Did I find a buck bed ?

[may21581]

Does the blue dot with the arrow represent a north direction. I'm not far from you in north east ohio and our predominant wind is from the south west to the north east and this would line up perfect with the bed then if the arrow is pointing north north east. He would have the wind to his back to smell above, a view of the valley floor below, and I would be willing to bet there is thick brush on top of and maybe to his sides at this location. Nothing could get real close without him hearing it, seeing it, smelling it. Your job is to figure out the one spot where he would be vulnerable.

You nailed it. The arrow is facing north and is also facing down hill. The bed is on the part of the ridge that has short treed canopy. The rest of the ridge is old select cut with a few oaks and hemlocks with the traditional old logging road at each level all the way to the bottom but the bed is About 30 yards off the top. The top of hill is pine trees with a few quad trails throughout.

I kinda wish I knew if I bumped him or not. Is there really any other way to tell if it’s a mature buck bed or not ?

What would it matter if you bumped him? Deer are bumped all the time either by predators, or humans. The question is how often he was bumped and if he was bumped a few times I'm sure he has shifted. Also every deer is different just like us, some will tolerate alot more than others and vice versa. Even if you didnt bump him and he is around dont you think he would smell your scent?
The size of the bed, rub height on trees nearby, dropping size, tracks, and of course sightings and rumors will tell you the age class.
This is a prerut/rut bed timeframe bed. Prolly not even around yet. I see the same type of beds where I'm at in hill country.

[Lockdown]

Does the blue dot with the arrow represent a north direction. I'm not far from you in north east ohio and our predominant wind is from the south west to the north east and this would line up perfect with the bed then if the arrow is pointing north north east. He would have the wind to his back to smell above, a view of the valley floor below, and I would be willing to bet there is thick brush on top of and maybe to his sides at this location. Nothing could get real close without him hearing it, seeing it, smelling it. Your job is to figure out the one spot where he would be vulnerable.

You nailed it. The arrow is facing north and is also facing down hill. The bed is on the part of the ridge that has short treed canopy. The rest of the ridge is old select cut with a few oaks and hemlocks with the traditional old logging road at each level all the way to the bottom but the bed is About 30 yards off the top. The top of hill is pine trees with a few quad trails throughout.

I kinda wish I knew if I bumped him or not. Is there really any other way to tell if it’s a mature buck bed or not ?

What would it matter if you bumped him? Deer are bumped all the time either by predators, or humans. The question is how often he was bumped and if he was bumped a few times I'm sure he has shifted. Also every deer is different just like us, some will tolerate alot more than others and vice versa. Even if you didnt bump him and he is around dont you think he would smell your scent?
The size of the bed, rub height on trees nearby, dropping size, tracks, and of course sightings and rumors will tell you the age class.
This is a prerut/rut bed timeframe bed. Prolly not even around yet. I see the same type of beds where I'm at in hill country.

You might have missed it, but he did mention there was hair in the bed in his first post...

[may21581]

Does the blue dot with the arrow represent a north direction. I'm not far from you in north east ohio and our predominant wind is from the south west to the north east and this would line up perfect with the bed then if the arrow is pointing north north east. He would have the wind to his back to smell above, a view of the valley floor below, and I would be willing to bet there is thick brush on top of and maybe to his sides at this location. Nothing could get real close without him hearing it, seeing it, smelling it. Your job is to figure out the one spot where he would be vulnerable.

You nailed it. The arrow is facing north and is also facing down hill. The bed is on the part of the ridge that has short treed canopy. The rest of the ridge is old select cut with a few oaks and hemlocks with the traditional old logging road at each level all the way to the bottom but the bed is About 30 yards off the top. The top of hill is pine trees with a few quad trails throughout.

I kinda wish I knew if I bumped him or not. Is there really any other way to tell if it’s a mature buck bed or not ?

