bedding areas in farm country

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I agree with ya bridge. I might go for it since I seen two other big bucks in there that will be monsters this year. That little 1/2 acre to 1 acre blowdown area might hold one of those other 150 plus bucks in there along with that beast buck again. I don't think the other guy is buying a tag this year, so I should have a chance all to myself. Maybe they will be in there..maybe not...I just have a feeling about that area

I have all of the knowledge I need, but I wonder if he uses the spot on a regular basis...

There's a pretty decent chance that buck will repeat bedding there under similar circumstances. For example, the same general calendar period with a very similar wind direction and weather that creates a situation where he feels safe there. A lot of potential problems exist- the wrong wind, excess hunting pressure in that spot that you may or may not be aware of, the buck getting poached or taken prior to your arrival, etc.- but its definitely worth a shot.

[goldtip5575]

Dan why would you hunt a farm that doesnt have a shooter bedding on it.Because one within up to 2 sq. miles probably does probably multiple.Give me a fenceline or ditch with tall grass, willows used mainly as a travel corridor any day.It doesnt take a buck long to go 2 miles in farm country. Deer ive got trailcams pictures that have shown up on other friends cameras up to 4 miles away.Seems as though farm bucks have an expanded home range,maybe due to smaller woodlots.But add corn and you have hundreds of acres of new cover for them to explore.

[DEERSLAYER]

I should have been more clear. I’m having trouble keeping my internet connection today so I have been trying to hurry. Sorry about that. When I read the post from Singing Bridge the part where he started with ”a small bit of brush...” made me think that how big a “small bit” is can vary depending on a persons perspective. People often use general terms in relation to size, but they often have different opinions of what “small,” “medium” & “large” are. Just like a buck that is “huge” to me may not be considered huge by someone like Adrea. So I'm basically just asking what each of you would describe as small when explaining to somebody what warrants special attention as a good possibility for a mature buck bed to be located. Personally I like to know every inch of an area I'm hunting buy walking it, but sometimes like when your scouting another state from home you can't do that so how small can it be and still peak your interest? I realize if it is big enough to hide a deer it is big enough to check out and that they will also bed in the open with no cover what so ever. They like to do that in our local bow hunting only waste water treatment/farming facility where there are few woods and lots of hunters.

Clear as mud?

[dan]

Slayer,
I would abandon the thought of "how big" a buck bedding area is, and concentrate more on looking for areas that should have bedding. Size is irrelevant. If you check every bush you might go nuts, but if you check the ones that are in a spot where nobody goes, or that are in a likely terrain feature you will narrow your search...
I would expect this to all be confusing until you actually go out and do some spring scouting and start locating buck beds. Hard to describe but your eyes will start to open on what to look for.

[Indianahunter]

Not wanting to hijack the thread, but the topic is pertinent. For everyones who has hunted farm country flat or otherwise, do feel that mature bucks, just like in marshes or hill country will use the same select bedding areas every time depending on the wind of the day, and does it remain the same regardless of time of year? Am interested in everyones experience.

[dan]

Yes they will have defined bedding areas just like marsh and hill country...
And yes, they will sometimes bed in areas they don't in the fall during the summer, but the best bedding areas will get used year round.

[Black Squirrel]

I think farmland bucks are much less predictable, because they have more bedding areas, and mix it up more. I think they do this because they don't have the advantage of thermals, height for sight, large areas of cattails, and other advatages of hill and marsh bucks do. I think this also applies to big woods bucks too, but that's a different subject.

[AB_Vinny]

Slayer,
I would abandon the thought of "how big" a buck bedding area is, and concentrate more on looking for areas that should have bedding. Size is irrelevant. If you check every bush you might go nuts, but if you check the ones that are in a spot where nobody goes, or that are in a likely terrain feature you will narrow your search...
I would expect this to all be confusing until you actually go out and do some spring scouting and start locating buck beds. Hard to describe but your eyes will start to open on what to look for.

Dan,

Do you think you may make a video on Farmland scouting yourself?

[Stuart]

Dan,

Do you think you may make a video on Farmland scouting yourself?

That's what I am waiting for......I think BBO was going to make their next one on this topic. I could be completely wrong on this but I think Dan owns some rights to FARM BUCKS YEAR AFTER YEAR (not 100 percent on this subject, dont hold me to it).

Farm bucks dvd would be great or even a day scouting trip video of dan with a client....

[Stanley]

The easiest way to determine if an area is a big buck bedding area; is daytime buck movement. If you're sitting in the middle of a hay field you wont' see much daytime buck movement because they aren't bedding there. Corn fields can be tough for visual sightings but do have some great places for big bucks to bed in. Unfortunately when the corn is picked the bed is normally vacated. My choice for big buck bedding in farm land is the biggest deepest timber with the most amount of ground cover. The more multiflora rose the better. A 500 acre timber will hold more big bucks than a 50 acre timber. In the bigger parcels of timber the escape routes are many, just run a few hundred feet and the buck disappears. I sat in an area just this year, thick as could be there was and old oak deadfall just 30 yards from where I was set up. I saw 5 different bucks bed in this deadfall one day, at different times throughout the day. They didn't bed in the same exact bed but in the same dead fall. I have seen big bucks bed in large brush piles just like rabbits do. I saw one big buck go into a brush pile a few years ago. I literally had to jump on the brush pile to get him out. I had no chance with a bow to get that buck. He came out running and didn't stop for as long as I could see him. I was hunting this year in one particular spot had a small creek to my back and the wind in my face. I looked back and a huge buck was coming up my way across the creek. The buck was down wind of me and smelled me for sure. He merely bedded down in the 5 ft tall grass and stayed put until dark. He knew I was across the creek but he didn't know I could see him in the tall grass from my elevated position. He had probably done this exact vanishing routine before and figured he was safe. For me, the key is having multiple chances, at multiple bucks, in the bigger thicker blocks of timber, where the bucks are bedding.

[dan]

Dan,

Do you think you may make a video on Farmland scouting yourself?

That's what I am waiting for......I think BBO was going to make their next one on this topic. I could be completely wrong on this but I think Dan owns some rights to FARM BUCKS YEAR AFTER YEAR (not 100 percent on this subject, dont hold me to it).

Farm bucks dvd would be great or even a day scouting trip video of dan with a client....

I am going to do some shows that will cover the tactics... BBO is going to try and make a farm country DVD. I know that because they called Andrae up begging him for imput and footage. He told them that he was working with me and that he would not help them. They then begged to use some old interview stuff with him and he told them they cannot use his footage, his pictures, his image in any way... Then yesterday he found out they had his and Codys deer pictures on there website and face book and was really pissed
Without me or Andrae there DVD is not going to be worth the plastic its made out of...
I layed some of the Farm country DVD out for BBO before they surprise attacked me and locked me out, and they stole the footage I had for it, but they can't use that footage cause its got me in it. But I don't think they know enough about the subject to do the DVD in full.
I am sure I can cover a lot of it in a few shows that will become a DVD eventually.

[jlh42581]

When the corn is up I like to think of it like a marsh. Little pockets not planted like grass humps, points of timber out into it... you get the picture. While on the ground corn really looks intimidating, its tall, you cant see squat. Get up 20 feet and look again, its a whole different world. Transitions here work well too. Thick clear cuts to open hardwoods, evergreens to hardwoods, corn to brush.

Just like marsh bucks, when you dont have the elevations its an edges game. You still need to know when and why they use that specific area but when you have corn on one side, beans on another, winter wheat on another and a center full of acorns your best guess could be totally wrong that day. Add in other hunter pressure and sometimes you wanna beat your head on the wall.

[RaisedByWolves]

great post Stanley! I'm noticing the same things....

just 2 days ago I was helping my uncle track a doe he wounded and I ended up on a part of the farm where I've never been before. There are a good amount of people that have permission on this property but its mostly during gun season, and mostly just want to put some food on the table. So no one ever hunts/walks in this nasty little hole next to the field. It was corn this year and wasn't cut until last Thursday, so very recent. As I walked up on this spot, I almost started shaking because I knew if I was gonna kick up a slob it would be here. So I slowly walked the edge of the field looking down into this nastiness for about 80 yards, nothing. Turned, came back about 30 yards and up jumps this 10 pnt'r, probably in the 160's!! He made a few bounds and was down a nasty thick ravine...I couldn't bring myself to attempt a Texas heart shot or maybe blast him in the back of the head. What a hoss. I walked down and into his large bed looking for blood in case he had been wounded. The bed was completely matted down like he had been using it for some time, probably felt safe there the whole while the corn had been standing and never had anyone walk up on him there. Sure looked like a good spot to kill him next bow season. There are others in there gun hunting the rest of the week so I hope he finds another good place to hide. Can't wait to get in there this post season!

[AB_Vinny]

Dan,

I am just wondering what you think about locating farm country bucks? Seems a lot of us have similar layouts: AG fields with small to large woolots, creeks, rivers, blow-downs, ridges, etc.

[dan]

Dan,

I am just wondering what you think about locating farm country bucks? Seems a lot of us have similar layouts: AG fields with small to large woolots, creeks, rivers, blow-downs, ridges, etc.

Generally I grid search flat farm terrain and look at every inch of possible bedding... You start to see a trend of the bedding ( in flat terrain ) in the thick spots, and the onerlooked spots...
If its hilley terrain, I mainly go by the elevation tactics layed out in hill country, but may treat some of the property like marsh, swamp. or flat based on changing terrain.