Random Bedding

[JMAR85]

Dan, do you believe that all mature bucks use specific beds or bedding areas? To be more specific, in the big woods do you think that a mature buck would ever bed randomly and not stick to specific bedding areas?

[JMAR85]

This is open to everybody's opinion but I'd really like to hear Dan's take on this too.

[mauser06]

I don't believe so. Especially mature bucks.


They became mature bucks by surviving. They survived atleast a few hunting seasons and years of predators. They survived by bedding in places that give them the upper hand.


Maybe if there were absolutely NO predators at all and absolutely no hunting, human intrusion etc. And even then, I don't know that they'd change. They are wild animals and a pray species.



Be real interesting to hear from others.

[Swampbuck]

I don't know about random but from what I've seen in the big woods they have many beds that may be spread out and I have had trouble determining when a particular one/area would be used.

[Ol'DanBoone]

I really doubt bucks just bed at random. What type of sign are you finding that makes you think this??? Reason i ask is because i had similar experiences when i first started hunting big woods. Id be goin along in a big stand of mature oaks on a ridge or just wherever, BAM.....beds. intstinctively, intuitively, whatever, i thought "night beds, keep looking elsewhere". But, being the over analyser i am, it wasnt long before id convinced myself the deer bedded at random, and were "nomadic". Just some thoughts.

[magicman54494]

nothing is random when it comes to big bucks.
They always bed with a reason. It will be based on food and safety outside of the rut. During the rut its based on does. This doesn't mean that they don't move around or make mistakes when bedding. Older bucks have been around and have had many years to choose bedding spots. Non rut bedding spots are tough to hunt because the buck chose these spots for that reason.

[dan]

What confuses people is they find bedding all over the place... Concentrate on the bedding that is in the perfect spots, the spots that match what we talk about on the BEAST. Magic said it perfect "Mature bucks don't do anything random".... Do they bed the same spot every day? often not, many times they have 5 or 10 primary areas and dozens of secondary. You gotta be in the right spot, the right day. The more you learn about why they bed in each type of scenario, the more likely your in the right spot, on the right day.

Some bucks seem to travel on circular wroughts that bring them thru an area once every 3 days or once every week, and others seem to lock into a certain area... But, no, I don't think I have ever seen a mature buck bed randomly unless it was severely injured.

[JMAR85]

Thanks for the replies. On the other side of things, do you ever see mature bucks that do use a specific bed day after day? What about beds that are used during years that have abundant food sources? Two years ago I hunted a nice buck that was hitting apple trees that had an abundant crop but didn't find his bed till after the season. This past season there were next to no apples due to frost and the bed was abandoned..

[dan]

Thanks for the replies. On the other side of things, do you ever see mature bucks that do use a specific bed day after day? What about beds that are used during years that have abundant food sources? Two years ago I hunted a nice buck that was hitting apple trees that had an abundant crop but didn't find his bed till after the season. This past season there were next to no apples due to frost and the bed was abandoned..

The bed near the apples was seasonal most likely. He was there cause of the food. Some bedding areas do hold the same buck over and over... But, most of the time you have to work for them.