Buck beds in the morning, how early to setup

[Elite]

When you're hunting a buck bed in the morning, how early should you be setup before shooting time? Primary food sources are across the road about 1/2-3/4 mile away.

[Mtns_Only01]

In my opinion, a bucks timing while entering his bed greatly depends on the time of year. I'm guessing you are asking in regards to a current situation. This time of year I haven't had much luck having them move after the sun comes up. If I was you, and if possible, I would probably try to get into a position where I can observe without risking running into the deer or having him smell me. Even then, I would get in about one hour before light just to be safe. That way hopefully you are able to determine if he is worth going after in the morning.

[Elite]

In my opinion, a bucks timing while entering his bed greatly depends on the time of year. I'm guessing you are asking in regards to a current situation. This time of year I haven't had much luck having them move after the sun comes up. If I was you, and if possible, I would probably try to get into a position where I can observe without risking running into the deer or having him smell me. Even then, I would get in about one hour before light just to be safe. That way hopefully you are able to determine if he is worth going after in the morning.

It would be tomorrow morning. Found a bed back in September that was for a northerly wind. Haven't been back since and I don't work tomorrow...not sure if it's worth it though.

[SplitG2]

Mtns_Only’s approach is what I would recommend but....if you already know where the bed is and you have limited time I’d just dive right into the bed. As far as how early to go in, I’m a really early guy, I prefer to be in my tree setup ready to go, regardless of the time of year or setup, a minimum of 2 hours before shooting light, earlier if I can, every single morning hunt. Just my personal preference, I wouldn’t even attempt to hunt a buck bed unless I could be in there a minimum of 2 hours before light. Many have luck entering later than I do so you obviously going in that early is not mandatory, i just love the woods in the dark and its what I’ve had best luck with.

[rfickes87]

Mtns_Only’s approach is what I would recommend but....if you already know where the bed is and you have limited time I’d just dive right into the bed. As far as how early to go in, I’m a really early guy, I prefer to be in my tree setup ready to go, regardless of the time of year or setup, a minimum of 2 hours before shooting light, earlier if I can, every single morning hunt. Just my personal preference, I wouldn’t even attempt to hunt a buck bed unless I could be in there a minimum of 2 hours before light. Many have luck entering later than I do so you obviously going in that early is not mandatory, i just love the woods in the dark and its what I’ve had best luck with.

Have you honestly had success doing this? If so, you're my new best friend? Care to share any stories when this approach has worked? Its something I would love to get good at. Each year my list of known buck beds continues to grow and the only success I am having is by sitting 150-200 yards back and getting lucky right before dark. For that reason alone I hunted 9 sits this year and they were all evenings. I'd love to hunt mornings but I confidence just isn't there. I only climb a tree if I 100% feel like I'm going to kill.

[Boogieman1]

I imagine ever place is different, but will give u what I see. Only real chance for me to catch a predictable mature buck heading back to his bed after daylight or in a way I wouldn’t get picked off in the process is during the pre rut.

In the hill country I hunt I have better luck entering from the wrong side of the ridge. (If there not coming from that way) most I’ve studied come straight down the pipe of the valley from low to high catching a whiff straight to him from both sides. I wait til air starts rising then just pop over the ridge and expect 8:30-9 or 10:30-11:15 movement. Maybe I miss some, maybe I don’t. Who knows. Rock out with your glock out!

[SplitG2]

Have you honestly had success doing this? If so, you're my new best friend? Care to share any stories when this approach has worked? Its something I would love to get good at.

Rfickes87, my bucks in 2014, 2015, 2018 and this years buck were all shot in their bedroom with 1 of them being shot in its bed and 1 right after it stood up. I don’t really know that it’s something one could get good at, more of a thing of getting up and getting your but moving when the alarm goes off that early. Lol!

