Mature buck core area indicators

[whitetailassasin]

assuming a block of woods, 40 acres or so, if you can't find a bucks bed, what other sign would you need to see to feel confident a buck or bucks were using it as a core area or what lack of sign would make you pass on spending much time in an area?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I've been waiting for some guys to start responding and watching this thread. The phrase "if you can't find buck bedding" on the property what would lead someone to believe it was a mature deer core area. I think guys are kinda missing this statement. How can a mature deer have a core area he doesn't bed in? I've always been a form believer if he's bedded there, it's his core area(daytime) of course. Mature deer don't move far in daylight hours outside the rut, normally. You have to be in that zone. If you've looked the property over and scouted it and you can't find any beds, I don't think you can effectively hunt it bed hunting, but the pre rut, rut, and post rut with bucks needing to feed could bring a mature deer through that parcel. Big tracks or rubs or scrapes can be nighttime activity. It looks like you need to monitor and scout it or hunt it and find out when the best time for this property is. As for me, if I couldn't find any beds I would consider it a passing thru section, and I would try either through cameras, shining, or hunting it to see if a mature buck was visiting and how often. If there is a lot of pressure, one may come seeking refuge if you've not burnt it out. Good luck, hope to see some good news on said property

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mheichelbech]

In the one case I am thinking of, I observed the buck over the past 2 summers regulaly feeding in the bean fields. I have just not been able to find his beds for sure. What I think are his beds but not for sure as no rubs and no hair. I do observe tracks in the nearby corn lately. Guessing I need to put some cameras up to verify if day or night movement. Very few rubs or scrapes.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

What do you look for in hill country when there's tons of points everywhere? I'm running into that now with the public land I hunt. I can look at a topo and there's hundreds of points...they're everywhere. Do you generally start with the steepest, thickest points? Points that would give multiple wind options? Points with near adjacent points that are easy to switch to?

Points that are near roads and over looked... Walked right past. Points that have thick cover up top, but the cover stops at the bedding elevation and bucks can see down hill. Points that are not very obvious, more subtle. Points where if the wind switches in any direction its a very short move to another bedding point.

[dan]

A couple points about the 40 acres...

1) I'm guessing this is about the average area that a hunter could get to know really well in a given season.
2) In agricultural areas, at least around here, this is about the average size or smaller of any block of woods. There are bigger ones but no agriculture within a close distance. At least any property I can hunt!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I personally would not be looking for the "average" size block of timber. I would be looking for the smaller areas that people ignore, or the odd shaped ones that people miss a portion of.

If bucks are bedding in the area your looking at, there will be tracks. But, tracks could be made at night. When I look at a block of timber I ask "why" would a buck bed here... And "where" would he bed... If its a square flat woods with all the timber being of the same age and similar. I would expect bucks to be on the down wind side of the woods near the field edge.

What do you look for in hill country when there's tons of points everywhere? I'm running into that now with the public land I hunt. I can look at a topo and there's hundreds of points...they're everywhere. Do you generally start with the steepest, thickest points? Points that would give multiple wind options? Points with near adjacent points that are easy to switch to?

Are you looking at all the points or the Leeward side of the hill?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Great point

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Real good point... Because once you subtract all the non leeward points, there usually are not alot left.

[dan]

assuming a block of woods, 40 acres or so, if you can't find a bucks bed, what other sign would you need to see to feel confident a buck or bucks were using it as a core area or what lack of sign would make you pass on spending much time in an area?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I've been waiting for some guys to start responding and watching this thread. The phrase "if you can't find buck bedding" on the property what would lead someone to believe it was a mature deer core area. I think guys are kinda missing this statement. How can a mature deer have a core area he doesn't bed in? I've always been a form believer if he's bedded there, it's his core area(daytime) of course. Mature deer don't move far in daylight hours outside the rut, normally. You have to be in that zone. If you've looked the property over and scouted it and you can't find any beds, I don't think you can effectively hunt it bed hunting, but the pre rut, rut, and post rut with bucks needing to feed could bring a mature deer through that parcel. Big tracks or rubs or scrapes can be nighttime activity. It looks like you need to monitor and scout it or hunt it and find out when the best time for this property is. As for me, if I couldn't find any beds I would consider it a passing thru section, and I would try either through cameras, shining, or hunting it to see if a mature buck was visiting and how often. If there is a lot of pressure, one may come seeking refuge if you've not burnt it out. Good luck, hope to see some good news on said property

[ Post made via iPhone ]

