Rut, Late Bed Hunts
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Rut, Late Bed Hunts
Does anyone try hunting bucks coming back to beds midday or late afternoon during the rut, catching them after they come back from a doe bedding area check, etc. I'm thinking pre and post rut?
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
I think it's just more random during the rut , whether they will is the same beds or not. And this probably depends a lot on pressure. I think during rut bucks bed closer to where doe traffic will be (I.e. on a leeward facing point overlooking a food source in the bottom). In this situation that's a tough bed to set up on. But I'm sure in the right circumstances it can work. I think usually the mature bucks are back on beds early morning unless something gets them up or keeps them up, a doe..
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- Zona
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
I would plan on bucks leaving a bedding area late morning. The 11am to 2pm theory comes to mind.
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
If you want to hunt bedding I would hunt doe bedding in the morning, I think most of the times big bucks are more likely to make a mistake following a doe(group) back to bed rather than when they are alone. Most of the time they are back in their bed before daylight unless they found a doe to trail anyways. You could try catching a buck leaving his bed around 10am and I have seen them return to their bedding area around 2-3pm. But I have not tried bed hunting around this type of movement.
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
It works somewhat... But you have to understand rut bedding to hunt rutting bucks at there beds... There are specific beds they use in rut. Some of these beds they use all year, rut included, and some just during rut, and some are a little more random based on a doe in heat. Ive just started getting good at killing rutting bucks at there beds in the last 10 years or so, and I think I am starting to understand how they work.
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
dan wrote:It works somewhat... But you have to understand rut bedding to hunt rutting bucks at there beds... There are specific beds they use in rut. Some of these beds they use all year, rut included, and some just during rut, and some are a little more random based on a doe in heat. Ive just started getting good at killing rutting bucks at there beds in the last 10 years or so, and I think I am starting to understand how they work.
Will that be included in the next DVD release Dan?
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
This is what I have seen in hill and farm country: Bedding can change a lot over that time period you specified. The pre-rut and seeking phases are my favorite time to get a change at the biggest/oldest bucks in an area when they start keeping an eye on the major doe groups. Some of the best buck bedding spots I have found only start getting used by mature bucks in the last 10 days of October /first few days of November. Pre-rut buck bedding tends to be closer to the major doe bedding in the area, anywhere from right next to it up to a few hundred yards away, just more secure than the doe bedding and often is downwind of the doe bedding (or the buck's travel route to and from his bed is downwind) so the buck can keep tabs on things.
Then as the rut winds down and bucks are doing more bedding than breeding during the day some of these buck bedding areas near major doe bedding again heat up but things are more variable, some bucks wear out faster than others in terms of rutting activity. Later in November around here does start clustering around major food sources so their patterns can start changing with the weather. You can still pick off a big buck who wants one last fling with a doe shadowing the major doe groups, bedding near them but typically more secure. It gets hard to sort out if food or does are more important to a buck as the rut winds down. Eventually its food.
In these time periods I can't say that I have seen big bucks coming and going from bedding in the middle of the day though. Its still a last minute deal early in the morning or late in the evening. Only times I consistently see big bucks on their feed in the middle of the day is when they are cruising or tending a doe. When cruising bucks get tired and bed down, what I have seen is its pretty irregular where they bed, they will just look around and pick the safest spot in whatever area they end up. That is only for a short time period and depends on the buck, some are more active than others.
Then as the rut winds down and bucks are doing more bedding than breeding during the day some of these buck bedding areas near major doe bedding again heat up but things are more variable, some bucks wear out faster than others in terms of rutting activity. Later in November around here does start clustering around major food sources so their patterns can start changing with the weather. You can still pick off a big buck who wants one last fling with a doe shadowing the major doe groups, bedding near them but typically more secure. It gets hard to sort out if food or does are more important to a buck as the rut winds down. Eventually its food.
In these time periods I can't say that I have seen big bucks coming and going from bedding in the middle of the day though. Its still a last minute deal early in the morning or late in the evening. Only times I consistently see big bucks on their feed in the middle of the day is when they are cruising or tending a doe. When cruising bucks get tired and bed down, what I have seen is its pretty irregular where they bed, they will just look around and pick the safest spot in whatever area they end up. That is only for a short time period and depends on the buck, some are more active than others.
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
rizzo999 wrote:dan wrote:It works somewhat... But you have to understand rut bedding to hunt rutting bucks at there beds... There are specific beds they use in rut. Some of these beds they use all year, rut included, and some just during rut, and some are a little more random based on a doe in heat. Ive just started getting good at killing rutting bucks at there beds in the last 10 years or so, and I think I am starting to understand how they work.
Will that be included in the next DVD release Dan?
yES
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Re: Rut, Late Bed Hunts
Thanks for the input gentlemen.
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