Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

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Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby RaisedByWolves » Fri Jan 20, 2012 2:31 pm

Wondering who on here has spent a morning hunt next to a mature buck bed. Whether you went in when the conditions were right, bumped and dumped, or set-up on accident by one. What were your experiences? did you get a shot? did he wind you? did he not show up? did he cross your entry route?


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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby PredatorTC » Fri Jan 20, 2012 6:29 pm

I have sat over many beds. Most of them never showed. Im must have done something wrong. But I can think of two times that they came in, in the dark and both times I could hear them stage around and then they moved on. Im guessing they knew something was wrong
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby ozzz » Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:14 pm

How about this . . .

When sitting over a buck bed in the morning, how often does he show?

Im sorry if this is hijaking, not my intention.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby RaisedByWolves » Sat Jan 21, 2012 2:59 am

ozzz wrote:How about this . . .

When sitting over a buck bed in the morning, how often does he show?

Im sorry if this is hijaking, not my intention.


No problem, I'm interested in any type of experience had while hunting over a bed in the morning.

I have tried it a few times near beds that I figure were being used by 2.5 or 3.5 year olds, a couple tries on public and one on private. I heard deer every time in the dark, but they generally wondered off. One deer came by me and bedded under a different tree about 60 yards away, it was dark so I couldn't tell what it was. So when I got down I stalked over to the bed and it busted when I was 30 yards away..still never saw it!


I wonder how many times Andrae has tried it? and what his success ratio is? how many of his deer came off of bed hunts....does anyone know?
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby PLB » Sat Jan 21, 2012 3:58 am

I know one of his booners was a bump and dump that he shot in the morning, I would guess the success rate to not be very high in the morning.

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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby JV NC » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:04 am

To me there's several aspects about this that I'd like to know....

1. First of all, what time of year are you hunting AM buck bedding? I don't hunt buck bedding early or late season.
2. What made you think he was going to be in that particular bed on that particular day?
3. How close is "close"?

I hunt a little differently than Dan and a lot of you guys like to hunt. I hunt every buck bedding area as if someone's always home (I hunt topography). Do I always know who that is? Heck no. So, have I set up on a buck's bedding area in the AM and killed one, there? Yeah.

The honest truth is, he came out on a string ('08).................right behind a doe. I heard him grunt before he got there. I don't go to this spot, expecting to see does. I probably haven't seen more than 2-3 does in this spot in 4yrs hunting it. But, that's how it went down.

My 10-pointer from this year was killed in the same fashion, only in the afternoon (same breakline). It was the third time I'd hunted that 150ac. farm all season, and the 1st time I'd hunted that spot in 2yrs.. He was the only deer I saw.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby dan » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:19 am

I have not killed any perched right over the top of the bed, but have gotten a few in very close proximity... Odds very based on population, what you consider a shooter, and the amount the bed is used... Those odds can go up or down based on whether your hunting based on scouting facts, or guesses.
Andrae prefers mornings and hunting directly over the bed as you may have gathered by the kills he has in Hill country. Marsh hunting its hard to get right over the beds, and can be in other terrains too. In the marsh I usually end up 50 to 75 yards away because of cover or ambush locations.
Mornings are no where near as productive as evenings for me.. Mature bucks seem to be bedded well before daylight in most cases. Andrae has much better luck with mornings, but he waitas for the right conditions to make a strike. Several of his Boone and crockett bow kills have come right at the bed at 1st light.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby Stump » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:23 am

dan wrote: Andrae has much better luck with mornings, but he waitas for the right conditions to make a strike. Several of his Boone and crockett bow kills have come right at the bed at 1st light.



Why do you think this might be? Less pressure on those bucks "not" pushing them to bed sooner? He knows or believes they are feeding a good distance off and they don't get there until after morning shooting hrs?

Curious as to maybe why this might be.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby RaisedByWolves » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:25 am

JV NC wrote:To me there's several aspects about this that I'd like to know....

1. First of all, what time of year are you hunting AM buck bedding? I don't hunt buck bedding early or late season.

You can hunt a buck bed anytime of the year.

