Bedding question

[Will1029]

I have been burning some serious leather scouting this past month. Good news I've found some beds. I just would like to know how you tell if these are daytime beds or beds used during nighttime digestive resting. Where these beds are located I fear the latter is true.

[dan]

I have been burning some serious leather scouting this past month. Good news I've found some beds. I just would like to know how you tell if these are daytime beds or beds used during nighttime digestive resting. Where these beds are located I fear the latter is true.

Look at the beds, do they have the safty a mature buck needs to bed? Whan you find a mature bucks bedroom there is often a sense of awe, as you look at how well thought out the spot is for the wind and vision, or the crap you would need to go thru to get to it.

[Will1029]

I have been burning some serious leather scouting this past month. Good news I've found some beds. I just would like to know how you tell if these are daytime beds or beds used during nighttime digestive resting. Where these beds are located I fear the latter is true.

Look at the beds, do they have the safty a mature buck needs to bed? Whan you find a mature bucks bedroom there is often a sense of awe, as you look at how well thought out the spot is for the wind and vision, or the crap you would need to go thru to get to it.

Sorry, I may have asked the wrong question. I definitely didn't feel awe. I know these to be doe bedding. I should have been more specific. So how does one tell in doe bedding if its daytime (main) or nighttime digestive resting beds?

[tgreeno]

IMO...Doe nighttime bedding is very close to the food sources. Cover doesn't have to be great, because they are bedding in the dark. I've seen them bedding right in the bean fields during summer.

Daytime would be in better cover. Multiple beds in different direction, and different sizes.

[Drenalin]

In my area right now, does are bedded close to food and they're coming out to it relatively early in the day. I'd guess if there's good cover, daytime beds. If it's in a fairly open area, probably nighttime beds.

There aren't any hard-fast rules though. A few days ago, I spotted a half dozen does bedded on the side of a ridge in open hardwoods (I spotted them 70 yards off the road doing 45 MPH) overlooking a disc golf course. This was about 1:00 in the afternoon. I think pressure is the factor that makes the difference on what time of day those beds are being used.

[MichiganMike]

IMO...Doe nighttime bedding is very close to the food sources. Cover doesn't have to be great, because they are bedding in the dark. I've seen them bedding right in the bean fields during summer.

Daytime would be in better cover. Multiple beds in different direction, and different sizes.

I would agree with this. Ill see them bedding in fields in summer while out shining. ill catch some of them chewing their cud also.
Late December though, I ran across doe beds on ridge tops in open oak flats and in somewhat open cedar swamps. Oak flats were probably at night- but I bumped a group in the cedar swamp mid day. Again- they were by food or their choice of browse.

[Will1029]

Thank you for all the responses.

[G-Patt]

In my area right now, does are bedded close to food and they're coming out to it relatively early in the day. I'd guess if there's good cover, daytime beds. If it's in a fairly open area, probably nighttime beds.

There aren't any hard-fast rules though. A few days ago, I spotted a half dozen does bedded on the side of a ridge in open hardwoods (I spotted them 70 yards off the road doing 45 MPH) overlooking a disc golf course. This was about 1:00 in the afternoon. I think pressure is the factor that makes the difference on what time of day those beds are being used.

The highlighted info ^^^ No rules to this. I've seen does bed in open woods all of the time during the day, and it's usually overlooking hunter access. When doe hunting, I'll set up in these same open woods early morning, and see them filter in between 9:30 and 10:00. Usually two to three of them will bed down, literally watching the directly of the road that's 100 to 150 yards away. I exclusively hunt high-pressure public, so no clue what they do on less-pressured land.

[Lockdown]

Usually when I come across bed(s) and think “that’s a funny spot for a deer to lay.” It will be a night bed. A good example would be in CRP with rolling hills, they’ll bed on the top of them at night because they offer good visibility. Couple years ago I found a super old shed on a hill top that I was observing from. And as already mentioned, I see deer laying very randomly at night when I shine. Road ditches, bean fields, alfalfa, randomly in open CRP, etc.

In general, around here if it’s not thick it’s not good bedding.

How bad do you want to hunt the bedding you found? If you’re not worried about burning it, I’d just bump it during season. Bump them several times and if nothing runs off, there’s your answer.

If I bumped a suspected doe bedding area 3 times with no luck, that spot would be crossed of the list. The only thing that could change things is if that bedding saw use in the future due to changing food sources or change in pressure.

Otherwise you could monitor the bedding with trail cams (if legal) and figure it out that way.