Mtn bedding questions

[bowtarist]

I know from the dvds and reading on here that bedding occurs mostly in the top 1/3 section of the mtn. Have you ever noticed this changing due to pressure? Say all the access points are from the top of the mtn. There are atv trails in alot of the upper sections of the mtn. I've found a few beds over looking some of these roads. If all the pressure is coming in from the top of the mtn and is focused on the upper section, would you think that the bucks would bed lower to where they weren't messed with as much?

[SneakyHunter]

I think they absolutely will. Bucks will go where ever they can survive. That might be 75yds from a parking area or at the bottom of the ridge where no one goes.

[<DK>]

Definitely! They will utilize any part of a ridge or mountain that offers them the best wind and security.

[brancher147]

Definitely! They will utilize any part of a ridge or mountain that offers them the best wind and security.

Key words being best wind and security. So, if all the pressure is from the top then bucks may bed down lower, or still bed up high but in an overlooked or tough spot to access, like above or below boulders or cliffs or thick mountain laurel if you have that type of terrain. But they will always be where they have the best wind and security, and these areas are somewhat predictable based on hill country bedding, whether it be on the top 1/3 or anywhere else on the mountain.

[pewpewpew]

Good question. I hunt in hill country with all of the pressure coming from the tops. I find tons of bed on points in the upper 1/3, very few of which I think are the magical primary buck bed sanctuary. My experience is that the beds on the upper 1/3 are used by any deer that walks by and feels like chewing cud for 20 minutes.

I've hunted bottoms and found TONS of sign, no beds, and only saw bucks on trail camera on days I was not there.

I'm going to be looking hard into mid elevations. For me this is much harder access and steeper, but I have gut feeling that is where the bucks are.