How many mature deer can 1, 24 acre bedding area hold

[Polack]

Does anyone have any real data on how many bucks might bed in a specific area? Im looking at 24 acres of Dense bedding mostly cattails with tree humps. (Typical for my area) There is some red brush but there is also confirmed bedding on the edges of a pond. The pond is surrounded by cattails. Ive found at least 20 different buck beds in this area. Ive lost permission to hunt it and its absolutely gold bedding area. Had permission to hunt it this season, then lost it.

I have keyed in that there are 3 mature bucks in the area, but my question is how far away do u think they need to spread out? Typically, after velvet is shed bucks create their own core areas. I guess my question would it be possible for 3 mature bucks to occupy a 24-acre bedding area or is that too confined? I realize many smaller satellite bucks will fill in around a mature buck but how close is too close for mature bucks to bed in proximity? Im not sure yet which is the dominate buck. There is a 60-acre bean field to the south 200 yards, and they do not have to travel far to hit. They also have an acorn strip of 50-yard-wide woods between the field and bedding. The property I am speaking of is private land that does not get hunted until gun season. So basically, no pressure, a deer paradise. I had observed a large bachelor group of bucks in this private field on at least 8 different occasions. Now they all are gone. I am assuming many of them are not coming out until after dark now but also wonder if some of the bucks have moved on. The property is private land that I cannot hunt anymore but I can hunt the surrounding public land. So back to my first question is it possible that the 3 mature bucks are holding into this 24-acre bedding area or should I broaden my search? I have many cameras in the area, but I will not check them until this weekend.

Im hoping that this bedding area is too small to hold 3 mature bucks and that the other 2 might be elsewhere that I can hunt them down!

[Zephyrus]

I would think that as long as they "bow down" to the dominant buck, a subordinate buck is a subordinate buck, regardless if it is 1.5 years or 6.5 years.

24 acres is a pretty small area when you think about it, in relation to the big world out there, so they likely will venture out of there sometime.

If it gets hunted only during gun season, where will they go on day 1 when 2 people interrupt their paradise? I have a 22 acre lot, and if I hunt 2 days in a row here semi carelessly - even the does are gone.

I would (not an expert, to be fair) look for good bedding areas surrounding the lot, or on the edges of this land and wait for them to be bumped out, as long as the edges aren't burned too much by pressure already.

[Burningbootleather]

Depends on the amount of deer per square mile and pressure.

I saw a guy post some sheds he found on 80 acres in Kansas.. 30 sheds found in just a few hours

[SplitG2]

More than most think. It all depends on the demeanor and tolerance of the mature neighborhood bucks, what kinda habitat, density and location. I used to hunt 20 acres that housed 3 mature bucks at any given time year round all 5 years I bowhunted it. It was a nightmare to access and about 18 of the 20 acres was thick, crazy thick to the point that you couldn’t see much more that 4-5 feet in front of you. I killed 3 mature bucks in the 5 years that I hunted there and all 3 of those bucks lived on that 20 acres with a minimum of 2 other mature bucks. I shed hunted the place for 12 years and the least I found in there In a year was 8 and the most I found in one year was 14 in those 12 years.

From my experience, many mature bucks are loners but most aren’t. Deer have personalities, behaviors and tendencies just like humans.

[Hawthorne]

If it’s southern mi I’d say one mature buck and a maybe few satellite bucks. You could get some roamers also

[Lockdown]

This time of year it could easily hold several, but I can only assume the dominant buck will take over and push the others out when rut approaches.