In a lot of cases, most hunters won't recognize the beds, some of this can be terrain based... But, if you can recognize what a bedding area should look like, that might be the key... For example, we were doing drives last week for gun season. The woods was full of gun hunters and nothing came out of our usual push... But it was full of sign. I looked at an over looked area that is next to a major parking lot and said thats gotta be where he is.. Then I smiled at dave and pointed at a little finger sticking out and said he is going to be bedded right on that point... The only rubs in that area were all within 5 yards of the bed he jumped out of. He was exactly where I thought he would be based on the terrain. I could walk right to that bed and point it out to you without ever seeing a buck there and would know based on the terrain that if one is around, thats where he is going to be... That was the big 11 pointer my son James shot opening day.

[dan]

In the one case I am thinking of, I observed the buck over the past 2 summers regulaly feeding in the bean fields. I have just not been able to find his beds for sure. What I think are his beds but not for sure as no rubs and no hair. I do observe tracks in the nearby corn lately. Guessing I need to put some cameras up to verify if day or night movement. Very few rubs or scrapes.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Hunt based on where the beds "should" be...

[dirt nap giver]

I keep thinking about the video from HB TV where Dan ciber scouted for a hunt on the west side of Wisconsin and walked us through the scouting aspect of the hunt.
Is that video still up?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

I keep thinking about the video from HB TV where Dan ciber scouted for a hunt on the west side of Wisconsin and walked us through the scouting aspect of the hunt.
Is that video still up?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Its down, the one where I hunt daves farm is up.

[whitetailassasin]

assuming a block of woods, 40 acres or so, if you can't find a bucks bed, what other sign would you need to see to feel confident a buck or bucks were using it as a core area or what lack of sign would make you pass on spending much time in an area?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I've been waiting for some guys to start responding and watching this thread. The phrase "if you can't find buck bedding" on the property what would lead someone to believe it was a mature deer core area. I think guys are kinda missing this statement. How can a mature deer have a core area he doesn't bed in? I've always been a form believer if he's bedded there, it's his core area(daytime) of course. Mature deer don't move far in daylight hours outside the rut, normally. You have to be in that zone. If you've looked the property over and scouted it and you can't find any beds, I don't think you can effectively hunt it bed hunting, but the pre rut, rut, and post rut with bucks needing to feed could bring a mature deer through that parcel. Big tracks or rubs or scrapes can be nighttime activity. It looks like you need to monitor and scout it or hunt it and find out when the best time for this property is. As for me, if I couldn't find any beds I would consider it a passing thru section, and I would try either through cameras, shining, or hunting it to see if a mature buck was visiting and how often. If there is a lot of pressure, one may come seeking refuge if you've not burnt it out. Good luck, hope to see some good news on said property

[ Post made via iPhone ]

In a lot of cases, most hunters won't recognize the beds, some of this can be terrain based... But, if you can recognize what a bedding area should look like, that might be the key... For example, we were doing drives last week for gun season. The woods was full of gun hunters and nothing came out of our usual push... But it was full of sign. I looked at an over looked area that is next to a major parking lot and said thats gotta be where he is.. Then I smiled at dave and pointed at a little finger sticking out and said he is going to be bedded right on that point... The only rubs in that area were all within 5 yards of the bed he jumped out of. He was exactly where I thought he would be based on the terrain. I could walk right to that bed and point it out to you without ever seeing a buck there and would know based on the terrain that if one is around, thats where he is going to be... That was the big 11 pointer my son James shot opening day.

A lot of cyber and map scouting we do, has a lot to do with helping us find potential beds without ever seeing them. Just knowing that is where they should be, takes some of the chance out of the hunt. One of the things that's helped me locate beds is locating what I believe to be potential bedding locations, then seeing a buck use it or get up from the locations. I also have been using tracks going to and coming from ideal locations. Once I've burned a place I will lots of times see if my suspicions were correct and investigate the bed. It's kinda like this to me. I can sit down a local dirt rd hoping to see a red corvette and get lucky, or I can sit by the eway and increase my chances.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[GRUD]

I would disagree with the rub size and height meaning a larger deer etc. i have observed big bucks making small low rubs. I killed one a few years back that only had rubbed about 4 finger sized saplings in his staging area. I watched him freshen one rub before I shot him. This year I was after a buck I know is 5.5 years old, i found his last seeason shed in one of his beds on Halloween and he likes to destroy small bushes and rub small 3/4 inch trees. A large high rub will usually mean a larger buck but I no longer discount any rubs based on size or height. I will check for tracks wherever I see rubs to determine buck size.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[checkerfred]

What do you look for in hill country when there's tons of points everywhere? I'm running into that now with the public land I hunt. I can look at a topo and there's hundreds of points...they're everywhere. Do you generally start with the steepest, thickest points? Points that would give multiple wind options? Points with near adjacent points that are easy to switch to?

