Morning Bed Approach

[Twenty Up]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but how detrimental would it be to allow your scent to blow into a bedding area on your walk in for a morning hunt, while they're not there.

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time. Due to access limitations this is my best bet to hunt this bedding area, just curious if that brief period of time my scent blows into the beds will be detected or not?

[Cuzzinfish]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but how detrimental would it be to allow your scent to blow into a bedding area on your walk in for a morning hunt, while they're not there.

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time. Due to access limitations this is my best bet to hunt this bedding area, just curious if that brief period of time my scent blows into the beds will be detected or not?

Generally speaking, my worry in your situation would be more related to them actually being near the bedding and smelling me when trying to enter the area. For example, I have an Easterly wind bedding spot I’ve hunted 3 times near a small creek. The camera is one or two steps from the water depending on how high so I can check it safely on an off wind when the deer aren’t present. At least one of the two bucks I’d like to tag have been on that creek bank (less than 10 yards from at least a couple of their beds) at some point between 2 and 6 am nearly every morning there’s an Easterly wind. So, I haven’t hunted it during the morning. Obviously, your situation is different. If you have reason to believe you can beat them to their beds in the morning, hunt it. That’s just my two cents based on my experience.

[Jhand]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but how detrimental would it be to allow your scent to blow into a bedding area on your walk in for a morning hunt, while they're not there.

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time. Due to access limitations this is my best bet to hunt this bedding area, just curious if that brief period of time my scent blows into the beds will be detected or not?

If I'm hunting a bed in the morning it takes a lot of scouting for me to do it. I want to be setup where they J hook in, if your not in the right spot you have a good chance of getting busted as they come in. You have to be able to shoot to where the buck is going to smell you. Another issue I have with mornings is the bucks getting in there before I do or come in before legal shooting time. I have one mature buck now on camera that's going into his bed between 430 and 5am and legal shooting time isn't until almost 7.

[Twenty Up]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but how detrimental would it be to allow your scent to blow into a bedding area on your walk in for a morning hunt, while they're not there.

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time. Due to access limitations this is my best bet to hunt this bedding area, just curious if that brief period of time my scent blows into the beds will be detected or not?

Generally speaking, my worry in your situation would be more related to them actually being near the bedding and smelling me when trying to enter the area. For example, I have an Easterly wind bedding spot I’ve hunted 3 times near a small creek. The camera is one or two steps from the water depending on how high so I can check it safely on an off wind when the deer aren’t present. At least one of the two bucks I’d like to tag have been on that creek bank (less than 10 yards from at least a couple of their beds) at some point between 2 and 6 am nearly every morning there’s an Easterly wind. So, I haven’t hunted it during the morning. Obviously, your situation is different. If you have reason to believe you can beat them to their beds in the morning, hunt it. That’s just my two cents based on my experience.

I understand that completely and agree but it's not an ideal situation.. I cannot reach the beds due to property lines, a creek as well as satellite and doe beds. It's a bulletproof bed on the bucks part(s)

BUT it's the coldest morning of the year so far after an all night rain, plus the bucks are beginning to cruise. If there's any time this could work, it would be tonight/tomorrow.

[Cuzzinfish]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but how detrimental would it be to allow your scent to blow into a bedding area on your walk in for a morning hunt, while they're not there.

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time. Due to access limitations this is my best bet to hunt this bedding area, just curious if that brief period of time my scent blows into the beds will be detected or not?

Generally speaking, my worry in your situation would be more related to them actually being near the bedding and smelling me when trying to enter the area. For example, I have an Easterly wind bedding spot I’ve hunted 3 times near a small creek. The camera is one or two steps from the water depending on how high so I can check it safely on an off wind when the deer aren’t present. At least one of the two bucks I’d like to tag have been on that creek bank (less than 10 yards from at least a couple of their beds) at some point between 2 and 6 am nearly every morning there’s an Easterly wind. So, I haven’t hunted it during the morning. Obviously, your situation is different. If you have reason to believe you can beat them to their beds in the morning, hunt it. That’s just my two cents based on my experience.

I understand that completely and agree but it's not an ideal situation.. I cannot reach the beds due to property lines, a creek as well as satellite and doe beds. It's a bulletproof bed on the bucks part(s)

BUT it's the coldest morning of the year so far after an all night rain, plus the bucks are beginning to cruise. If there's any time this could work, it would be tonight/tomorrow.

Your logic makes sense. Go get it done.

[Twenty Up]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but how detrimental would it be to allow your scent to blow into a bedding area on your walk in for a morning hunt, while they're not there.

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time. Due to access limitations this is my best bet to hunt this bedding area, just curious if that brief period of time my scent blows into the beds will be detected or not?

If I'm hunting a bed in the morning it takes a lot of scouting for me to do it. I want to be setup where they J hook in, if your not in the right spot you have a good chance of getting busted as they come in. You have to be able to shoot to where the buck is going to smell you. Another issue I have with mornings is the bucks getting in there before I do or come in before legal shooting time. I have one mature buck now on camera that's going into his bed between 430 and 5am and legal shooting time isn't until almost 7.

