Where would u look for beds?

[jonsimoneau]

I've got an area that is all mature hardwoods and is flat as a pancake with the exception of a few small "ridges" that according to the topo maps are only about six feet higher than the rest of the area. In homogenous cover like this where would you expect deer to bed? I would assume the slightly higher areas would be an attraction. I'm scouting it the day after tomorrow. Any advice?

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[Ack]

I would look for any small pockets of brush or downed trees in an area like that.

[KLEMZ]

I would walk directly to the hardest to reach section you can and then check any thickets, blowdowns, slight rise in terrain.

[GRFox]

How big is the area? Not trying to be negative but they're maybe no buck bedding at all.

[kenn1320]

It doesnt take much elevation change to attract a deer to bed. Ive seen many beds on humps only 1ft taller then the ground surrounding it.

[dan]

I would expect bedding to be at the highest and lowest elevations, and in relation to transition line edge corners, points, and bowls..

[scooters]

When is the best time to scout for these beds?

[jonsimoneau]

Dan. You are one smart dude. My scouting today revealed exactly what you said. All the beds I found were on the highest spots. I believe they were mostly doe beds but it's hard to be certain since deer do not rub as much in homogenous hardwoods. (I looked for last years rubs). The area I was scouting was probably hundreds of acres of mature hardwoods on flat ground except for a few small "ridges" that were only about six feet higher than the surrounding areas but that is where the beds were. I don't know how I will go about hunting them since it is very open and hard to approach. Plus there is nothing to funnel the deer within bow range. But I know my best odds will be to get as close to those beds as possible.

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[Brad]

Dan. You are one smart dude. My scouting today revealed exactly what you said. All the beds I found were on the highest spots. I believe they were mostly doe beds but it's hard to be certain since deer do not rub as much in homogenous hardwoods. (I looked for last years rubs). The area I was scouting was probably hundreds of acres of mature hardwoods on flat ground except for a few small "ridges" that were only about six feet higher than the surrounding areas but that is where the beds were. I don't know how I will go about hunting them since it is very open and hard to approach. Plus there is nothing to funnel the deer within bow range. But I know my best odds will be to get as close to those beds as possible.

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If you can manipulate the terrain you might be able to funnel the deer where you need them. Find the beds and then find a way to make them cross certain trails etc. If you can drag brush or similar things into the area, you can make the buck do what you want him too sometimes. It is too late into the year to do that right now, but if you are able to it might be a good idea for next year. Dan spoke of how he was able to take a machete in the cat tails where there are few trails and make a path and the deer would take them over and start using them, should be able to do something similar in the hardwoods.

[jonsimoneau]

That's true Brad. I hunt exclusively with a recurve or longbow so I have been doing things like that to steer deer in my direction for a long time. I do it with trail cameras too. But I guess I never thought about doing too much of that in the open hardwoods. I'll have to think about that.

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