll... (Doe Beds). Then across the valley (50 yards away) on the lee ward wind dominant side of the hill I found another lone bed 1/3 of the way down the ridge with 3 rubs surrounding the area (not particularly large) located 10 feet from a major trail.

The main question is, have I pinned down his bed? Is it common for a dominant buck to bed near does but not with them? Can I explore this area one more time real soon just to double check it and trim out a tree to try and hunt him from without scaring him out of there for good?

[magicman54494]

I have found it to be common for bucks to bed near does but just a little deeper into the cover. It's like he is using the does and fawns as an early warning system.

[dan]

I too often see doe bedding near some buck bedding. I would say you likely found one of the bucks primary beds. I would especially expect him to be there mid to late October...