buck bed that get occasion use, your experiences?

[365buckin]

I jumped a buck in early season from his bed. Went back the next day with no sightings. Waited a week or so and hunted the bed again with no sightings. Gave up on the spot for the time being and hunted elsewhere. Rifle season opened and snow came opening weekend. I hunted a different spot on this same property a couple days into rifle season and decided to still hunt past the bed on my way out just to see if the there were signs of the buck that has been haunting my thoughts every since I jumped him in September. Sure enough there was a large bed in the snow about 5 yards from his original bed facing the private land boundary. It was almost as if he bedded with the wind to his back so he could smell approaching hunters from the public land parking lots. This bed is located at the farthest stretch from the road where the public ends and adjoins private land. I am not sure how frequently he is using this bed but it does appear that a buck has came back to this bed to sleep. Good thing is that I am the only human tracks in the snow leading anywhere within a hundred yards to this bed, atleast from the public that is, (I cannnot see what is happening on the private). Im thinking about pouring it on to this bed and hunting it everyday until muzzleloader season is over, or hanging a camera over it for educational purposes, or both. Older bucks are homebodies and use the same beds regularly from what I have read. Anyone have any advice or similar experiences they would like to share?

[dan]

you need to figure out the puzzle pieces and determine when, and why he beds there. Certain wind? food? early season? all season? etc. Look at the date of your sighting and check wind direction...

I know tons of spots like this... Some I figure out, some I don't. Set up a kill location and give it a couple hunts next year.

[365buckin]

you need to figure out the puzzle pieces and determine when, and why he beds there. Certain wind? food? early season? all season? etc. Look at the date of your sighting and check wind direction...

I know tons of spots like this... Some I figure out, some I don't. Set up a kill location and give it a couple hunts next year.

Thats the kicker Dan. There is corn and alfalfa less than a mile to the north. Corn and soybeans to the south less than a half mile. Large oak woods to the east. There was a primary or buck bed scrape in November approximately 50 yards to the south during the rut. The bed was worn to dirt with hair during late Sept/early Oct. The bed is located on a north facing side hill which would make you think it would be being used on a South wind. I hunted the bed twice on a south wind on the south side trail 80 yards of the bed. I hunted the scrape on the south side of the bed on a north wind once in early November. Only 3 hunts in one season can definitely mean he just wasnt there when I was there hunting, but for a bed that is worn to dirt with hair in it, I was expecting to atleast see a sighting of something using the bed.

[dan]

Welcome to my world... its not as easy as it seems.

[PK_]

Why do you think it is only occasionally used?

You saw he was there 2 out of 4 times checking it and the two times you didn't see him there were within a week of busting him out of there...

Each Time you went in here 'fresh' he was there.

Also, you don't know if he was there the two times you didn't see him. They are very good at detecting your presence early and slipping out without you knowing, especially once you have bumped them out once recently...

Just a different opinion but it sounds to me like it is a well used bed if you do not pressure it.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[JoeRE]

Palmetto brought up some good points. From your description its a very good bedding spot. The sign doesn't lie! Maybe you need to re-evaluate your access?

When you hunted it how confident are you that you were not seen or heard? How hard was the wind blowing to cover any sound you made? Were you exposed climbing the tree? Sneaking within 100 yards of a bedded buck is an extreme challenge, sometimes you need to set up a little further away.

Something else you can try: One tactic I like to use on bedding sites that I am not confident I have figured out - I hang a trail cam or two at least a couple hundred yards away on main travel routes to the bedding. Put the cam up high and as far from the trail as possible to minimize disturbance and let it set for at least a couple weeks then slip in and pull it. Compare sightings of the buck to what the wind and weather for that time was. There are often patterns, sometimes not what you expect.

[johndeere506]

I like the 2 posts above. I have some beds on public that Im learning too that sound just like this. Its hard to know if he escaped or sat tight, saw/heard you coming, etc. Keep at it and the trail cam idea is good too sometimes.

[365buckin]

Something else you can try: One tactic I like to use on bedding sites that I am not confident I have figured out - I hang a trail cam or two at least a couple hundred yards away on main travel routes to the bedding. Put the cam up high and as far from the trail as possible to minimize disturbance and let it set for at least a couple weeks then slip in and pull it. Compare sightings of the buck to what the wind and weather for that time was. There are often patterns, sometimes not what you expect.

I have been thinking about this trail camera idea for a while. I think I'll try it a little later after all the pressure slows down a little more.
I would love to hear more about your past experiments. How many times you've tried this? How long you let your camera soak? How many days did the buck you believe was using the bed appear on your camera? How long before daylight or darkness? Was he heading to bed with wind to back or wind to face? Etc, etc, etc??????

[365buckin]

Oh and thanks for the replies Palm and Joe. I will take those suggestions into consideration.