2. What made you think he was going to be in that particular bed on that particular day?

That is the whole game, you have to take an educated guess on why he would be there on a particular day. It might be because of a nearby food source is preferred, wind, thermals, water, ect.

3. How close is "close"?

I would say anywhere from 0-60 yards in most cases, that would be determined by available trees and the lay of the land

I hunt a little differently than Dan and a lot of you guys like to hunt. I hunt every buck bedding area as if someone's always home (I hunt topography). Do I always know who that is? Heck no. So, have I set up on a buck's bedding area in the AM and killed one, there? Yeah.

The honest truth is, he came out on a string.................right behind a doe. I heard him grunt before he got there. I don't go to this spot, expecting to see does. I probably haven't seen more than 2-3 does in this spot in 4yrs hunting it. But, that's how it went down.


Have you watched any of Dan's videos? they do a muh better job of explaining it...

A lot of guys on here that hunt buck beds don't always know a certain buck they are after. They just scout out these beds in the offseason and try to determine when the best time to hunt these spots will be. Some beds will have evidence that leads you to believe a bigger buck likes to bed there; big tracks, high rubs, ect. We have reason to believe that certain beds will often hold larger bucks because they are higher in the pecking order and take their claim of the good bedding. Generally you only have that one chance hunting over a buck bed, if he's not there that particular day he will likely smell you have been there in the coming days, but again maybe not, that is part of the game.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby dan » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:28 am

Stump wrote:
dan wrote: Andrae has much better luck with mornings, but he waitas for the right conditions to make a strike. Several of his Boone and crockett bow kills have come right at the bed at 1st light.



Why do you think this might be? Less pressure on those bucks "not" pushing them to bed sooner? He knows or believes they are feeding a good distance off and they don't get there until after morning shooting hrs?

Curious as to maybe why this might be.

I think part of it is he can get right over the bed in mature woods in hill country, and part of it might be the lack of pressure these deer recieve... I also, don't do anywhere near as much morning hunting over beds as Andrae. But, I often get busted by early arrivals in the morning even when conditions are right in public areas.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby JV NC » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:33 am

The reason I asked about what time of year is, I RARELY (almost never.....like, count on one finger) see mature bucks in the AM - before Nov. 1.

I'm just curious. Maybe I'll learn something.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby Zap » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:37 am

Mature buck movement can be good in the early morning if you hunt the right places.

But you have to use a good strategy to get into that place.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby RaisedByWolves » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:38 am

dan wrote:
Stump wrote:
dan wrote: Andrae has much better luck with mornings, but he waitas for the right conditions to make a strike. Several of his Boone and crockett bow kills have come right at the bed at 1st light.



Why do you think this might be? Less pressure on those bucks "not" pushing them to bed sooner? He knows or believes they are feeding a good distance off and they don't get there until after morning shooting hrs?

Curious as to maybe why this might be.

I think part of it is he can get right over the bed in mature woods in hill country, and part of it might be the lack of pressure these deer recieve... I also, don't do anywhere near as much morning hunting over beds as Andrae. But, I often get busted by early arrivals in the morning even when conditions are right in public areas.



I always wondered why you didn't do more hunting over the top of a bucks bed like Andrae. I figured with all the beds you have that surly a few would have a good tree within range of the buck.....Dan, if you had a good enough set-up within shooting distance of a bed, would you still likely pick a different tree for an evening hunt?
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby RaisedByWolves » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:41 am

JV NC wrote:The reason I asked about what time of year is, I RARELY (almost never.....like, count on one finger) see mature bucks in the AM - before Nov. 1.

I'm just curious. Maybe I'll learn something.


thats why we like to learn where the bedding areas are, because you have a better chance of seeing him during daylight hours if your hunting close to where he beds. This goes for mornings or evenings.
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Re: Success rates for sitting over a big bucks bed (morning)

Unread postby Stump » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:47 am

Zap wrote:Mature buck movement can be good in the early morning if you hunt the right places.

But you have to use a good strategy to get into that place.



Zap,

Could you dive into the specifics of what are just the right places or different scenarios and with which strategies to access them? It's probably a loaded question, but if you have the time....I'd like to hear a little more about it. Or others that would like to chime in as well.


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