What a buck needs to bed.

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Brandon
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What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Brandon » Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:42 am

When looking at new areas for a mature buck bed room, would it be safe to say that ther would be water within a few hundred yards?

Finding water in my area is not a problem, there are creeks and streams everywhere, but for a buck to lay low... all day, except to stretch, take a leak, and possibly a snack.. wouldnt they have to drink?
Is it safe to say most mature buck beds have water within a few hundred yards?

The few beds and bedding ares Ive found tend to be near water, I would think water is very important... but mayeb im wrong.

How many of your known mature buck beds have a water source near by?


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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Zap » Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:07 am

Not necessarily.
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Stanley
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:44 am

Water an interesting piece of the puzzle. I have taken a few bucks between bedding and water. In dry years water is a bigger factor. This time of year the deer are feeding on green vegetation which contains a lot of water. So water isn't as important as it may be later in the year when the vegetation turns brown. The corn and beans will be brown also. Ever wonder where the deer are getting water when it's 20 below and all water sources are frozen solid and no snow? From preformed water sources ( water in the foods they eat ) and also metabolic water ( water stored in their fat reserves ).
The latter is why deer eat to build up large fat reserves after the rut and we see so much weight loss over the winter. This is also why feeding patterns are a great way to kill a nice buck post rut. The number one reason a buck beds where it does is security/seclusion. Now, if you know a good bedding area and a good secluded water source near by I know where I'm hanging a stand. If your area has a lot of water sources then water will probably not help you out much in the quest for the old boy. Not much real useful information here but some things to think about.
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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Brandon
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Brandon » Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:58 am

Thanks Stanley, I appreciate the detailed response.
I thought this was a good topic to discuss... but I guess Zap is a man of few words today.

Again, Thanks Stanley, I appreciate it.
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headgear
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby headgear » Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:19 am

I agree with Stanley, a buck will alwasy pick safety first and everything else second. I do think a lot of bucks end up bedding near water because of the satefy it provides. Swamps, creeks, rivers, lakes, and of course the ever popular cattail marsh will help a buck bed with some kind of barrier of protection or allow his scent to drift into an area where a predator can not sneak up on him.
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Stanley
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:35 am

Brandon wrote:Thanks Stanley, I appreciate the detailed response.
I thought this was a good topic to discuss... but I guess Zap is a man of few words today.

Again, Thanks Stanley, I appreciate it.


It is a great topic. Zap may chime in later.
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: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:36 am

headgear wrote:I agree with Stanley, a buck will alwasy pick safety first and everything else second. I do think a lot of bucks end up bedding near water because of the satefy it provides. Swamps, creeks, rivers, lakes, and of course the ever popular cattail marsh will help a buck bed with some kind of barrier of protection or allow his scent to drift into an area where a predator can not sneak up on him.

Absolutely.
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: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby BigHunt » Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:07 am

there usaly two thing on a buck mind out side of the rut ......food and WATER..... most of my bedding areas have some sort of water near by
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Zap » Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:40 am

I would say that water to drink is not a primary reason that a deer picks a bedding spot.
This is a good topic.

A water source may be a good spot for a evening hunt especially if its been dry. That may well be the first stop a deer makes.
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kenn1320
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby kenn1320 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:28 pm

Water doesn't have to be within a 100yds. Plenty of areas that the water source is not in heavy cover and deer by nature do not like to sit in one place long, so they are skittish at a water source. If the water source is not secluded in heavy cover, I don't see a mature deer going to it during day light in pressured area's. He will likely stage for the evening and when its safe, move to the water source. If there is thick cover and good bedding around a water source, you might have found where you big boy is bedding. However as Zap eluded to in his short post, safety first, everything else is second.
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Black Squirrel
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:33 am

I agree with what Kenn1320 and Zap said. I also think that some areas that hold water also have thicker cover just by the very nature of these spots. Great discussion here.
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby tim » Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:55 am

well id much rather hunt a place where you have the only water around for a long stretch than a property that has water everywhere, its very hard to narow it down than, same goes for the white oak acors, my property currently has white oaks all over the properrty kinda hard to narrow down the preferred feeding patternsd when they are all over. but soon many of those white oaks are coming down due to select harvest maybe then ill be able to figure out easier which they are feeding from. back to the water, i didnt have water since i bought my porperty in 02 then put a water hole in a couple years ago and it has held water since the first rain it is very valuable. even if they arent coming to water in daylight they are probably bedding close and this can allow you too hunt between bedding and water. id much rathe have it on my property than not. deer have to drink .
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Black Squirrel
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:58 am

tim wrote:well id much rather hunt a place where you have the only water around for a long stretch than a property that has water everywhere, its very hard to narow it down than, same goes for the white oak acors, my property currently has white oaks all over the properrty kinda hard to narrow down the preferred feeding patternsd when they are all over. but soon many of those white oaks are coming down due to select harvest maybe then ill be able to figure out easier which they are feeding from. back to the water, i didnt have water since i bought my porperty in 02 then put a water hole in a couple years ago and it has held water since the first rain it is very valuable. even if they arent coming to water in daylight they are probably bedding close and this can allow you too hunt between bedding and water. id much rathe have it on my property than not. deer have to drink .

Good points, Tim.
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby 76chevy » Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:38 am

water not required, only thick difficult to access cover AND escape routes

or the overlooked place no one ever thought to look :D
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Re: What a buck needs to bed.

Unread postby BigHunt » Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:55 am

ok,ok in the case of hill country water IS a essential for bucks though becasue it very hard to find water up high in hill country.....every GOOD bedding area i found has some sort of water near by .....and no not within 100yards it could be 200yards or 300yards
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