enter/exit direction from bed

[Czabs]

Got a buck bed here thats not being used. I had suspicion it was being used this season. Some nice rubs and an old big bed. Can you tell by the way the rubs are facing or anything else how hes exiting? Or entering? No tracks. Food sources both ways.

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[BassBoysLLP]

Not really. Most of the rubs next to the bed made during the "wander", not the travel. I've seen it first hand. Your better off basing the bed usage on wind direction. If it isn't getting a lot of use in your area, I suspect it is an east wind bed.

[dan]

Entry path to the bed is difficult, especially in flat land cause they use the wind and come in from different directions a lot. But in evenings they usually stage the same way repeatedly, it gets tough when there are multiple exit trails, but, there should be a trail leading from the bed. Near the bedding area I agree rubs seem a little spread out, but the trail leading out of the bed should have some rubs on it, or lead to an area with some rubs... Not always, but often enough to help you verify in a lot of cases.

[checkerfred]

Dan in Hill country you mention they always enter straight upwind to make their scent trail and stream overlap... So do they mostly come in from the valley below or does this vary a lot?

[ Post made via Android ]

[BassBoysLLP]

Entry path to the bed is difficult, especially in flat land cause they use the wind and come in from different directions a lot. But in evenings [glow=red]they usually stage the same way repeatedly[/glow], it gets tough when there are multiple exit trails, but, there should be a trail leading from the bed. Near the bedding area I agree rubs seem a little spread out, but the trail leading out of the bed should have some rubs on it, or lead to an area with some rubs... Not always, but often enough to help you verify in a lot of cases.

Dan, can you elaborate? This peaked my interest BIG TIME!

[Stanley]

Interesting for sure.

[dan]

Dan in Hill country you mention they always enter straight upwind to make their scent trail and stream overlap... So do they mostly come in from the valley below or does this vary a lot?

[ Post made via Android ]

There is nothing deer "ALWAYS" do... But in hill country they generally can come from any direction, but like to drop down low to about the bottom 1/3 of the hill, ( or rise up to, if coming from below) and then when right below the bed turn and hook back up towards the bed... At the time frame they do this thermals generally have not kicked in yet and they can smell the bed as they approach as wind drifts over the hill ( they are bedding on the leeward side ) when the thermals kick in they can small and see there entry trail along the rising thermals and smell behind them with the prevailing wind.

Because of this, its pretty hard to kill them right at there bed, and also, they are generally there before light... The only person I know who is really consistent at killing bucks in this pattern in the morning is Andrae D'Aquisto. He sits right where the bucks J-hook up towards the bed on days proven to have later arrivals to the bed. I did a lengthy interview with him on this subject for the new DVD it should be out this summer.

[dan]

Entry path to the bed is difficult, especially in flat land cause they use the wind and come in from different directions a lot. But in evenings [glow=red]they usually stage the same way repeatedly[/glow], it gets tough when there are multiple exit trails, but, there should be a trail leading from the bed. Near the bedding area I agree rubs seem a little spread out, but the trail leading out of the bed should have some rubs on it, or lead to an area with some rubs... Not always, but often enough to help you verify in a lot of cases.

Dan, can you elaborate? This peaked my interest BIG TIME!

In the morning bucks are paranoid of what might be in there bedding area waiting for them. They like to circle the bedding area and J-hook in based on the wind, and there entry right at the bedding area can be somewhat unpredictable. However in the evening after bedding there all day they feel somewhat comfortable. They generally are on a pattern going to food, water, does, etc. They get up in there bedding area feeling safe and move to the edge of there "safe zone" and then move off to there destination. They generally just follow the main trail out that goes in the general direction of there intended destination.
It gets tricky when there are preferred destinations in two or more directions cause then bucks will have main trails leaving in both directions ( or sometimes more ) But its fairly common for them to just have one main exit from the bed and if your sitting there and he is bedded there, he is going to give you a shot.

[BassBoysLLP]

Entry path to the bed is difficult, especially in flat land cause they use the wind and come in from different directions a lot. But in evenings [glow=red]they usually stage the same way repeatedly[/glow], it gets tough when there are multiple exit trails, but, there should be a trail leading from the bed. Near the bedding area I agree rubs seem a little spread out, but the trail leading out of the bed should have some rubs on it, or lead to an area with some rubs... Not always, but often enough to help you verify in a lot of cases.

Dan, can you elaborate? This peaked my interest BIG TIME!

In the morning bucks are paranoid of what might be in there bedding area waiting for them. They like to circle the bedding area and J-hook in based on the wind, and there entry right at the bedding area can be somewhat unpredictable. However in the evening after bedding there all day they feel somewhat comfortable. They generally are on a pattern going to food, water, does, etc. They get up in there bedding area feeling safe and move to the edge of there "safe zone" and then move off to there destination. They generally just follow the main trail out that goes in the general direction of there intended destination.
It gets tricky when there are preferred destinations in two or more directions cause then bucks will have main trails leaving in both directions ( or sometimes more ) But its fairly common for them to just have one main exit from the bed and if your sitting there and he is bedded there, he is going to give you a shot.

Thanks Dan. Your information is priceless.

I was thinking the other trails/exits were used when the wind switched while he was in the bed. Your observation makes a lot of sense when I consider the other food sources.

[checkerfred]

Dan in Hill country you mention they always enter straight upwind to make their scent trail and stream overlap... So do they mostly come in from the valley below or does this vary a lot?

[ Post made via Android ]

but like to drop down low to about the bottom 1/3 of the hill, ( or rise up to, if coming from below) and then when right below the bed turn and hook back up towards the bed

Do you mean like this?



When you say drop down low to about the bottom 1/3 of the hill do you mean like the upper left green j hook? or would it be more on an angle.

[dan]

Dan in Hill country you mention they always enter straight upwind to make their scent trail and stream overlap... So do they mostly come in from the valley below or does this vary a lot?

[ Post made via Android ]

but like to drop down low to about the bottom 1/3 of the hill, ( or rise up to, if coming from below) and then when right below the bed turn and hook back up towards the bed

Do you mean like this?



When you say drop down low to about the bottom 1/3 of the hill do you mean like the upper left green j hook? or would it be more on an angle.

They could come from any direction but most likely end up on the elevation where you show the bottom of the hook on the left side. Then they rise from right below.

[Czabs]

Both to the east and west is food. Green is trails. Big red dot is bed. Little red dot is rub. The rub is facing away from the bed indicating the buck entered from that way in the morning? Would you think he would come out on the trail leading west. If so I might need to resort on sitting from the ground.

[dan]

Both to the east and west is food. Green is trails. Big red dot is bed. Little red dot is rub. The rub is facing away from the bed indicating the buck entered from that way in the morning? Would you think he would come out on the trail leading west. If so I might need to resort on sitting from the ground.

If your rub indicates entrance and it was put there in the morning it would have little bearing on which direction the buck will leave cause bucks entering in the morning use the wind direction to enter more often than not. When they leave they head towards desired area.

[Czabs]

Thats right, so really there is nothing else I can do but sit it and find out for myself or do some survellience from afar. Unless there were tracks there, which there isnt.

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

Thats right, so really there is nothing else I can do but sit it and find out for myself or do some survellience from afar. Unless there were tracks there, which there isnt.

[ Post made via Android ]

You could go to the food sources and see which direction is more active.