tgreeno wrote:dirt nap giver wrote:Here in SW Michigan I have yet to find a “primary” bed of a mature buck. There is an adaption that takes place as the season progresses. First up is early season beds, then hunters invade the woods about a month before the season starts. Then the pressured beds become active. After that the foliage begins to drop which forces another change in bedding. Up next is the rut which has them relocating more adjacent to does. As the season progresses, does are bread, gun season pressure and snow has them moving beds again based on available food sources.
I have started soaking cameras 10-12 feet up overlooking what appears to be an active bed. Since our hunting seasons start the end of September with early doe and youth hunts, I set these cameras over these beds in mid August and leave them for the entire season without checking them. As soon as all the seasons close, I pull the cameras, cross reference with weather underground and use the intel for the following season.
Since most hunters like to show what they have killed, I also check local forums to see what has been killed from my area if I’m not seeing the buck on any of those forms, I will then revisit the bedding location and prep accordingly.
Now going into next season, I have this intel:
1)size of buck
2)time of year being used
3)wind direct that is preferred
4)general idea of his exit route.
After a couple seasons of applying the principles of this site, I learned not every buck or every geographic location received the memo on these principles. After getting throughly ticked with not having my desired results, I chose to climb out of the stand and put boots on the ground in attempt to figure out “why”. Decisions such as when to creep known bedding areas is a big factor as well. Creeping those beds shouldn’t be done on the weekend when there are higher numbers of hunters in the woods. Mid day is also a given.... once again, less hunters which equals less chance for others to capitalize off my
Knowledge and actions.
So are you saying soaking the cameras on beds didn't work for you at all? No bucks at all, or just no shooter bucks? So did creeping beds get you better results? Still no bucks? Or just no mature bucks?
Not sure where I went wrong in that post.
Cameras on beds did work. It showed me the time frame of use, wind direction and if it was a buck I wanted To pursue.
Creeping the beds after becoming frustrated with the current season did work. Over the course of a couple week time span, I learned more about in season use, than what I learned by Spring scouting. Spring scouting shows you where to focus, cameras and in season observation (creeping beds, observation sits, big tracks, big sign etc) shows you the time frame in which the bed is being used.
To clarify, taking the principles taught here, adding cameras to beds, in season observation has drastically added mature bucks in the dirt and encounters.