Dominant Bedding

[Cage Rattler]

Will inferior bucks bed close to a dominant bucks core bedding area? The reason I ask is I scouted a new area over the weekend. This area is bottomland that transitions into a vast cypress swamp similar to the Dagobah System, very thick. There is some standing water in it, but for the most part it's muck. I found numerous trails leading in and out of this swamp. I jumped multiple small bucks that were bedded on the transition line. Will these small bucks bed on the edges because they are "banned" from entering the swamp by one or more dominant bucks, are the doe bedding in the swamp and the small bucks are setting up to intersect them coming out, or am I giving these deer too much credit and should just hunt it and see? Thanks,

[BigHills BuckHunter]

Hunt it and see, however I believe that multiple bucks use the same bed. I used to think different but I believe Dan says and others that multiple bucks use the same bed. Now if its during the rut I dont know. Good luck.

[headgear]

I hunt a couple of swamps that are loaded with bedding like this, the does and young bucks usually bed on the edges and the bigger bucks bed further back in the swamp. I do see some younger bucks back in there a ways mingling around so while I think they steer clear of the immediate buck bedroom area the older buck are ok with them being "around". This happens to be a large swamp that most of the deer in the area bed in so I think they are use to the other deer.

Now a different area just down the road is also a big swamp but it has far less bedding options so there the big bucks tend to take over and I see very few does and young bucks.

[Cage Rattler]

Thanks guys. Is it your experience that mature bucks will leave the safety of the swamp to stage in the transition areas or do they stage within the swamp and exit to the transition area after dark? Would it just be relative to bedding location distance from the transition areas? Thanks again

[dan]

Thanks guys. Is it your experience that mature bucks will leave the safety of the swamp to stage in the transition areas or do they stage within the swamp and exit to the transition area after dark? Would it just be relative to bedding location distance from the transition areas? Thanks again

loaded question... Pressure, personality of the buck, The bucks interactions with hunters, or negitive experiances, closeness to the area your talking about, human scent in the area, and a million other things all influance this...

[Cage Rattler]

loaded question... Pressure, personality of the buck, The bucks interactions with hunters, or negitive experiances, closeness to the area your talking about, human scent in the area, and a million other things all influance this...

It's obvious I have found this area a little late in the season to properly scout without possibly running the deer out of the area or creating a situation that you outlined above. I know where the active trails are leading in and out of it. This is public land by the way, that I have a permit to hunt next weekend, 10/22-10/26. I noticed the moon, according to your thread, is not ideal for early buck movement during this timeframe. With the little scouting knowledge I have of the area would you set up in the transition areas or set up deeper in the swamp along a travel route? Should I just wait and not burn the bridge until after season when I can appropriately scout. Is there something else I may be missing? Thanks

[dan]

Cage,
I would hunt it this year for sure... But not seeing it I would be taking a guess giving you set up advice... I personally would set up as close as possible to the bedding area without spooking the buck. That might be the spot you described, it might be deeper... I would look at the area and take as best a guess as you can and set up accordingly... They should start moving a little father, and a little earlier as we near the end of October though...

Good luck!