How close will bucks bed to one another?

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adrenalin
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How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby adrenalin » Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:30 am

How close do you think bucks will bed to one another? Looking for answers on marsh and swamp bedding in small spots in real wet areas. The beds I found are right on the edge of the water about 30-50 yards apart from one another, 4-5 beds total. This is a small spot but has alot of bigger bucks in it. Kind of a metro area. Lots of big track and high rubs. I kind of think its more than one buck

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dan
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby dan » Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:42 am

adrenalin wrote:How close do you think bucks will bed to one another? Looking for answers on marsh and swamp bedding in small spots in real wet areas. The beds I found are right on the edge of the water about 30-50 yards apart from one another, 4-5 beds total. This is a small spot but has a lot of bigger bucks in it. Kind of a metro area. Lots of big track and high rubs. I kind of think its more than one buck

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I have seen bucks bed in the same area within 50 yards or so, usually one is dominant over the other though... Competing bucks seem to spread farther apart. I think mid October to late November they tolerate each other a lot less, but every buck is different.
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Spysar
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby Spysar » Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:47 am

I've seen great areas go void of sign in the rut cause a big buck was bedding there, and keeping all others out.
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby trapper57 » Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:52 am

Will they bed in differnt spots when grouping takes place in the summer?

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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby dan » Mon Mar 17, 2014 11:04 am

Spysar wrote:I've seen great areas go void of sign in the rut cause a big buck was bedding there, and keeping all others out.

Great observation, I have seen the same thing in some cases...
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby Bowhunter4life » Mon Mar 17, 2014 11:43 pm

4 years ago in rifle season one of the guys that used to hunt with us watched two bucks go and bed right near a point. This was in a clear cut. Both good deer. Next day he got the wind right and slipped over there. Jumped them up and shot the bigger of the two. He was a 4.5 year old 10 that scored 150... The other buck he guessed to be a 3.5 year old. I thought that was very odd beings this was the middle of November... There was not a doe with them either but that's not to say that there was not one close by

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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Tue Mar 18, 2014 2:18 am

dan wrote:
Spysar wrote:I've seen great areas go void of sign in the rut cause a big buck was bedding there, and keeping all others out.

Great observation, I have seen the same thing in some cases...


Seen this one too. Unfortunately in all cases it was a smaller racked bull buck pushing out the larger racked buck. I say it all the time, you can't stack big bucks.

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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby adrenalin » Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:55 am

Bowhunter4life wrote:4 years ago in rifle season one of the guys that used to hunt with us watched two bucks go and bed right near a point. This was in a clear cut. Both good deer. Next day he got the wind right and slipped over there. Jumped them up and shot the bigger of the two. He was a 4.5 year old 10 that scored 150... The other buck he guessed to be a 3.5 year old. I thought that was very odd beings this was the middle of November... There was not a doe with them either but that's not to say that there was not one close by

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Its funny you say that. One gun season my cousin and I decided to take a boat acrossed the lake he has a place on to some swampy stuff. We didnt know it at the time but you could get to the spot from a logging road around the lake. To get in to the spot we had to go over some beaver dams and logs and stuff, normally a boat would never be back there. Once we got on land we found real good sign right away. We split up, he went one way and I went the other. He walked up a ridge and set up right away. I took my time and stayed in the thick pines going slow looking for a good spot to get up a tree. I finally found a white birch on a little knob that looked like I could get up. The pines were real thick about 5feet tall all around. As I got about 20 yards from the white birch I heard a deer get up and saw a small pine move right next to the birch tree. Out jumped a 155" 10pointer and stood 25 yards away never seeing me. All I had was a bad hind end shot so I waited and he ended up running toward my cousin. Not 5 minutes later he shot the buck as he ran towards him! So after all the excitement I walked over to the birch tree to climbed up. Just as I got to it another big 8 busted out of the same exact spot! This one ran the exact same path right past my cousin. He didnt shoot because he wasnt going to be greedy, but we were both amazed how 2 big bucks were laying side by side. Later that afternoon I learned we caught the bucks off guard by entering through the back door. Once I got up the tree the bucks were bedded under, I saw a logging road they were watching the whole time.. Pretty cool to see it all played out in person.

