Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

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Ognennyy
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Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Ognennyy » Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:09 am

After my fourth hunting season in NY's Adirondacks I'm starting to realize that some beast-style principles may not directly translate well into the Adirondack landscape. Or if they do then I have been unable to figure out how they translate. There is a lot of woods up there after all and I know I've only scratched the surface.

The general consensus I have seen on this site from other Northern big woods hunters is that the deer density is so low that primary buck beds are rare. That makes sense, and I don't necessarily want to locate beds that see 4-season use like a primary buck bed. I'm interested in beds used mid-September through the end of October. I often find buck beds on South-facing slopes in the Adirondacks that are used during the rut so I have this end of the season covered. What I'm wondering is have any of you had success locating buck beds that are actively used in the early bow season in the Northern big woods (Adirondacks, northern Wisconsin / Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine)?

Happy Thanksgiving all and God bless.


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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby mauser06 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 12:25 pm

Like you said...a lot of land and not a lot of deer makes it tough.


Reason being is the bedding won't get used as much.


I have found the principles apply...

In the Daks I'd focus on the top 1/3rd and the swamp areas. I sadly didn't make it this season like I hoped...but that's my 2 ideas to key in on.


Where I hunted in Michigan was sorta similar in ways...big woods and low deer population. I looked all over. My best areas ended up being the swamps and marshes and the top 1/3rd of the hill country.


The big woods seem intimidating when you look around and there's just so much. A lot of it just looks so similar.

I just keep in mind big bucks do everything for a reason...I find a lot of the "rules" apply. Just harder to capitalize on. In big woods and low deer I typically don't stand hunt often... usually still hunt...but try to maximize my time by being where the mature bucks should be.
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Ognennyy » Sat Nov 24, 2018 10:25 am

One thing I'm counting on is that if and when I do find a well used buck bed that I can assume it's a mature buck. The logic there being that the bed is well used for a reason; it's a great bed offering everything a buck is looking for, and a mature dominant buck will be the one using it. The other thinking being that as bucks age their core areas and home ranges shrink. So maybe a mature buck's bed will get used more.

I've only ever scouted one marsh up in the 'Dacks for buck beds. It was a marsh close to the road that I believe sees quite a bit of traffic from the muzzleloader opener up through the close of rifle season (so basically the entire season in NY's northern zone). Since I think there is pressure there, maybe it's not fair to judge swamp bedding - or lack thereof - based on that single marsh alone. This spring I want to get some serious scouting done further up away from the pressured areas, in some off the beaten path marshes and leeward ridges.

I think it's a real possibility that bed hunting is just not viable in the Adirondack back country. But before I start formulating an early bow season strategy that discounts bed hunting, I want to investigate this a bit further. It may be the case that bed hunting is possible but not worth the effort due to how scarce primary beds likely area.

I'm still really hoping to hear people chip in with some descriptions of well used buck beds they may have found in Northern big woods. Were they in marshy areas? Was the marsh a beaver meadow type marsh with a small stream surrounded by scrub brush, or a large cat-tail marsh like in Wisconsin? Up in the upper 1/3 of a leeward ridge? None of the above? What time of year did you find it?
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby andy » Sat Nov 24, 2018 11:20 am

I’m new to bed hunting, but the few beds I have found seem to be somewhat lightly used. My assumption is that they have lots of bedding areas in big woods country. When food is the limiting factor, it would seem to make sense that they would travel more to eat, and therefore change bedding accordingly. If someone with more experience thinks otherwise, feel free to say so.

Found some beds near marshes, and some on top 1/3 leeward hills. All of them seemed to be positioned to have visibility in front, specifically of areas used by people. Near roads, edges near housing, etc. Again, I don’t have a lot of experience with this, but it’s just what I have noticed this year.
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Sat Nov 24, 2018 11:59 am

Some great posts already...

My recommendation is to concentrate on areas with preferred whitetail forbes and browse during the early season. Clearcuts, burn areas, tornado / wind areas of blowdowns, and strong limestone deposits are where to look. I would also ask to meet or have a phone conversation with department of natural resources whitetail biologists assigned to the area of Adirondacks and ask about preferred foods for deer. Head high regrowth of aspen / red maple, large thickets of red osier dogwood in limestone areas and others will provide what you seek.

When you find a relatively large food source, you will find a very early rub the first 10 or so days of September on the edge of it tipping you off the use of a mature buck. I don't need this at all, an oversized track or droppings with an average pellet length of 3/4" or longer will have the same impact as an early rub.

Once you have located a large food source or two, its time to scout bedding. It sounds as though you prefer to hunt high so concentrate and scout the spruce / coniferous thickets up high. They will likely bed on the downwind edge of these thickets on any give day... tie the closest bedding areas to the food for early season.

Stop worrying about "primary bedding" and specific beds and concentrate on these bedding "areas". Remember that they like to bed on the downwind side of the spruce thicket and anticipate that on the day you hunt. Utilize topography and habitat edge to decide where to hunt as the buck comes out and heads toward food sources. During the rut phases a bench, whether high / low or somewhere between will attract cruising bucks.

I hope this helps a bit- Bridge.
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby andy » Sun Nov 25, 2018 4:51 am

Singing Bridge wrote: Stop worrying about "primary bedding" and specific beds and concentrate on these bedding "areas". Remember that they like to bed on the downwind side of the spruce thicket and anticipate that on the day you hunt.


