Beds in Heavy Pine Needles

[SidewayZ]

So I have a big woods spot I am tying to lock down. I have one half of the woods figured out and will start on back half soon. Part of the area the deer are bedding and moving threw is a cedar swamp, I also have another bedding about 250 yards away on a finger coming down off an elevated portion of the woods. I know these are bedding areas, it lays out rights, lots of droppings around and some decent tracks, not many rubs.

My issue is both areas are heavily covered with pine needles, having trouble identifying individual beds in these areas. Both bedding areas I believe are North wind beds. I have looked against blow downs and single trees to try to see a bed adjacent tree, there has only really been one tree that I could make out a bed. I know there are at least 5 bucks moving through this area.

Does anyone have any tips for helping to identify beds with heavy pine needle cover on ground aside from crawling on hands and knees looking for individual strands of belly hair lol?

My second question is in the middle of the cedar swamp there are two large islands about 100 feet long and 30 feet wide, I really thought I would find beds here, but the deer only pass through and have hard worn trails down the middle. My cam covers most of the island but I only see pass through. I would have thought with all the coyote pressure it would have been bedding but I cant find one on either island. I can only find beds on the two points on North and south ends of swamp.

[RidgeGhost]

I spent some time scouting a place with a lot of pine on it a few weeks ago. I had similar issues finding beds in pine needles. Best I could do was find what looked like it should be a bed and dig through the needles to find a hair. I never found hairs on top of the pine needles. I don't know of the wind blows it away easier in the pine needles or if it filters down into the needles more so than in leaves.

[Singing Bridge]

Seasonal beds in the pines can be tough without looking for hair in the needles and gently moving them to view potential big buck tracks in the bed. If you have what looks like it may be a bed take a closer look.

Primary Buck beds under pines will usually give the experienced eye a visual- a dent in the ground. It may be slight but you can see it.

Years ago I posted a video on the Beast of a mature buck bed under a pine. I demonstrate what to look for. When I have a minute I will see if I can dig it up.

[Rob loper]

Whats the transitions on these islands and points in these pines? Is it hard transitions where it just goes mature trees tstraight to swamp or brush ? They like in these places when its soft transitions. The trees or brush get smaller and smaller til the tip of the vegetation Thats a soft transition look at the elevation lines and wherever the lines are its usually a change in vegetation
Look on topo lines that create points look there on these points
Ive been trying to scout the bigwoods and almost picture all the undergrowth or immature trees like a marsh. Take away all the mature trees in your mind and walk the soft transitions that you see. Good luck

[Evanszach7]

[quote="Singing Bridge"]Seasonal beds in the pines can be tough without looking for hair in the needles and gently moving them to view potential big buck tracks in the bed. If you have what looks like it may be a bed take a closer look.

Primary Buck beds under pines will usually give the experienced eye a visual- a dent in the ground. It may be slight but you can see it.

This. I’d scouted what I thought would be a good bedding area a couple times but couldn’t pinpoint it. An inch of snow confirmed. Once I knew where they were it made sense. 2 beds, 1 back against a downed pine, the other 20 yards away against the thick transition. 1 for a southernly wind, 1 for northernly. Both were dented about 6 inches into the ground.

[Singing Bridge]

Here is a link to a heavy pine needle bed in a swamp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXGJW9AqjI

[SidewayZ]

Here is a link to a heavy pine needle bed in a swamp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXGJW9AqjI

Thank you!

[Singing Bridge]

Here is a link to a heavy pine needle bed in a swamp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXGJW9AqjI

Thank you!

You bet, I'm glad that old video is still useful.

Bridge

[SidewayZ]

Here is a link to a heavy pine needle bed in a swamp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXGJW9AqjI

Thank you!

You bet, I'm glad that old video is still useful.

Bridge

What I suspected the beds in my area to be are same as what you shown in video. Just underneath a pine with long overhanging branches a few feet above ground. I just didnt see an indent. I will have to move more needles around and dig further. Very few rubs as well which would be my first beds with no rubs. Maybe I will move a cam in closer to that area as well to see what happens.

As always more work to do.

[ghoasthunter]

Here is a link to a heavy pine needle bed in a swamp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXGJW9AqjI

Thank you!

You bet, I'm glad that old video is still useful.

Bridge

What I suspected the beds in my area to be are same as what you shown in video. Just underneath a pine with long overhanging branches a few feet above ground. I just didnt see an indent. I will have to move more needles around and dig further. Very few rubs as well which would be my first beds with no rubs. Maybe I will move a cam in closer to that area as well to see what happens.

As always more work to do.

no rubs north winds sounds a lot like winter beds is there a lot of eroded poop from snow melt break apart the pellets and see what it looks like lots of bark chunks its winter beds. if they are hunt them as soon as a storm ends or right before it starts. if its a major enough front they will retreat to them during season.

[ghoasthunter]

Here is a link to a heavy pine needle bed in a swamp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXGJW9AqjI

this video just got me itching to hunt the Adirondacks big time it looks just like a spot I found on my last trip up there

[SidewayZ]

Here is a link to a heavy pine needle bed in a swamp...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXGJW9AqjI

Thank you!

You bet, I'm glad that old video is still useful.

Bridge

What I suspected the beds in my area to be are same as what you shown in video. Just underneath a pine with long overhanging branches a few feet above ground. I just didnt see an indent. I will have to move more needles around and dig further. Very few rubs as well which would be my first beds with no rubs. Maybe I will move a cam in closer to that area as well to see what happens.

As always more work to do.

no rubs north winds sounds a lot like winter beds is there a lot of eroded poop from snow melt break apart the pellets and see what it looks like lots of bark chunks its winter beds. if they are hunt them as soon as a storm ends or right before it starts. if its a major enough front they will retreat to them during season.

I hear ya, my issue with this spot is, I cant find them anywhere else in the woods, still working on the north end, but the south side swamp point is only spot that has any evidence of deer. I have a funnel on North side they pass through, still looking for bedding at the end.

The point of the swamp is on south end of swamp. So I would expect a North wind to be appropriate here, it would be thick to back with a good view of south side terrain, however I am not sure it is all that wind based. So far I have them on a 4 or 5 day pattern in which they use this area. This is a very low density deer area, I am not 100% but my knowledge of the area so far is that these deer are roaming a large area and 4 or 5 day intervals is when they show themselves regardless of wind direction. I have not matched wind and sightings yet on a regular basis.