Other buck bed indicators besides rubs

[DaveT1963]

I edited a longer post to just say this - finding [glow=red]well used buck beds[/glow]is easier in some locations and harder in others.... [glow=red]most that do it consistently[/glow]are doing it in locations where they are easier to find and more abundant. In some areas it just takes a lot more time, effort and experience to locate them. on the farms in OHIO I hunt, I appear to be an "expert" at finding them as I seem to be able to do it pretty consistently without a whole lot of effort..... in other areas I have not found a single well used bed.

[ Post made via Android ]

[mainebowhunter]

I edited a longer post to just say this - finding [glow=red]well used buck beds[/glow]is easier in some locations and harder in others.... [glow=red]most that do it consistently[/glow]are doing it in locations where they are easier to find and more abundant. In some areas it just takes a lot more time, effort and experience to locate them. on the farms in OHIO I hunt, I appear to be an "expert" at finding them as I seem to be able to do it pretty consistently without a whole lot of effort..... in other areas I have not found a single well used bed.

[ Post made via Android ]

I find this in the state that I hunt in areas 5 miles apart. Some sections have beds that have been used over and over..while other sections, not so much. That being said, some of the beds posted here, I have never found one like that where I live.

[DaveT1963]

I edited a longer post to just say this - finding [glow=red]well used buck beds[/glow]is easier in some locations and harder in others.... [glow=red]most that do it consistently[/glow]are doing it in locations where they are easier to find and more abundant. In some areas it just takes a lot more time, effort and experience to locate them. on the farms in OHIO I hunt, I appear to be an "expert" at finding them as I seem to be able to do it pretty consistently without a whole lot of effort..... in other areas I have not found a single well used bed.

[ Post made via Android ]

I find this in the state that I hunt in areas 5 miles apart. Some sections have beds that have been used over and over..while other sections, not so much. That being said, some of the beds posted here, I have never found one like that where I live.

Agree - I often wonder if a lot of folks get discouraged when they don't find the beds sometimes pictured here. Just have to realize those are some of the best examples..... most are not nearly as well defined/identified.

[TNstalker]

The beds I find in my part of the woods u can't really tell it's a bed at first. I had to pic through a bunch of spots I thought might could be a bed to find hair then I got an eye for them in my area. Might look like a faint circle or a place water may have stood for a min basically a light impression sometimes. Only found 3 that where bare dirt but I think a lot of that had to do with the type of trees around them too.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[TNstalker]

When u get to the spot u think the buck should bed look for a light impression an then check it for hair u might just be amazed at what some beds look like an how unoticeable they can be.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[JoeRE]

This is probably a little different than the intent of the question but I think its really important. A big indicator I look for is observing an older buck morning and evening and where he is coming from or going to. There are beds all over the place in these hills and sometimes to tell what is preferred bedding for the biggest buck, you have to see him going somewhere, on cam, by glassing, or the like.

Any time I get a good buck on cam (outside of the rut anyway) or see one on stand my first thought is to pull out a map and look at the likely bedding I have marked in the area, figure out what he likely is using. A person starts doing that, and tracking past observations, and you will be surprised how apparent it becomes that older bucks favor certain spots year after year and younger bucks bed in a lot of spots you almost never will find an older buck. As was mentioned, a lot of older bucks don't leave much sign so in my opinion, using observations like that might be the most useful "bed indicator".

[Lockdown]

bump

[Wannabelikedan]

Good bump lockdown. I'm gonna try to take as many pics as I can this year of those less obvious beds and the faint sign that comes with it. It's pretty common here because of the abundance of thick cover and hogs competing with the deer for bedding areas. Will add as much as I can here. Encourage others to do the same.

[brancher147]

I have noticed a few things in hill country/mountains which is all I hunt. And when I talk about buck beds I am talking about primary bedding areas, not just random beds. Rubs are great, but rubs beside a bed doesn't necessarily mean it is a primary buck bed or bedding area. I look at the size of the bed, and how often it is used. Hair in the bed is obviously necessary to even consider. Big tracks are great, but extremely rare in rocky mountains I hunt. A big buck will usually want some cover to his back, whether it be a blow down, a large tree, or boulders/cliffs. There should be multiple beds close by where the buck will change bedding locations based on changes in wind. Multiple beds in a circle is doe bedding, and does tend to bed in thicker areas. Multiple buck beds will be obvious because they will each be in the perfect location to take advantage of sight, sound, and scent. There will be multiple entrance and exit trails. Mountain bucks like to bed up high on a flat (lots of times it will be a point) just above a steep dropoff. Mountain bucks like to bed where they can get up and take one jump and be gone. Many of these flat areas will not show up on a topo, and are created when a large tree falls and the rootwad area fills in with material to create a flat spot. A lot of times there will be doe bedding above or below, or satellite buck bedding off to one side or the other. Oh yeah, and there are always exceptions to the rules...