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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby Swampbuck » Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:01 am

adrenalin wrote:
Bowhunter4life wrote:4 years ago in rifle season one of the guys that used to hunt with us watched two bucks go and bed right near a point. This was in a clear cut. Both good deer. Next day he got the wind right and slipped over there. Jumped them up and shot the bigger of the two. He was a 4.5 year old 10 that scored 150... The other buck he guessed to be a 3.5 year old. I thought that was very odd beings this was the middle of November... There was not a doe with them either but that's not to say that there was not one close by

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Its funny you say that. One gun season my cousin and I decided to take a boat acrossed the lake he has a place on to some swampy stuff. We didnt know it at the time but you could get to the spot from a logging road around the lake. To get in to the spot we had to go over some beaver dams and logs and stuff, normally a boat would never be back there. Once we got on land we found real good sign right away. We split up, he went one way and I went the other. He walked up a ridge and set up right away. I took my time and stayed in the thick pines going slow looking for a good spot to get up a tree. I finally found a white birch on a little knob that looked like I could get up. The pines were real thick about 5feet tall all around. As I got about 20 yards from the white birch I heard a deer get up and saw a small pine move right next to the birch tree. Out jumped a 155" 10pointer and stood 25 yards away never seeing me. All I had was a bad hind end shot so I waited and he ended up running toward my cousin. Not 5 minutes later he shot the buck as he ran towards him! So after all the excitement I walked over to the birch tree to climbed up. Just as I got to it another big 8 busted out of the same exact spot! This one ran the exact same path right past my cousin. He didnt shoot because he wasnt going to be greedy, but we were both amazed how 2 big bucks were laying side by side. Later that afternoon I learned we caught the bucks off guard by entering through the back door. Once I got up the tree the bucks were bedded under, I saw a logging road they were watching the whole time.. Pretty cool to see it all played out in person.

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Interesting Experience!! And good thread, i've been wondering this as well
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby dan » Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:42 am

One of the biggest bucks I ever hunted always hung out with another much smaller buck. They were almost always together for about a 3 year period.
Some bucks tolerate other bucks, some are loners...
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:30 am

Will the dominate buck bed on higher ground? I know a buck bed in serious thick cover along a hill, and a satellite bed on top of the ridge, about 50 yards away,where its not so thick. The satellite bed has somewhat a better advantage being up high for all wind directions, not much for observation though. The hillside bed seems to be wind specific, in dense cover with a light trail leading into it, and not great for observation either.
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby Bigdaddy-yoyo » Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:39 am

About 5 seasons ago. I followed tracks of a buck I knew on my property in the snow. Led me to his bed , with a rub in the bed. There were 2 beds about 10 feet from one another.

I thought he was using both beds on different winds. Fast forward to opening night. A wide 8 came out of the bedding area , I was getting ready to shoot him when

I caught movement behind him. Another big bodied buck. The 8 was pushing 140's , the other Buck was definitely high 160's to 170.

They were bedding together. Later that weekend I told a friend what happened. He had them together on a trail cam pic. That opened my eyes, that 2 mature bucks would bed together,

I 'm sure the Buck coming up the rear was the dominant buck, I put him at 4.5 yr and the wide 8 possibly 5.5 to 6.5
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:03 am

I have seen this with my own eyes as well. Back in 2010 I was hunting a new spot late season where I suspected a good buck was bedding. I had a narrow tree line going out in a vast area of cattails so I sat right at the point. To my surprise about a 1/2 hour before dark a large mature buck stood up in his bed. Immediately after another stood up right behind him and walked over to the other one as they proceeded to sniff each others foreheads and lightly spar with their antlers. Soon after they both walked away like buddies headed to the mainland staying just out of bow range. All I could do is watch them both walk right out of my life!!

