Buck bed confirmation question

[mheichelbech]

If you have a spot you know a buck is bedding and you've been watching him through the Summer, but you also know he will switch from the bean field (going one direction) to corn (going another direction), what is the latest point at which it would be safe to scout and confirm he is still using the same bedding prior to the start of the season?

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[Bayshorebuck8]

Personally id probably stay out of there until i was ready to hunt it and id probably try under the right circumstances, if it is a mature buck i dont think id want to go scenting up the area before hand if you have already confirmed hes a local then set a stand accordingly to where you think you could get an opportunity and give it a shot, afterall it is your first time or two on a particular stand that your chances of harvesting your buck are the greatest atleast thats what ive gathered, if anyone else has any other input im all ears and would like to hear it and get a different pov

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[whitetailassasin]

You have options. Observation stand is one. Watch from a distance and see if he's there. Another can be to see if there is fresh sign, tracks, rubs, droppings that would indicate the bed is being used and set up if so. Move on if there isn't. The big ticket is learning your beds and when they are active and are not. Wind, food, and pressure are the three biggest elements for me. Is the bed being used so much it's bare and worn down to the ground. Do you see sign of a buck using early season when they are on food sources? I would be going in to scout it now and start looking around at what could help put the pieces together.

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[Stanley]

I do a lot of looking from a distance. I try and establish a pattern and then go after the buck. Doesn't always work but sometimes it does. I had a buck patterned this year and never did go after that buck. The conditions were never right. Then the bucks pattern changed and so did I.

[dan]

No reason to poke around... Either just hunt it, or use observation stands, or sign at the crops you mentioned.

[mheichelbech]

As a more general matter, when you find beds in the spring, how do you verify or determine which ones to go after in the Fall? Same way? I.e., is observation the primary method or do you just take a guess and hunt the a bed for which the conditions that day best fit? My point is, is you have 10 spots (or more) that you identified in the Spring, how do you determine which ones to go after in the Fall? What would the best way for a weekend hunter to make the best choice? Obviously, wind conditions would be an important factor....do you just sometimes go with a hunch of you hadn't been able to more recently scout the various spots?

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[whitetailassasin]

Dan is by far the guru in bed hunting. How he determines the beds will always be the go to. I look at pressure on an area, food sources in relation to the bed, and wind direction. I also see how worn down the bed is if it's a new find from last year. Are there rubs from a mature buck using it from last year(not always a precursor). I also determine if the bed is being actively used now. And I look at entrance and exit routes. Why would he bed here? What wind is he likely to be bedded here on? Trial and error in bed hunting and learning when the timing is right is something I myself am accumulating from a year to year standpoint. I once read dan say that bed hunting isn't for everyone and it takes patience and can take some time to put the pieces togerher to solve the puzzle.(not exaxt words).

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[dan]

Dan is by far the guru in bed hunting. How he determines the beds will always be the go to. I look at pressure on an area, food sources in relation to the bed, and wind direction. I also see how worn down the bed is if it's a new find from last year. Are there rubs from a mature buck using it from last year(not always a precursor). I also determine if the bed is being actively used now. And I look at entrance and exit routes. Why would he bed here? What wind is he likely to be bedded here on? Trial and error in bed hunting and learning when the timing is right is something I myself am accumulating from a year to year standpoint. I once read dan say that bed hunting isn't for everyone and it takes patience and can take some time to put the pieces togerher to solve the puzzle.(not exaxt words).

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Pretty much spot on... But I would add that sometimes its a no brainer. A lot of my primary bedding areas have a lot of buck beds in a small area... PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT BUCKS BED THERE QUITE OFTEN AND ON ANY WIND...