Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

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Double Draw
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Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Double Draw » Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:16 am

I have heard from a few land management guys and wildlife biologists I "know" that deer typically eat 5 times a day...with at least two to three of these usually during light hours. My question for those who have observed a buck in his bed for a good chunk of time, does the buck just lay there all day or do they get up, eat, stretch, etc.? I know on one of Dan's hunts on YouTube he hangs his stand and notices the buck in its bed immediately. How common is this and again, what movements do you observe? Thanks!


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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby PK_ » Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:19 am

They move around a lot. Usually a few yards at a time but can cover a couple hundred yards throughout the day if the security cover allows it.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Redman232 » Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:23 am

From the handful I've seen in person, they're up and down thru out the day, browsing and using the restroom(they don't always leave the bed to do so but I've seen them go right in the bed while standing). I've never set up for an afternoon hunt and been able to see the buck in a bed, like in Dan's video. I've been pinned down on morning hunts by bucks that have moved into beds between me setting up and daylight.(Never resulted in a kill yet)
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Dewey » Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:01 pm

They get up and move around browsing in the staging area then bed back down again. If the wind switches slightly they will move to a different bed sometimes only a short distance away to have a scent advantage over predators.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:05 pm

I had a camera on a buck bed last year and out of 3 or 4 different bucks that laid in it, none were there for more than 3-4 hours at a time. Most were more like 45 mins to an hour and a half or so. Bed was in a thick drainage finger where they could move around unseen during mid day hours. Lots of beds in the area.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Net Guy » Wed Sep 20, 2017 2:33 pm

I've witnessed bucks (not big ones though) get up, stretch, walk a couple of yards, then bed down. My cousin once shot a buck during gun season. He went over and field dressed it, then 3 hours later had a giant 10 pointer get up within 20 yards of where he field dressed it. I'm sure it depends on pressure too that determines how much a buck moves during daylight.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby AJB » Wed Sep 20, 2017 2:39 pm

I've noticed them getting up and browsing also. Once I started really paying attention to wind direction every time that I noticed these small moves was during a wind shift and the more it shifted the more they seemed to move.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:42 pm

The bucks That I have seen bed down have never stayed down for more than an hour. The only exceptions that I can recall is if the bucks knew I was there and then they stay put until dark.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Sep 21, 2017 1:44 am

Over the years I have documented several dozen bucks bedding down in front of one of my trail cameras. Not one single one stayed in the bed more than 2 hours. Most stayed roughly an hour. The really interesting thing is they never came back to that same bed the same day - they might bed there again tomorrow but will only lay there for 1-2 hours in one day that's it.

That is what I have seen in person while hunting as well. But they don't go far during the day, could be 10 feet or 100 yards before bedding again but will stick to where they feel safe. I am sure there are exceptions to that I just haven't seen it yet. During high pressure gun season I bet a big old buck would be more likely to lay back in the same spot.

Terrain makes a difference too. All my observations have been in farm and hill country swamps might be different less good bedding options.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:19 am

All the bedded deer I have witnessed both on camera and while hunting was during the rut. In the areas I hunt a mature buck will bed in the pre dawn hours right on the woods edge a lot of times around open gates or hunter entry points, from there just b4 daylight they often move to oversee high traffic areas, such as inside corners, funnels etc... They don't use them just monitor the traffic as the doe's from the herd return to bed, from there they will make a quick circuit and return to there primary bedding area. These are just my observations on small properties that don't receive a ton of pressure.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby perchsoup » Thu Sep 21, 2017 4:27 am

Is it fair to say a buck most likely won't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time unless it's a night bed?
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Sep 21, 2017 5:29 am

perchsoup wrote:Is it fair to say a buck most likely won't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time unless it's a night bed?

Even every single deer I have gotten bedded at night never stayed in the bed more than 2 hours. At least half my camera observations were of deer bedded at night, forgot to mention that.

Humans may be the only critters that can pass out for 8-10 hours every day and not move. Everything else has better things to do including deer :lol:
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby Stanley » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:04 am

JoeRE wrote:
perchsoup wrote:Is it fair to say a buck most likely won't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time unless it's a night bed?

Even every single deer I have gotten bedded at night never stayed in the bed more than 2 hours. At least half my camera observations were of deer bedded at night, forgot to mention that.

Humans may be the only critters that can pass out for 8-10 hours every day and not move. Everything else has better things to do including deer :lol:

Most of my sightings and camera pictures were daytime. The night time pictures of bedded bucks was about 45 minutes then moved on. My best lintel (about 8 years ago) was a blow down that 7 different bucks bedded in the same sit. Not one stayed more than 45 minutes. I thought for sure I found the golden egg. The bed was never used again that I know of. :cry: Last year was a good year for getting on bedded bucks. I got on 5. One bed was used by 2 different bucks. The bigger buck moved the smaller buck out of the bed. Learn stuff every year.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Do They Just Lay There All Day Long?

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Sep 21, 2017 1:02 pm

Stanley wrote:
JoeRE wrote:
perchsoup wrote:Is it fair to say a buck most likely won't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time unless it's a night bed?

Even every single deer I have gotten bedded at night never stayed in the bed more than 2 hours. At least half my camera observations were of deer bedded at night, forgot to mention that.

Humans may be the only critters that can pass out for 8-10 hours every day and not move. Everything else has better things to do including deer :lol:

Most of my sightings and camera pictures were daytime. The night time pictures of bedded bucks was about 45 minutes then moved on. My best lintel (about 8 years ago) was a blow down that 7 different bucks bedded in the same sit. Not one stayed more than 45 minutes. I thought for sure I found the golden egg. The bed was never used again that I know of. :cry: Last year was a good year for getting on bedded bucks. I got on 5. One bed was used by 2 different bucks. The bigger buck moved the smaller buck out of the bed. Learn stuff every year.


Yea a lot of those night time bedded bucks were in the scrapes that I have posted about before. Scrape bedding. Most of the day beds were just beds.


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