Both of these bucks were 150"+ with the bigger one pushing 180". I sat in my stand speechless at what I just witnessed!! :shock:

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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:19 pm

adrenalin wrote:
Bowhunter4life wrote:4 years ago in rifle season one of the guys that used to hunt with us watched two bucks go and bed right near a point. This was in a clear cut. Both good deer. Next day he got the wind right and slipped over there. Jumped them up and shot the bigger of the two. He was a 4.5 year old 10 that scored 150... The other buck he guessed to be a 3.5 year old. I thought that was very odd beings this was the middle of November... There was not a doe with them either but that's not to say that there was not one close by

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Its funny you say that. One gun season my cousin and I decided to take a boat acrossed the lake he has a place on to some swampy stuff. We didnt know it at the time but you could get to the spot from a logging road around the lake. To get in to the spot we had to go over some beaver dams and logs and stuff, normally a boat would never be back there. Once we got on land we found real good sign right away. We split up, he went one way and I went the other. He walked up a ridge and set up right away. I took my time and stayed in the thick pines going slow looking for a good spot to get up a tree. I finally found a white birch on a little knob that looked like I could get up. The pines were real thick about 5feet tall all around. As I got about 20 yards from the white birch I heard a deer get up and saw a small pine move right next to the birch tree. Out jumped a 155" 10pointer and stood 25 yards away never seeing me. All I had was a bad hind end shot so I waited and he ended up running toward my cousin. Not 5 minutes later he shot the buck as he ran towards him! So after all the excitement I walked over to the birch tree to climbed up. Just as I got to it another big 8 busted out of the same exact spot! This one ran the exact same path right past my cousin. He didnt shoot because he wasnt going to be greedy, but we were both amazed how 2 big bucks were laying side by side. Later that afternoon I learned we caught the bucks off guard by entering through the back door. Once I got up the tree the bucks were bedded under, I saw a logging road they were watching the whole time.. Pretty cool to see it all played out in person.

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Did you ever hunt the spot again?

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adrenalin
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Re: How close will bucks bed to one another?

Unread postby adrenalin » Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:50 pm

Jackson Marsh wrote:
adrenalin wrote:
Bowhunter4life wrote:4 years ago in rifle season one of the guys that used to hunt with us watched two bucks go and bed right near a point. This was in a clear cut. Both good deer. Next day he got the wind right and slipped over there. Jumped them up and shot the bigger of the two. He was a 4.5 year old 10 that scored 150... The other buck he guessed to be a 3.5 year old. I thought that was very odd beings this was the middle of November... There was not a doe with them either but that's not to say that there was not one close by

[ Post made via Android ] Image

Its funny you say that. One gun season my cousin and I decided to take a boat acrossed the lake he has a place on to some swampy stuff. We didnt know it at the time but you could get to the spot from a logging road around the lake. To get in to the spot we had to go over some beaver dams and logs and stuff, normally a boat would never be back there. Once we got on land we found real good sign right away. We split up, he went one way and I went the other. He walked up a ridge and set up right away. I took my time and stayed in the thick pines going slow looking for a good spot to get up a tree. I finally found a white birch on a little knob that looked like I could get up. The pines were real thick about 5feet tall all around. As I got about 20 yards from the white birch I heard a deer get up and saw a small pine move right next to the birch tree. Out jumped a 155" 10pointer and stood 25 yards away never seeing me. All I had was a bad hind end shot so I waited and he ended up running toward my cousin. Not 5 minutes later he shot the buck as he ran towards him! So after all the excitement I walked over to the birch tree to climbed up. Just as I got to it another big 8 busted out of the same exact spot! This one ran the exact same path right past my cousin. He didnt shoot because he wasnt going to be greedy, but we were both amazed how 2 big bucks were laying side by side. Later that afternoon I learned we caught the bucks off guard by entering through the back door. Once I got up the tree the bucks were bedded under, I saw a logging road they were watching the whole time.. Pretty cool to see it all played out in person.

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Did you ever hunt the spot again?

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Not the exact spot but we did hunt the general area again. A lot of guys moved into the spot so we moved to try new spots.

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