Buck bed..morning or evening?

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whitetailassasin
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Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:19 pm

Was doing some thinking and I'm sure this has been discussed, but I'd like to know how you guys determine if a bed is morning or evening. As in when you sneak in. I located one today on an point with water on both sides. Rubs going from bed to woods and on bak side coming back going to bed. There is huge private food source(corn/beans) to my east. I have trail camera photos from a few years ago of some slobs in this area and have finally put the pieces together. I also found a bed on a small ridge only like 10 yards from this bed, which I believe to be his for another wind. He cannot be approached behind him because its on a point surrounded by water. Thoughts welcomed.

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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:29 pm

I like evening hunts over the bed better in most circumstances- I know where the buck should be and can play the wind and set up appropriately which gives me an advantage.

Setting up in the morning in high pressure areas definitely has some disadvantages. The buck can approach the bed from whatever direction he wants and they are unpredictable. If he crosses your entry trail or picks up your scent, the game is over most of the time. The bucks around here bed down in their preferred spots well before daylight most of the time anyway- I can't tell you how many times I've had them go by me before first light on morning hunts.

Generally I like evenings better.
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:23 pm

I have had more success in the evenings in these high pressure areas. But I was wondering if there are ever beds that are strictly morning? And what would determine that?

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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby dan » Fri Apr 11, 2014 4:30 am

whitetailassasin wrote:I have had more success in the evenings in these high pressure areas. But I was wondering if there are ever beds that are strictly morning? And what would determine that?

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Beds I can't effectively hunt in the evening because of sound, sight, wind, or other difficulties.
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Apr 11, 2014 5:23 am

How early do you arrive at those beds Dan?

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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby dan » Fri Apr 11, 2014 6:55 am

At least an hour before daylight, usually more. And more often than not I kick the buck out of the bed, or he shows up before I can ethically shoot. Every now and then it works... Andrae claims huge success in the morning hunting over beds, but most of his hunting is managed land, so maybe you can get away with more on less pressure situations.
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Fri Apr 11, 2014 7:52 am

Thanks for the insight

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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby mheichelbech » Sat May 24, 2014 4:10 am

If morning hunting near beds are you essentially hoping the buck would get up and browse around before laying back down?
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby dan » Sat May 24, 2014 4:22 am

mheichelbech wrote:If morning hunting near beds are you essentially hoping the buck would get up and browse around before laying back down?

I am hoping they get to the bed late and I get a daylight shot right over the bed, or where they j-hook to it.
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby headgear » Sat May 24, 2014 4:45 am

Early morning hunts usually leads to me setting up 2 to 2.5 hours before dark and there listening to the deer come back to bed about an hour to 1.5 hours before first light. Still not going to give up but I spend a lot of morning hunts at home with the kids. The wife still thinks I am sacrificing the a hunt so she can sleep in so it works for me. :lol:
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby PK_ » Sat May 24, 2014 11:36 am

1. Cannot be hunted in evening.
2. Buck can't approach from downwind.
3. Structure, topography or thermals pulling my scent stream away from bed.
4. Access that keeps my scent trail out of bedding area and away from buck's entry.

2 of the beds I found and posted in my recent thread I will be trying in the morning if the wind direction allows while I am up there. One I will use creek access. The other I will use a steep ravine then shuffle my way across what is practically a sheer bank, below the bed. The drop off and a wall of fallen logs keeps the buck from entering from below.

Really any bed in hill country if you can enter and setup downhill of the buck's bed and entry trail and still shoot to his bed, he is in trouble. He is a sitting duck, err, sitting buck until those thermals begin to rise...
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby JoeRE » Sun Jun 15, 2014 4:36 am

Most often when I am hunting buck bedding in the morning its because I know I can't get close in the evening, too high of a chance of spooking other deer toward it while walking in or just can't approach the area undetected. The best buck bedding I have found is often that way, that is the whole reason they are there. I have had good success with morning hunts but probably because I only try them under the best conditions for a buck to stay on his feet a little later than usual. Most of the time I get in early but not crazy early - an hour or so before first light. I've climbed into a stand 2-3 hours before first light a few times and never felt its paid off being in there that early.
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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby yungbuck » Mon Jun 23, 2014 6:12 am

Wish I would have read this thread Before last season

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Re: Buck bed..morning or evening?

Unread postby Missionshooter » Tue Aug 05, 2014 2:38 am

When I was young , dumb, and eager I hunted ridges in the mornings early season (early -mid october). I hunted a LOT of mornings because I didnt know any better.

Looking back now, Every now and then as it was getting daylight I would catch glimpses of bucks on these ridges and on several occassions they would even come bed down 75-100 yards upwind of me.

I can remember one morning when two 135-140" bucks bedded down for an hour about 75 yards away for an hour or so and then 30 minutes later a 1.5 yr old buck bedded down close to where they bedded.

My entrance in the mornings was typically down a creek with camo hip waders. It seemed to work well.
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