What would it matter if you bumped him? Deer are bumped all the time either by predators, or humans. The question is how often he was bumped and if he was bumped a few times I'm sure he has shifted. Also every deer is different just like us, some will tolerate alot more than others and vice versa. Even if you didnt bump him and he is around dont you think he would smell your scent?
The size of the bed, rub height on trees nearby, dropping size, tracks, and of course sightings and rumors will tell you the age class.
This is a prerut/rut bed timeframe bed. Prolly not even around yet. I see the same type of beds where I'm at in hill country.

You might have missed it, but he did mention there was hair in the bed in his first post...

Hair could of been from last season, this spring, or this summer. Bed was down to the dirt so it the hair would stick around for a good while.

[Mathews94]

The reasoning behind me being concerned about bumping him is because it’s high pressure area and although thier Gunn know your there either way, I’m trying to tread lightly and keep my presence to a minimum.

As fair as hair there was a a decent amount. I think I even seen brown hair in it. There wasn’t like clobs of it like I’ve seen in some videos but it was definitely noticeable.

[stash59]

Just keep an eye on the sign,near, but outta sight and smell of the bed. Pounce if it's hot.

[Mathews94]

Just keep an eye on the sign,near, but outta sight and smell of the bed. Pounce if it's hot.

Good tip thanks !!

[Cutter]

That deer will still be around. Monitor for big tracks and look for a rub line to open up. When it does slip in and stick him.

[Mathews94]

That deer will still be around. Monitor for big tracks and look for a rub line to open up. When it does slip in and stick him.

I’ll definitely give that a go. How do you monitor it without getting too close?

[Cutter]

That deer will still be around. Monitor for big tracks and look for a rub line to open up. When it does slip in and stick him.

I’ll definitely give that a go. How do you monitor it without getting too close?

There's a lot of ways to do it I am sure. Some of the other members might have some better ideas. On a ridge point like that you can get close if he doesn't have a long sight advantage. I've had a strong cross wind while pushing into bedding such as this and jumped a buck at 30yards only because he heard me snap a twig. I think to monitor that area for his presence you could find the trail he is using and glass down the hill looking for rubs. Also the other side of the of that point would have some sign on it. Just keep your wind from blowing right at him and you will be fine. Go in like your going to hunt. In the event it's time to roll you will be mentally prepared.

[Mathews94]

That deer will still be around. Monitor for big tracks and look for a rub line to open up. When it does slip in and stick him.

I’ll definitely give that a go. How do you monitor it without getting too close?

There's a lot of ways to do it I am sure. Some of the other members might have some better ideas. On a ridge point like that you can get close if he doesn't have a long sight advantage. I've had a strong cross wind while pushing into bedding such as this and jumped a buck at 30yards only because he heard me snap a twig. I think to monitor that area for his presence you could find the trail he is using and glass down the hill looking for rubs. Also the other side of the of that point would have some sign on it. Just keep your wind from blowing right at him and you will be fine. Go in like your going to hunt. In the event it's time to roll you will be mentally prepared.

Thanks !

[Lockdown]

That deer will still be around. Monitor for big tracks and look for a rub line to open up. When it does slip in and stick him.

I’ll definitely give that a go. How do you monitor it without getting too close?

There's a lot of ways to do it I am sure. Some of the other members might have some better ideas. On a ridge point like that you can get close if he doesn't have a long sight advantage. I've had a strong cross wind while pushing into bedding such as this and jumped a buck at 30yards only because he heard me snap a twig. I think to monitor that area for his presence you could find the trail he is using and glass down the hill looking for rubs. Also the other side of the of that point would have some sign on it. Just keep your wind from blowing right at him and you will be fine. Go in like your going to hunt. In the event it's time to roll you will be mentally prepared.

Thanks !

I always try to stay far enough back that I don’t leave scent where he might be during daylight hours. It can be pretty situational. If it’s high pressure and they’re used to scent all over, you can push it a little. If it’s low pressure, leaving scent where he wouldn’t expect it could tip him off.

Just have to make your best guess!

[Mathews94]

Real good info thanks a ton