I agree with you and that will very likely happen but I cannot hunt these beds very well in the evening due to property lines, a creek and the satellite bucks on the edges and does in the center. There's no way for me to hunt them during daylight but I can guess from my scouting intel and topography to see where they will j hook.

Besides that, as I mentioned before it's the coldest morning of the year after an all night rain and the rutting has seriously picked up. If there's a day to catch a buck coming in late, I'm betting it would be tomorrow morning

[comeback_kid]

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time.

This is awesome

How will you wake up, A vibrate alarm? During the Rut b/c of morning hunts I find myself dozing on stand, who knows what could've walked by...

I'd like to hear a little more about how the setup and prop lines. So you cannot access the bed but can hit him somewhere on the path to the bed?

[<DK>]

It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation Twentyup. The fact that you know its a morning hunt only speaks volumes and the reasons you stated are solid. This time of year, I wouldnt expect them to be bedded yet - IF they even come to bed at all. My main concern period is ground scent and can I shoot to those spots. Sometimes those big old ones will lay down/stage close to bedding but you gotta take some chances! The times in the AM youre talking about being set, im seeing them out running open fields still or by the roads - in my area.

[Twenty Up]

My idea is to setup real early, 3-4am early, then sleep until game time.

This is awesome

How will you wake up, A vibrate alarm? During the Rut b/c of morning hunts I find myself dozing on stand, who knows what could've walked by...

I'd like to hear a little more about how the setup and prop lines. So you cannot access the bed but can hit him somewhere on the path to the bed?

To be honest I only leave to duck hunt this early and we set alarms or stay up joking around with each other. So this will be a learning experience for me. My plan is to setup further East for a NW wind and based off of February's scouting info I should in theory have a 30-40 yard shot at him.

This is IF he follows the same trails, if I don't get winded coming in, if he wasn't shot already...

I'm seriously rolling the dice on this one but the conditions are too good to pass it up, and I've been chasing this guy for a while.

[Twenty Up]

It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation Twentyup. The fact that you know its a morning hunt only speaks volumes and the reasons you stated are solid. This time of year, I wouldnt expect them to be bedded yet - IF they even come to bed at all. My main concern period is ground scent and can I shoot to those spots. Sometimes those big old ones will lay down/stage close to bedding but you gotta take some chances! The times in the AM youre talking about being set, im seeing them out running open fields still or by the roads - in my area.

Thanks Darknight!

ive been holding this spot in my back pocket until conditions like these. No way to glass because it's a thick creek bottom and getting close enough to see anything will put pressure on these deer. So it's a shot in the dark but that means doing something crazy like hang a stand at 3am!!

My biggest fear is where I park the truck.. had a trail cam pic of a big buck Nov 6 30 minutes before daylight heading into this bedding area. Just so happens it's also maybe75 yards down wind of where I'd park the truck to hunt this spot. May have to get crafty and park further South

[<DK>]

It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation Twentyup. The fact that you know its a morning hunt only speaks volumes and the reasons you stated are solid. This time of year, I wouldnt expect them to be bedded yet - IF they even come to bed at all. My main concern period is ground scent and can I shoot to those spots. Sometimes those big old ones will lay down/stage close to bedding but you gotta take some chances! The times in the AM youre talking about being set, im seeing them out running open fields still or by the roads - in my area.

Thanks Darknight!

ive been holding this spot in my back pocket until conditions like these. No way to glass because it's a thick creek bottom and getting close enough to see anything will put pressure on these deer. So it's a shot in the dark but that means doing something crazy like hang a stand at 3am!!

My biggest fear is where I park the truck.. had a trail cam pic of a big buck Nov 6 30 minutes before daylight heading into this bedding area. Just so happens it's also maybe75 yards down wind of where I'd park the truck to hunt this spot. May have to get crafty and park further South

Dang thats early! Sounds like a great plan tho, looking forward to your live in the field update too. Good luck

[Twenty Up]

It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation Twentyup. The fact that you know its a morning hunt only speaks volumes and the reasons you stated are solid. This time of year, I wouldnt expect them to be bedded yet - IF they even come to bed at all. My main concern period is ground scent and can I shoot to those spots. Sometimes those big old ones will lay down/stage close to bedding but you gotta take some chances! The times in the AM youre talking about being set, im seeing them out running open fields still or by the roads - in my area.

Thanks Darknight!

ive been holding this spot in my back pocket until conditions like these. No way to glass because it's a thick creek bottom and getting close enough to see anything will put pressure on these deer. So it's a shot in the dark but that means doing something crazy like hang a stand at 3am!!

My biggest fear is where I park the truck.. had a trail cam pic of a big buck Nov 6 30 minutes before daylight heading into this bedding area. Just so happens it's also maybe75 yards down wind of where I'd park the truck to hunt this spot. May have to get crafty and park further South

Dang thats early! Sounds like a great plan tho, looking forward to your live in the field update too. Good luck

Not sure about being to my tree at 3am but somewhere between 3-4. Going over old notes now I'll keep y'all updated when I'm out there

[tgreeno]

There's only one way to find out if it'll work!

I'd go for it! Whatever doesn't kill you...makes you smarter

[PK_]

Sounds like a solid plan to me. Trust your gut.