size of buck bed?

[wmihunter]

In your experience what is the length & width of a mature 200+ pound buck bed?

[Swampthing]

I,ve experimented with this lightly.But If I had to guess i would say around 47-51 " my steps are an even 12" and most are all of that .I've seen some pretty big doe beds also.If your looking for stictly sex indentifacation than i really would,nt pay much attention to bed size but where I found the bed.

[Singing Bridge]

I think Swampthing is definitely right in the ballpark. I've found it pretty tough to be certain (the length, not that its a buck bed), as bucks may bed in the same spot more than once on different days- they also shift around quite a bit while bedded. With an overnight snowfall I've tracked some nice bucks into their very fresh bed impression in the snow before they blew out of there. A 50" or more length is typically what I found when I carried a cloth measuring tape with me. To really simplify it, they look big!

Many times I scout in the winter and find what I think is a buck bedding area (rubline, location, buck rub right next to or in what you think is a buck bed, etc.), but the buck has shifted his bedding preference due to the winter weather and food sources, rut being over, hunting pressure being gone or some other reason. I don't let this deter me, and once you get good at finding buck bedding areas you will start recognizing likely spots. With a gloved hand I brush away the snow to see if there is bare dirt and deer hair beneath it. If there is frozen vegetation beneath, I use the tip of my gloved fingers to scratch up the vegetation- sometimes down to the bare earth- to look for typically white deer hair in the bed. About seventy percent of the time I find what I'm looking for, it does take a little practice.

[huntinnurse]

I,ve experimented with this lightly.But If I had to guess i would say around 47-51 " my steps are an even 12" and most are all of that .I've seen some pretty big doe beds also.If your looking for stictly sex indentifacation than i really would,nt pay much attention to bed size but where I found the bed.

I would agree with this. Also, does generally will have several beds together, big bucks you might only find one very strategically placed.

[wmihunter]

good info all! Thanks!

[gjs4]

A big mature buck in this area is 52-56" across