Can you bump the buck now ?

[dreaming bucks]

Sorry if this has been covered somewhere already on the site, but I don't remember seeing it...

I'm wondering if you can go bump a buck off his bed this time of year, and not make him leave that bed for good the rest of the year ? I mean, if I go looking for a bedded buck this weekend 7-30-2010, will I ruin my chance of setting up on a buck I see later on for bow season ? Im my own mind, I would think this would not hurt to bump him once, and once only, but maybe I'm wrong ? Since I'm new to this whole tactic of finding there beds and hunting them just out of their staging area, I did not get a jump on it for this year, so wondering if I will do more harm than good ?

[Slider1005]

DB, there are more experienced people than me on here but I'll give you my two cents. It's a tough call with the season only a month and a half away. I would say to glass from a distance and try to guess from that where he may be bedding. If you see a buck early it's a safe bet he's bedding nearby. Then consult your topos and aerial photos to try and narrow it down. If you were to dive in and scout, maybe a soft bump like Dan talks about wouldn't hurt you as bad. If it were me though, I'd stay out of there.

[dan]

Any time you enter a bedding area you harm the safe feeling a buck has bedding there and do some damage... However, bucks do get bumped from there beds occasionally all year , from coyotes, wolfs, bears, and other humans. So the amount of damage you do is debatable. A hard bump will certainly leave a lasting message in the bucks mind about the safety of that particular bed... A soft bump however is forgivable to a point.
If I were you, I would still go in and find some beds if your unsure. Yes, you will do some damage, but the knowledge you gain will likely be worth more than the damage you do... Try to go just prior to a storm to get your scent washed out after you leave and only stay long enough to gain the knowledge you need.