Buck or doe bedding

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


sagDE
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:06 am
Status: Offline

Buck or doe bedding

Unread postby sagDE » Tue Apr 13, 2021 3:11 am

I came across a couple of different bedding areas while out scouting. I attached the topo and aerial images of the area. The bed that I have marked on the lower left is up on a hill, more like a knob. It's about 10' high and 30 feet across, kind of like a pimple on the earth. Everything else in the area is relatively flat ground. The bed is on the south side of the hill just down from the top. I sat in the bed and from it you can see that entire wooded area out to the fields on both sides. To the west of the hill, directly adjacent is a very dense thicket that goes on for a long way in every direction. The other beds all contain more then one bed clustered together, the one on the hill only has the one. The parking area is just out of view to the right of the image. I did not find any buck sign near the bedding area and was wondering if that would indicate a doe bedding area, or could it still be a buck bed?
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.


User avatar
isitseasonyet?
500 Club
Posts: 1486
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:36 am
Location: North West Minnesota
Status: Offline

Re: Buck or doe bedding

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:43 am

Could be a buck bed in an area of low buck numbers so that they don’t need to mark their territory/ no competition for bedding.

Or it could be a rut bed?

Is there buck sign near the doe bedding areas? Is there a trail out of the suspect bed that goes on the downwind side of doe bedding?

Or it could be seasonal?

Is there a seasonal food source near by? What wind is the bed set up for? What part of season puts the prevailing winds there?

Others might be able to chime in, I would be looking to answer those questions.
sagDE
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:06 am
Status: Offline

Re: Buck or doe bedding

Unread postby sagDE » Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:44 am

I never thought about the possibility that it could be a rut bed. Then bed is downwind, for the prevailing wind, of the two doe bedding areas. With it being elevated above the terrain I imagine that you could see deer using those other beds from that bed as well. I did not scout the exit routes as I was headed the other direction when I went through the area, but I didn't see any buck sign within the doe bedding areas. I do think that there area a limited number of bucks on the property. I found one very large rub at the intersection of multiple trails that lead from doe bedding areas to various ag fields and grass fields. However, there is an ag field a few hundred yards away from this bedding area with a large island in it. I scouted that Island the other day and found literally hundreds of rubs. Fresh and historical of all sizes and heights. During the season I observed a very large set of tracks leading from the ag field to this bedding area. The doe beds also had clumps of fresh deer hair in them whereas the bed on the hill only had a few stray hairs. I think that I'll scout the area one more time on the exit trails and see what I can find.
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41587
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Buck or doe bedding

Unread postby dan » Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:46 am

lone bed is a buck bed... the other beds in a Cluster you have to look at the. Es close to determine. ask yourself if all the beds are in a circle looking different directions, looking kind of random, do they have an obstacle behind the bed, are they right on a hard transition....
sagDE
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:06 am
Status: Offline

Re: Buck or doe bedding

Unread postby sagDE » Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:56 am

I appreciate it. The other beds look kind of random two or three clustered together but not circular. They are sandwiched between a pretty large deadfall and a swampy area, but not butted up to either. They are out in the open more or less.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: LukeG and 75 guests