I’ll try to explain how I believe I have success with this but I suck with words. Once I figure out a bed or beds that a mature buck is using in a specific wind I try to guesstimate what his bedroom is. More often than not in the terrain I hunt I typically just account for his bedroom being 50 yards by 50 yards. Then I establish at least 2 ways he could access the bedroom with the specific wind. Then I go back to my map and map the bed, access and habitat onto the terrain and figure out what I call a bedroom bubble. By that I mean, if their bedroom is 50 yards by 50 yards, add another 100-150 yards to that and that’s the bedroom bubble. Once they enter this bedroom bubble I believe this is where they can hear and notice things as they head in the direction of their bedroom and bed. I couldn’t tell you when they enter or how much time they spend in that bedroom bubble but I want to be in my tree and setup before they ever enter that bedroom bubble. That way once he enters the bubble, he hears no foreign sounds like my footsteps in crunchy leaves, cracking of sticks if you happen to step wrong, creaky climbing sticks, creaky stand etc etc and does not see a weird light bouncing thru the woods in the general direction of his bed.

To give you an example, I’ll use the buck I shot in 2018 in his bed. I had a stand setup within 25 yards of 3 different beds he was using for NW and WNW winds. It was late rut and I figured he would be feeding and chasing does til just before daybreak in the 14 acres of cut corn that was 200-250 yards away. Woods were very loud that morning, very dry and we had a pretty good frost. I figured his bubble for 150 yards so I made sure I was in my stand that morn by 4:45 at the latest as I was just guesstimating that would give me a minimum of 30 mins before he even entered the bubble. About 5:45 that morn in the pitch black I heard what I believe was him in a fight with another buck about 100 yards or so away and could hear other buck activity as well. Once I had enough grey light to see 60 yards or so I heard a grunt and he appeared at the bottom of the drainage. Took him about 30-40 mins to make his way up to his bed. Walked straight in so I didn’t have any ethical shot but once he reached his bed he plopped down and gave me a 17 yard broadside shot in his bed. He had no idea I was anywhere near until that arrow hit him. My buck from this year was fairly similar but did require me to do a spot and stalk on him from 65 yards out after I watched him in his bed for a little over 5 hours.

[Elite]

Is this specifically your strategy in hill country or is it something you also do in other terrain? How do you account for J-hooking?

[cspot]

Video of Joe's early morning buck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V5GYILUCBM

[Boogieman1]

I hunt hill country and would say if a buck came in b4 thermal reversal it is physically impossible to get in there ahead of them. They follow the lowest ground there is. Even if u get down in the lowest spot your in for a head on blow fest.

Lucked into to watching a 3 year old bed in front of me last week 45 min after daylight while hunting a leeward ridge. He scent checked the bedding from 40 yards above using the thermal. Wind was actually blowing into the bedding. He passed it by 75 yards, set there watched his back trail for 30 min, then fed his way in at a angle. Was well out of bow range, but close enough to enjoy the show. Just can’t grasp in my head how sitting over a bed in the morning is nothing but a disaster waiting to happen. JMO but if someone can pull that off legitimately more power to em.

[SplitG2]

Is this specifically your strategy in hill country or is it something you also do in other terrain? How do you account for J-hooking?

Yes in hill country. When it comes to J-hooking, there are some behaviors that are talked about on here that I don’t see as often as others. I have seen just as many bucks not J-hooking as I have actually J-hooking so really it’s a 50/50 thing. The buck I killed in his bedroom this year came into his bed with the wind at his back and I’ve seen a few come in with a crosswind. I’m sure it has happened before without me knowing but to my knowledge I don’t think I’ve ever been sniffed out by a Buck that I know I heard in the dark or seen in the daylight perform a J-hook. Another behavior that I don’t see as much as some on here is I see bucks using the exact same bed multiple times with a specific wind but I also see them bed in different spots within their bedroom with the same specific wind just as much. I think wind speed dictates elevation and the exact spot they bed 100%. I’ve just seen it too many times. So instead of hunting specific beds, I hunt the bedroom and just try to set up in the core of that bedroom. Some I believe have big bedrooms and some have small.

To me it’s far easier to hunt the bedroom instead of trying to hunt specific beds. Also by doing it this way, I have been able to pull off hunting bedrooms multiple times and still had success. I am a firm believer that if you can keep a buck thinking that you don’t know he’s there, he’ll continue to use the same area until he feels otherwise. This years buck, it was my 6th time in over a 26 day period before we finally met and he was still just as calm as I’d ever seen him. I had seen him 3 of the 6 times in.

[Elite]

Is this specifically your strategy in hill country or is it something you also do in other terrain? How do you account for J-hooking?

