Is this a bed?

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


HillCountryHunter-15
Posts: 46
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2019 4:03 am
Location: Missouri
Status: Offline

Is this a bed?

Unread postby HillCountryHunter-15 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:41 am

Hey guys, so I did a little scouting this weekend and I came across what looks like a bed but I am not 100% sure and was kind of wanting a confirmation. I did find a little bit of hair in it and I know that is what confirms it for a lot of you guys but I am just curious what others have to say because finding a bed worn to the dirt isnt very common where I hunt. To kind of give you an idea of the terrain; I hunt big woods hill country (no ag fields, just rolling hills with nothing but timber) and the drainages at the bottom of the hills are typically about 5-10 yards wide until you're walking up the next hill. In big woods hill country its kind of hard to find beds since they could essentially have 50 different beds since there are so many secondary points off of the main ridge, so I have mostly been trying to focus on high stem count areas that deter people and looking for sign in those areas or walking to some secondary points that are far back on the main ridge. This specific spot though was two small secondary points right off the road and I got to thinking that it may be an overlooked spot. So as I got to the military crest of one of the points I ended up finding the supposed bed. Could someone tell me if this is a bed or not? I have the pictures posted below:

IMG_0256[1].JPG


IMG_0255[1].JPG


2020-03-23_10-20-07.jpg


Also, if this is for sure a bed I am not able to tell if it is a buck. I didnt notice any rubs around the supposed bed and I didnt really see any sign that would stick out that would make one say "Hey, a buck is using this area".
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.


KLEMZ
Posts: 1705
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:28 am
Location: SE Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Is this a bed?

Unread postby KLEMZ » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:23 pm

Sure looks like a bed to me. The location on the secondary point, and the fact that you did find hair in it, is pretty good evidence. If the cover between the road and the bed is difficult to walk through, you could indeed have an overlooked good spot on your hands. Also, the topo map shows points covering any wind direction nearby. You should check them all.

The "worn to dirt" beds are typically in low land, softer soil type areas, and the bed can actually be dented down into the soil. In hill country, the soil is typically harder (drier) and you won't often find dents in the ground. When you find bare spots that are bedding in the hills, I believe it is because the deer was using it during leaf drop. Of course he could be using it at other times too! There are probably other beds around those points that are more subtle to the eye, yet used nearly as much.

To verify what you have, I would suggest going back to that spot and very slowly walk and look around for any subtle signs of what caliber deer beds there. Look for tracks in the actual beds. Even just the hint of an old track. Any old droppings (clumped and larger pellet size) around any of those points? You say there are no rubs. How about old rub scars on trees? How tall are they? Any broken branches near the beds at deer head height? Any thumb sized saplings snapped clean off about 24" above the ground? Any sign of browsing near the beds?

I have often gone back to a spot and found it to be way more important than I initially gave it credit for. Usually it is because I was in a bit of a hurry to get to the next spot on my scouting list when I first passed through. You did a great job of identifying this as a possible good spot. Spend some time and see if the sign can tell you whats going on there. I'm pretty sure it's there.
Moose
500 Club
Posts: 2677
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2019 12:39 pm
Location: IA
Status: Offline

Re: Is this a bed?

Unread postby Moose » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:00 pm

Since you found hair i would say yes its a bed. I dont really hunt hill country much but it dosent look like theres much cover around the bed. Either way its worth another look. Good job for finding that and good luck with the scouting.
User avatar
Jackson Marsh
Moderator
Posts: 19547
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:11 am
Location: SE WI
Status: Offline

Re: Is this a bed?

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:07 pm

Yep, it's a bed.
HillCountryHunter-15
Posts: 46
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2019 4:03 am
Location: Missouri
Status: Offline

Re: Is this a bed?

Unread postby HillCountryHunter-15 » Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:44 am

KLEMZ wrote:Sure looks like a bed to me. The location on the secondary point, and the fact that you did find hair in it, is pretty good evidence. If the cover between the road and the bed is difficult to walk through, you could indeed have an overlooked good spot on your hands. Also, the topo map shows points covering any wind direction nearby. You should check them all.

The "worn to dirt" beds are typically in low land, softer soil type areas, and the bed can actually be dented down into the soil. In hill country, the soil is typically harder (drier) and you won't often find dents in the ground. When you find bare spots that are bedding in the hills, I believe it is because the deer was using it during leaf drop. Of course he could be using it at other times too! There are probably other beds around those points that are more subtle to the eye, yet used nearly as much.

To verify what you have, I would suggest going back to that spot and very slowly walk and look around for any subtle signs of what caliber deer beds there. Look for tracks in the actual beds. Even just the hint of an old track. Any old droppings (clumped and larger pellet size) around any of those points? You say there are no rubs. How about old rub scars on trees? How tall are they? Any broken branches near the beds at deer head height? Any thumb sized saplings snapped clean off about 24" above the ground? Any sign of browsing near the beds?

I have often gone back to a spot and found it to be way more important than I initially gave it credit for. Usually it is because I was in a bit of a hurry to get to the next spot on my scouting list when I first passed through. You did a great job of identifying this as a possible good spot. Spend some time and see if the sign can tell you whats going on there. I'm pretty sure it's there.


I will definitely go back to this spot and check it out some more. This was the last spot I checked on my scouting trip so I really didn't have a whole lot of time to dig into it like I should have. I will say that the cover isn't too difficult to walk through, but directly north on the other side of the road down a little ways from these points is a parking lot/camping area (I've only seen one person camping there in the 3-4 years I've hunted this property) and where this bed is located its just far enough down that you cant see the road at all; thats what kind of made me consider it as a possible overlooked spot; a deer could bed there and easily hear anyone getting out of their vehicle trampling through the woods and easily smell anything on that road with a N/NE/NW wind. The road above the points is a dirt road, but it is one of the main roads people use to drive down to the shooting range located on this piece of public. Not many people bow hunt this piece of public, but once rifle season rolls around it gets pressured quite a bit. Will does typically bed on the points as well? I've read in some other places that does will usually bed near the middle/top of the point rather than near the military crest. I'll probably end up going back there this weekend and really take my time dissecting each of these points and see if it is an area that a mature buck may be using. Appreciate the reply and tips!
User avatar
creepingdeth
500 Club
Posts: 951
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:09 pm
Facebook: Huh?
Location: So. metro Mn
Status: Offline

Re: Is this a bed?

Unread postby creepingdeth » Mon Mar 30, 2020 11:57 am

Most definately a bed. Sounds like you know what you're doing,.
Yesterdays common sense is no longer common


  • Advertisement

Return to “Scouting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests