While Spring scouting this past spring, I really keyed in on a couple of areas. First the background. This is a 10,000 acre public hunting area with a lake in the center. The area gets hunted very hard. So I decided to only focus in on spots at least a mile from any road. A spot that jumped out at me was a point that jutted out into the lake. Point is fairly large. It is exactly a mile from the nearest road and is about as remote as you can get in this spot in the mid-west. I put a camera out there a month ago in an effort to confirm my suspicions. I just knew the biggest buck in the area had to be using this point to bed on.
I checked the camera this afternoon, and my findings were a bit surprising. During that month, I had 19 deer "incidents" in which one or more deer walked past the camera. That's actually pretty good for this area. But here is where it gets interesting. Of those 19 deer "incidents" all but 2 of them were during daylight hours. The camera showed deer coming in and going out at first light, and last light, and quite a bit of movement around noon. But the camera was nearly completely devoid of deer activity after dark. So correct me if I'm wrong, but I think for sure that because of this, I have found a true bedding area that sees regular use.
However, I was wrong on one account....in that I thought it was a buck bedding area. During that entire month I got pictures of a lot of deer. Only 1 was a buck. So it's obviously a regularly used doe bedding area. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it will still be useful during the rut I think. Also, this spot is a mile back in the woods, in the Mid-West, and the closest crop field is more than a mile away. I am assuming that the bucks are now sticking close to the bean fields off in the distance. I just found this interesting because normally, If I put up a camera, 95% of the pics are at night...no matter what time of year....yet in this spot 99% of the pics were during daylight hours. I think it's a step in the right direction. To me this spot seems like the ideal bedding spot for big bucks, so maybe they will show up when the beans turn brown and the acorns start falling? Not sure. But interesting to me to say the least.
An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding area
- jonsimoneau
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
Did the sign in the area say that bucks hung out there? Cuz if so they might still be there. They could just be avoiding your camera.
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
I have found while operating cameras that daytime doe movement is higher than buck. Also they should be splitting up soon so your sightings should increase. Does the area have any older buck activity in it?
I'm reason they call it hunting and not shooting.
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
I have had some similar experiences. In areas with heavy pressure bedding that is pretty obvious but just way back in there is often used by doe family groups if its relatively large, the smaller/ more subtle or overlooked bedding spots are where the bucks end up and those are harder to find.
You might have found a great rut spot though. Every buck for miles will know that's where the does are too
You might have found a great rut spot though. Every buck for miles will know that's where the does are too
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
Interesting indeed. Good post
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- Stanley
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
Not uncommon to not get many buck pictures in August. I think your buck pictures will pick up as time goes on.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
- jonsimoneau
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
Thanks guys. I should note. This is not one of my main areas to hunt this fall. If it were I wouldn't be screwing around with cameras in the area. This is just kind of a little experiment that maybe I can use next year or something. During the spring scouting there wasn't a lot if evidence of buck bedding here. But I decided to do this on a hunch just because it looked like a good remote bedding area. I will continue to monitor a camera in the area and see what I might find. If nothing else, I figure knowing where a great doe bedding area is could pay off well during the rut in subsequent seasons.
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
I scouted a spot sort of similar this spring I had a hunch a big buck was bedded in a young pine thicket all other hunters avoid the area (private land) so I placed a camera there early this summer nothing but does and small bucks I left it alone for over a month yesterday I went in to get the camera when I checked it the last few days a few real good bucks were on camera goin in and comming out if the pines...
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- Stanley
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Re: An interesting camera check....on the edge of a bedding
jonsimoneau wrote:Thanks guys. I should note. This is not one of my main areas to hunt this fall. If it were I wouldn't be screwing around with cameras in the area. This is just kind of a little experiment that maybe I can use next year or something. During the spring scouting there wasn't a lot if evidence of buck bedding here. But I decided to do this on a hunch just because it looked like a good remote bedding area. I will continue to monitor a camera in the area and see what I might find. If nothing else, I figure knowing where a great doe bedding area is could pay off well during the rut in subsequent seasons.
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I like your thinking on this. I do a lot of this kind of scouting.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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