Are you looking at all the points or the Leeward side of the hill?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Great point

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Real good point... Because once you subtract all the non leeward points, there usually are not alot left.

I have been doing this for sure, but I'm still struggling to find beds. I'm not sure how to word this to make sense, but say you eliminate half of the points in an area. One problem is, say you are getting a lot of S winds. Then the wind switches to a North wind for a day or two. I'd think they wouldn't be bedding enough on those South facing points as much so it makes it harder to find the beds. Also, with so many points, even looking at the leeward side, it's still hard to narrow down...I could have 6-10 south points in a fairly small area.

[dan]

I have been doing this for sure, but I'm still struggling to find beds. I'm not sure how to word this to make sense, but say you eliminate half of the points in an area. One problem is, say you are getting a lot of S winds. Then the wind switches to a North wind for a day or two. I'd think they wouldn't be bedding enough on those South facing points as much so it makes it harder to find the beds. Also, with so many points, even looking at the leeward side, it's still hard to narrow down...I could have 6-10 south points in a fairly small area.

If you have 6 to 10 south facing points and 3 to 5 shooter bucks 50% of those areas have the potential... It would only take 6 to 10 hunts to find out which is the good one... AND FUTURE YEARS AFTER YOU LEARN THE PROPERTY WILL REPEAT.

One thing to keep in mind is that in low densities, deer shifting around based on exact wind direction and fluctuating height of thermal tunnel will be in a different spot on the same point often. So the beds will be difficult to see especially for an untrained eye.

[checkerfred]

I'm definitely an untrained eye hahah...I'm working on it though

What do you look for in hill country when there's tons of points everywhere? I'm running into that now with the public land I hunt. I can look at a topo and there's hundreds of points...they're everywhere. Do you generally start with the steepest, thickest points? Points that would give multiple wind options? Points with near adjacent points that are easy to switch to?

Points that are near roads and over looked... Walked right past. Points that have thick cover up top, but the cover stops at the bedding elevation and bucks can see down hill. Points that are not very obvious, more subtle. Points where if the wind switches in any direction its a very short move to another bedding point.

Hmm...thats a good point...I'll have to check those near the road. I did find one near a road and jumped a deer going into it, but it was a small bed...no rubs, no droppings to tell size so I assumed it was a doe or young buck. It was a good place though.

Now that you mentioned that about thick cover up top...I did find this bed this past weekend. It had some thicker stuff at the top then opened up like you said, and a small hill above it...that sloped down onto a flatter area for a little piece before it dropped down. The bed was under a tree and had lots of rubs in a small 10 yard area. Because it wasn't on a point though, I'm thinking its a rut bed keeping an eye on does?

The buck bed is purple, the green beds are does, and the pink line is his rub/scrape route...it appears to be circling the ridge.

[checkerfred]

I have been doing this for sure, but I'm still struggling to find beds. I'm not sure how to word this to make sense, but say you eliminate half of the points in an area. One problem is, say you are getting a lot of S winds. Then the wind switches to a North wind for a day or two. I'd think they wouldn't be bedding enough on those South facing points as much so it makes it harder to find the beds. Also, with so many points, even looking at the leeward side, it's still hard to narrow down...I could have 6-10 south points in a fairly small area.

If you have 6 to 10 south facing points and 3 to 5 shooter bucks 50% of those areas have the potential... It would only take 6 to 10 hunts to find out which is the good one... AND FUTURE YEARS AFTER YOU LEARN THE PROPERTY WILL REPEAT.

One thing to keep in mind is that in low densities, deer shifting around based on exact wind direction and fluctuating height of thermal tunnel will be in a different spot on the same point often. So the beds will be difficult to see especially for an untrained eye.

So with low densities, and I think the area is to some degree, what kind of subtleties to you look for? If they don't always leave sign, I figure that just leaves a slight depression on the ground. Problem is, all of the leaves falling can cover an area up quick.

[Thermals]

You will find that all beds are bedding points/spots are not created equal, it may look great on a map but once you hit the groin you may find that only one of those points will have the right ingreadnts to have them bed there.

[ Post made via iPhone ]