Buck bedding vs doe bedding identification

[Reapersshadow]

How do you guys when scouting can tell doe vs buck bedding when you locate beds?

[Davis1990]

Not sure if there is a go to sure fire answer. Bucks could use doe beds and vise versa. Most doe beds ive found are all congregated together, where the buck beds are isolated and have more to do with wind. Take that with a grain of salt im still trying to figure it out as well.

[Ol'DominionBH]

First off, I have only been honing in on beds for 3 years now (thanks to this site and other DIY hunters) so there are others guys that have a lot more knowledge on this topic. What I have seen/observed...

- First thing is size. Once you starting finding a number of beds you can tell a mature buck bed from and young buck and doe beds.
- Like the last comment, doe bedding is normally in groups. I'll find 2-4 does beds in a 10 yard area. Dan teaches that they are in a circle type pattern so the does can all look in different directions. I will also find some bedding with 5-10 beds. This will be in really thick and overlooked spots. Ex. Found a bedding area this year with 8-10 beds. Its right off a creek with thick grasses/briers/saplings, its the last place most hunters would think. Its just a little strip of woods between a creek and a road, that then funnels into a larger 100 acre wooded area. Deer can still escape across the creek or continue through the small strip of woods but its back in a corner hunters aren't going.
- Most bedding is in thicker heavier timber, but does will bed more in the open or on flats compared to bucks.
- Buck beds will be solo for the most part with the exception of when they are in bachelor groups and with younger bucks.
- Buck beds in my area (non hill country) is either on leeward ridges that overlook the woods or in the marsh/swaps on the transitions. There are some exceptions but there is always a good reason for it. Locate ridges and hills that are leeward with google earth. Tip - There is a setting in google earth to increase how dramatic the hills are. If you increase this you can really see the ridges pop out.
- Read and watch Dan's content on bedding. Buck bedding is wind and sight related.

[Elite]

I found a potential bedding area last summer by running a camera over a trophy rock on the west side of a block of timber. On the east side of this timber was a pond, so I knew it would be perfect for hunting on a westerly wind. From June until August, I got nothing but does on the camera, literally, coming from all directions.
I finally hunted this spot the first week of November on a west wind and had 4-5 bucks cruising downwind of this bedding area. From my camera and sits, it confirmed that this block of timber was a doe bedding area.
I confirmed that this was a doe bedding area by running a camera and sitting in the stand.