Yes in hill country. When it comes to J-hooking, there are some behaviors that are talked about on here that I don’t see as often as others. I have seen just as many bucks not J-hooking as I have actually J-hooking so really it’s a 50/50 thing. The buck I killed in his bedroom this year came into his bed with the wind at his back and I’ve seen a few come in with a crosswind. I’m sure it has happened before without me knowing but to my knowledge I don’t think I’ve ever been sniffed out by a Buck that I know I heard in the dark or seen in the daylight perform a J-hook. Another behavior that I don’t see as much as some on here is I see bucks using the exact same bed multiple times with a specific wind but I also see them bed in different spots within their bedroom with the same specific wind just as much. I think wind speed dictates elevation and the exact spot they bed 100%. I’ve just seen it too many times. So instead of hunting specific beds, I hunt the bedroom and just try to set up in the core of that bedroom. Some I believe have big bedrooms and some have small.

To me it’s far easier to hunt the bedroom instead of trying to hunt specific beds. Also by doing it this way, I have been able to pull off hunting bedrooms multiple times and still had success. I am a firm believer that if you can keep a buck thinking that you don’t know he’s there, he’ll continue to use the same area until he feels otherwise. This years buck, it was my 6th time in over a 26 day period before we finally met and he was still just as calm as I’d ever seen him. I had seen him 3 of the 6 times in.

Awesome stuff!!! Are you finding these beds during the season?

[Denisboyko22]

Depends on your area and what pressure you have , opening gun I had deer start bedding 2 hours before first light couldn't see a thing just heard them go back to bedding that early and bumped some on the way out

[SplitG2]

Awesome stuff!!! Are you finding these beds during the season?

Elite yes. The buck I killed this year was a bed find during season. its not something I do a lot but have had success with a couple times. What has worked for me is if I know I’m close to the bedroom or if I have a solid hunch that I’m close but just ain’t getting it done, I will find a day when there’s a wind that doesn’t work for a mature buck to be in the vicinity. For me and this setup, it was an E wind. So I took the first E wind I had, grabbed a stand and sticks and went in, in search of the bed and a spot to hang within the bedroom. It had to work for a WSW and a SW wind as those were the winds in which I had laid eyes on at least 1 or both of the bucks that I would shoot in there.

I had already had a couple spots picked out on the map where I wanted to look and it just so happened the first spot I looked, I found 3 large beds 6-10 yards apart and setup perfect for a buck in WSW and SW winds. My initial setup was 35 yards from those beds but due to terrain we never knew either existed. So the bedroom turned out to be a little smaller than I originally. thought. Once finding the beds, I walked a short distance along the 2 trails that lead in then, both went in opposite directions. So I plopped down on a log near by, surveyed the bedroom and mapped everything on OnX and picked a spot along the trail that made the most sense for the buck to access on WSW and SW winds. There’s no guarantees in hunting so the spot is still a gamble on what makes the most sense to us. Anyways I found the vicinity I needed to be, found a tree and hung the stand. It was 43 yards from his bed and on his same elevation at the edge of a transition just like his bed. After that I just had to back out and wait for the WSW and SW winds to return.

My first sit was uneventful for the most part but did have a small 8 and 3 does come into bed. I was a little worried as that was 5 sits now, 4 very close to the bedroom and 1 right in it. I had seen both bucks I was after twice and one of them once on previous sits and I felt neither seemed convinced of my presence so I felt I had a couple more chances but I was running outta chances at the same time. Second sit it all came together and he came walking over the ridgetop feeding on acorns and whatnot and the rest is history as they say. The 2 real oddball factors in the success of the hunt was he did come in with the wind at his back and he entered from the top down. I have seen bucks do these very things before but not very often.

[seazofcheeze]

I killed a buck in North Dakota yesterday morning in a bedding area. I was hoping to be setup 30 minutes before light, but I ended up finishing hanging my stand right at gray light. The buck came in about 45 minutes later.

With that said, I think the answer is "it depends". I was optimistic this particular setup might work because the bedding was about 1.5 miles from the only standing corn field around, and there was hardly any other food sources. No other ag for a few miles, minimal browse, and only a little grass for grazing. Most of the surrounding area was wheat stubble fields. So the deer had to travel pretty far from food to bed, and I think that increases the odds of having one come back in daylight. I think the other important part was I could tell no one had been bowhunting this piece after gun season, which ended Nov 24. I think the really low pressure and minimal food a long way from bedding are things that can contribute to morning success late season.