Thank you Beasts

[Z7WIBoy]

I just wanted to thank all of you for posting info, tips, and tricks. I have been more of a lurker here as I am new to this hunting style and have not yet starting scouting as hunting season is still in swing and have not shot a deer yet - time is limited as I blew all my hunting time during the rut with the wife. In St. Croix county we have tons of farmland/prairie - mainly flat - definitely not hill country. There is several acres that a farmer uses for share cropping and in the middle of it is a dried up swamp with cat tails and switch grass. I was taking the kids for a atv ride the other day and decided to check out this swamp - just poking around. Low and behold a buck bed (I will get pictures up after the Holidays as time is limited and my 2 year old twin boys wanted nothing to do with walking in a swamp). I know the buck well that uses this, he has to be about 5 now as I missed him in my back yard 2 years ago chasing does on Halloween (that is another story that all of you will probably laugh at for another day - maybe the scouting trip in the spring with Dan).
The funny thing is that this bed is in a swamp 20 yards by 70 yards - I would have never thought a buck would be in there but now it makes sense. This bed is only used in the summer and fall before the crops are out - then his cover goes away. I am pretty sure it is a bed since it looks a lot like the ones from BigHunts scouting trip. I just now need to get permission to bowhunt it as I have permission to turkey hunt and ride my atv on the fields once they are picked. Already picked the tree and made my entrance route (cart before the horse I know but this got me excited).
Again, thank you for the great info and thank you Dan for the DVDs - Happy Holidays and Best Wishes Tim Fox

[Stanley]

Cool, love to see the picture of the bed.

[dan]

[BigHunt]

im enjoying your post on the beast keep it up ...lets see those bed pics

[Z7WIBoy]

conference call ended early today so I took a video on iphone am working on uploading to photobucket but DSL is killing - stay tuned

[Z7WIBoy]

Here is the video - let me know if I am right or not - appreciate honest input:

[BigHunt]

it looks like a bed good rubs and all ....but it being so close to the feild worries me ......i couldnt see a mature buck bedding there for a primary bedding area...
dan has also said that older mature bucks dont rub as much maby not at all except one or two rubs right in the bed
just my 2 cents

[lungbuster]

Does not look like bedding to me.......I could not tell if there were any depressions on the ground or not, if there are, check under the leaves for hair, that would confirm A deer is bedding there, but like said before I really doubt a mature buck would bed that close to the field edge. Also normally if a mature buck is using a bedding area you will not find more than one or two rubs right next to the bedding, younger age class bucks will rub more in thier bedroom typically.

[Z7WIBoy]

i did find a little hair in the depression - video is not as good as it looks in real life. As this was my first scouting trip I will mark it as not a mature bed but potentially a bed for a young buck which one night after my sons hockey practice there were a couple of younger bucks that jumped the road heading that way