Satellite bucks--Is the big one still bedded?

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Motivated
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Satellite bucks--Is the big one still bedded?

Unread postby Motivated » Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:03 am

Doing yard work today and listening to wired to hunt podcasts. I heard one with Stan Potts, which was great. He's a great storyteller. He talked about a buck that came out with another littler buck. In my past I've seen big bucks walking with smaller bucks, even in October.

I always wonder if the smaller buck has another one behind him or if he is the only one in the bedding area at the time. In the past I try to get an idea of which bed he was coming out of and guess if it was the best bed or not. If it was not the best bed I would hold off and wait for that bigger buck to get up.

How do you decide if a bigger buck is still bedded in that area, unless there is a specific history there? Is there a time of year, for example during the peak rut when bucks are completely solo, and there are no satellite bucks? Or maybe during that time all bucks arecamped around doe bedding. Does logic go out the window between certain dates?

Just wondering how others think here. Assume I am on a first time sit, early season, without trail camera history.

Without specific history with bucks and without trail camera footage, how do you decide if another buck is bedded behind the one that just got up? What tells you that the big boy is still back there?


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Whitetailaddict
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Re: Satellite bucks--Is the big one still bedded?

Unread postby Whitetailaddict » Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:39 am

I think this is a good question but the only way to find the answer I think is to hold off. In this situation you have to decide if the satellite buck is one you would be ok with shooting if a bigger buck was bedded further back. Now trail cameras, sign in the immediate area including rubs, scrapes and tracks could tip you off a big boy is in the area but there is still no guarantee he is using that exact bed or if he is whether he decides to come by you. So I think you can make a good guess but like I said the only way to truly know is to hold off and find out. I would say during the rut that the bucks are not going to be bedded on top of one another unless a hot doe is nearby but again a big buck will be keeping other bucks away in this situation I'd think.
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Re: Satellite bucks--Is the big one still bedded?

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:42 am

The body language of the smaller buck will sometimes tell you if a dominant buck is around. They look tentative and nervous. He might be looking if the bigger buck is behind him. Ive seen it before


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