This is excellent. I wasted a lot of time early season assuming bedding areas would look similar in big forest to other areas. Especially during high winds and snow, it seems like keying in on spruce/fir woods in the lee is a good strategy for bed hunting.
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Sun Nov 25, 2018 5:21 am

andy wrote:
Singing Bridge wrote: Stop worrying about "primary bedding" and specific beds and concentrate on these bedding "areas". Remember that they like to bed on the downwind side of the spruce thicket and anticipate that on the day you hunt.


This is excellent. I wasted a lot of time early season assuming bedding areas would look similar in big forest to other areas. Especially during high winds and snow, it seems like keying in on spruce/fir woods in the lee is a good strategy for bed hunting.


Right on the money... tie it to a major food source and or does.
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby ODH » Sun Nov 25, 2018 5:48 am

Singing Bridge wrote:Some great posts already...

My recommendation is to concentrate on areas with preferred whitetail forbes and browse during the early season. Clearcuts, burn areas, tornado / wind areas of blowdowns, and strong limestone deposits are where to look. I would also ask to meet or have a phone conversation with department of natural resources whitetail biologists assigned to the area of Adirondacks and ask about preferred foods for deer. Head high regrowth of aspen / red maple, large thickets of red osier dogwood in limestone areas and others will provide what you seek.

When you find a relatively large food source, you will find a very early rub the first 10 or so days of September on the edge of it tipping you off the use of a mature buck. I don't need this at all, an oversized track or droppings with an average pellet length of 3/4" or longer will have the same impact as an early rub.

Once you have located a large food source or two, its time to scout bedding. It sounds as though you prefer to hunt high so concentrate and scout the spruce / coniferous thickets up high. They will likely bed on the downwind edge of these thickets on any give day... tie the closest bedding areas to the food for early season.

Stop worrying about "primary bedding" and specific beds and concentrate on these bedding "areas". Remember that they like to bed on the downwind side of the spruce thicket and anticipate that on the day you hunt. Utilize topography and habitat edge to decide where to hunt as the buck comes out and heads toward food sources. During the rut phases a bench, whether high / low or somewhere between will attract cruising bucks.

I hope this helps a bit- Bridge.


Excellent info here
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Ognennyy » Mon Nov 26, 2018 4:50 am

Great info here and all throughout the thread. This is what I was looking for.


Singing Bridge wrote:My recommendation is to concentrate on areas with preferred whitetail forbes and browse during the early season. Clearcuts, burn areas, tornado / wind areas of blowdowns, and strong limestone deposits are where to look. I would also ask to meet or have a phone conversation with department of natural resources whitetail biologists assigned to the area of Adirondacks and ask about preferred foods for deer. Head high regrowth of aspen / red maple, large thickets of red osier dogwood in limestone areas and others will provide what you seek.


If there is one recurring theme in answer to any question I see asked here, it's that everything revolves around food and does. NY's northern zone bow season is September 27 - October 21 and that's what I'm brainstorming now, so the food theme is really grabbing my attention. And that is the real tough one up in the 'Dacks..

I do have access to one 6-7 year old clear cut that lies on the border of the park, but otherwise logging is not allowed in the Adirondack forest preserve. We never have forest fires or tornadoes, but we do often get some wind storms or micro-bursts causing a lot of blow down. I always thought about the lack of logging, forest fires, and tornadoes as a limiting factor or something that would hamstring me in my search for deer in the Adirondacks. But maybe it's actually a benefit. I know the clear cut I'm referring to is the only one around for miles. If I search long and hard enough eventually I'll find a big blowdown area that is also the only one around for miles. So I just have to put the miles on the boots.



Singing Bridge wrote:When you find a relatively large food source, you will find a very early rub the first 10 or so days of September on the edge of it tipping you off the use of a mature buck. I don't need this at all, an oversized track or droppings with an average pellet length of 3/4" or longer will have the same impact as an early rub.


This is awesome, and I'll be on the lookout.



Singing Bridge wrote:Once you have located a large food source or two, its time to scout bedding. It sounds as though you prefer to hunt high so concentrate and scout the spruce / coniferous thickets up high. They will likely bed on the downwind edge of these thickets on any give day... tie the closest bedding areas to the food for early season.


I often find the spruce thickets down lower, and more hardwoods up high. But again, once I find a few up high then it will probably have a higher chance of holding buck bedding since they're the only ones around. Thanks for that tip, I'll keep this one in mind for sure.
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Ognennyy » Mon Nov 26, 2018 4:51 am

andy wrote:Found some beds near marshes, and some on top 1/3 leeward hills. All of them seemed to be positioned to have visibility in front, specifically of areas used by people. Near roads, edges near housing, etc. Again, I don’t have a lot of experience with this, but it’s just what I have noticed this year.


Thanks man this makes a lot of sense.
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Ognennyy » Mon Nov 26, 2018 4:53 am

Singing Bridge wrote:Once you have located a large food source or two, its time to scout bedding. It sounds as though you prefer to hunt high so concentrate and scout the spruce / coniferous thickets up high. They will likely bed on the downwind edge of these thickets on any give day.


What's the thinking here on the buck's part. The spruce thicket provides a thick, secure backdrop from which they can smell and hear anything approaching, and they can see everything out in front?
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Re: Locating early season buck beds in Northern big woods

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:53 am

Ognennyy wrote:
Singing Bridge wrote:Once you have located a large food source or two, its time to scout bedding. It sounds as though you prefer to hunt high so concentrate and scout the spruce / coniferous thickets up high. They will likely bed on the downwind edge of these thickets on any give day.


What's the thinking here on the buck's part. The spruce thicket provides a thick, secure backdrop from which they can smell and hear anything approaching, and they can see everything out in front?


Correct- and bucks love bedding along "edge" cover.


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