Buck bed question

[admiral04]

Next year i want to start hunting buck beds and swamps so this past sunday i decided to take a stroll and check out a local swamp(since archery in pa is over and we are cursed with no hunting on sundays) to see if i could identify some buck beds as this is all new to me. I was able to find 3 of which all seemed to be buck beds. 1 was a matted down area of cattails w one trail in and one trail out and a very heavy rubbed sappling. The other two were similar but under lone hemlock trees in the swamp. My question is if you guys are finding beds in the winter and spring and then staying out of the area until u hunt them and u hunt them once how do u know if these are mature bucks using these beds or which beds are that if larger bucks? Whats not to say its a little spike using these beds. Simply by track size and hopes of shining a large buck in a near by crop field? Also eash of these beds were within 100yds of eachother. 2 seemed to be very heavily used. Would u assume this is one buck using each bed or multiple bucks using these beds in a close area?any other tips on finding or learning to hunt mature bucks in there beds would be great

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[fishlips]

not an exhaustive list, but a few things I look for are tracks going into and out of the bedding area. You can also take a look at the size of the bed. Snow can be helpful here when you can see how big of a spot they are covering when they lay down. And rubs are the one telltale sign that a buck is using the bed. I know it's not a rule by any mean, but based on the height of the rub and the size of the tree it is on, you can get an idea if it is a big buck or not.

Good luck.

[dan]

Your looking for buck beds that get used a lot and have signs of big bucks using them, such as fishlips mentioned, high rub's big tracks etc. Location, and being in a position where it won't get harassed is a good thing too... As far as which bucks are using a certain bed at any given time, beds are not usually used by just one buck. There usually multiple bucks using the same bed. Just not on the same day. Biggest buck to arrive ( or at least most dominant ) gets the bed. A smaller buck might be forced to move to a satellite bed. The best bedding areas usually have a lot of beds in a tight area.

[whitetailassasin]

Your looking for buck beds that get used a lot and have signs of big bucks using them, such as fishlips mentioned, high rub's big tracks etc. Location, and being in a position where it won't get harassed is a good thing too... As far as which bucks are using a certain bed at any given time, beds are not usually used by just one buck. There usually multiple bucks using the same bed. Just not on the same day. Biggest buck to arrive ( or at least most dominant ) gets the bed. A smaller buck might be forced to move to a satellite bed. The best bedding areas usually have a lot of beds in a tight area.

Learned something new, was always under the impression that a certain buck always beds in the same spot until he's pressured or food source changes or looking for estrus does. This maybe why I find alot of smaller bucks bedding on the outskirts of bedding areas.

[dan]

Learned something new, was always under the impression that a certain buck always beds in the same spot until he's pressured or food source changes or looking for estrus does. This maybe why I find alot of smaller bucks bedding on the outskirts of bedding areas.

They do tend to bed in patterns... But lots of things can effect which bedding area they choose. Wind direction is a biggie...

[whitetailassasin]

Learned something new, was always under the impression that a certain buck always beds in the same spot until he's pressured or food source changes or looking for estrus does. This maybe why I find alot of smaller bucks bedding on the outskirts of bedding areas.

They do tend to bed in patterns... But lots of things can effect which bedding area they choose. Wind direction is a biggie...

Yes that was another one I was aware of, a really smart hunter would locate all his hangouts On a serious note, how many beds can one particular mature buck have? And can they spand long distances? IYO

[dan]

I would love to see a radio collar survey on that question... All I can say for certain is that the older they get, the fewer bedding areas they tend to use. I think some of it has to do with terrain, if there are great spots to bed all over, he will likely have more spots... My guess would be a mature buck could have 50 or more bedding areas... I would lean towards the "or more" But of those, there will be only a handful of primary bedding areas that he uses "most of the time"