What is the most important piece of the puzzle

[Gibby]

What is it that you feel is most important thing to know about the deer you are hunting?
If it is a specific deer that you have targeted, would it be most important to locate where he beds?
Do mature bucks have more than one preffered bedding area within their core?

I have to think bedding location would be paramount, but that is not always the easiest thing to determine.

Just curious what others think about this and what methods they employ to obtain the most important piece


Cheers
Gibby

[Zap]

Whatever deer you are hunting, a specific one, does or a batchelor group.
IMO, the bedding area's and how deer use wind and thermal's are the most important things to consider.
For local areas off season scouting is a good way to find bedding areas.
Out of state, walking transition areas, is a good method. I also burn some hunting time in an observation stand, up high and where I can see a ways.

marty

[dan]

Everything Zap said is right on...

Only thing to add to that is wearing out a lot of boot leather is the way to find buck bedding areas. It may seem tough at 1st, but the more time you put into it the better you get it. If you really pay attention to where you find the buck beds in any given terrain, you will begin to notice certain patterns. Its hard to put in words, but you should be able to just look at the lay of the land or even just a topo and aerial photo, and know right where the beds should be after a while of doing this.
For me, it aint just finding the bed, its getting inside the bucks head. Figuring out why he is bedded there, what wind would he need to be bedded there, which way is he facing in the bed, are there different beds close by for different winds?
I also want to get right in the bed if I am scouting in spring, and see what he can see. Determine from his point of view just how close you can get...

[PLB]

I start by looking at maps of the area, then wear out some boots trying to determine hunter sign, access, bedding areas are the key though! If you know where he is bedding, you can kill him during shooting hours!

[Singing Bridge]

Do mature bucks have more than one preffered bedding area within their core?

The bucks I hunt sure do. But they also have favorites, or what Dan calls a "primary" bedding area. On heavy pressure public land they don't like to move much from their intial bed for the day, they really don't like to expose themselves even if the wind changes directions. They've been shot and survived when they did. They sometimes get up and move just a little ways to a slightly better position and bed down again during the day, maybe relieving themselves or browsing a bit before they do.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Everything Zap said is right on...

Only thing to add to that is wearing out a lot of boot leather is the way to find buck bedding areas. It may seem tough at 1st, but the more time you put into it the better you get it. If you really pay attention to where you find the buck beds in any given terrain, you will begin to notice certain patterns. Its hard to put in words, but you should be able to just look at the lay of the land or even just a topo and aerial photo, and know right where the beds should be after a while of doing this.
For me, it aint just finding the bed, its getting inside the bucks head. Figuring out why he is bedded there, what wind would he need to be bedded there, which way is he facing in the bed, are there different beds close by for different winds?
I also want to get right in the bed if I am scouting in spring, and see what he can see. Determine from his point of view just how close you can get...

Dan how long would you say it takes for you to be able to have the skills to just pick out the beds on a map? You are really good at it and obviously its the experience you have...I think I need to enter the woods with a more open mind from now on and be more observant and open to learning so I can pick up on these trends! Also, not sure if it fits here but when you find that bucks bed how much time and effort and what do you look for when "setting up" or at least pin pointing the right tree to hunt? DO you prep the tree as some guys are doing or do you leave everything how it is and make it work when the hunt comes?

[kenn1320]

Dan how long would you say it takes for you to be able to have the skills to just pick out the beds on a map?

Backwoods, I think this will vary from person to person. I know myself personally, I have done a lot of walking over the years and rarely noticed a deer bed unless it was in the snow. Now that I have "seen" a few with my own eyes and what they tend to look for, I find it rather easy to locate them when I'm looking for them. I can spot em from a ways off, then walk up and yep, hair there. After watching Dan's videos, I think anybody could pick out spots on a topo or a swamp. Sure not every spot you pick on a map will have a bed, but from what you knew looking at the map the spots should have. The actual cover in that area will dictate if there will be an animal bedded there. I have lots to learn, and Dan makes something tough, look very easy. Both Dan and Andrea made it pretty clear in the video's, your going to fail a lot before you figure it out.

[headgear]

Good answer kenn! Backwoods I would say the more you try it the better you get. A great many of my initial scouting missions didn't turn up much for buck bedding. With more time in the woods I slowly began to find more and more beds, they might not always be a bucks primary bedding area and some might be secondary bedding or a younger bucks bedding area but you do start to gain a little knack for picking spots on a map, then walking those spots and finding some beds. My best advice is don't get discouraged and keep on trucking, some spots will not pan out and other might really surprise you but you won't know unless you get out there.

[dan]

Dan how long would you say it takes for you to be able to have the skills to just pick out the beds on a map?

Ken & H/G had some great answers... I will add emphasis that it certainly varys from person to person. Once you start to find them it should get a lot easier. Part of my success is because the detective in me is facinated with figuring out why they bed where they bed, and when...
Really slowing down and rather than just noticing buck sign, taking the time to look very close and getting a feel for when and why the sign or bed was put exactly where it was put while keeping the mindset that mature bucks don't do anything randomly and everything they do has a reason will put your mind in a state of learning...
Might sound corny, but to simplify it, if you are really into the scouting and learning, rather than just doing it as a way to kill more deer, it will show in your results.

[dan]

Also, not sure if it fits here but when you find that bucks bed how much time and effort and what do you look for when "setting up" or at least pin pointing the right tree to hunt? DO you prep the tree as some guys are doing or do you leave everything how it is and make it work when the hunt comes?

I only prep trees if I have too... And if I have to it is a bare minimum. I personally think heavy trimming near a mature buck bedding area even in spring has a very negitive effect on bucks bedding there. Especially if they are useing that bedding area in the time frame you are doing the trimming.
I generally take some time the 1st time in to pick out several trees depending on the time of year for cover getting close, for different wind directions, and pick out different access roughts to the area also based on wind / but possibly based on not crossing the deers trail.
Rather than trim, I would much rather just wait for the shot to present itself... I find patience works better than huge openings, that alert educated bucks of your presance.

[Buckfever]

I think it's figuring out if you have a high probability hunt on the property you have access to.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Dan how long would you say it takes for you to be able to have the skills to just pick out the beds on a map?

Ken & H/G had some great answers... I will add emphasis that it certainly varys from person to person. Once you start to find them it should get a lot easier. Part of my success is because the detective in me is facinated with figuring out why they bed where they bed, and when...
Really slowing down and rather than just noticing buck sign, taking the time to look very close and getting a feel for when and why the sign or bed was put exactly where it was put while keeping the mindset that mature bucks don't do anything randomly and everything they do has a reason will put your mind in a state of learning...
Might sound corny, but to simplify it, if you are really into the scouting and learning, rather than just doing it as a way to kill more deer, it will show in your results.

Thanks Dan that is helpful! In response to your posts Ken and headgear, I am getting a lot better at finding buck beds, and picking out likely spots on aerials/topos just based on watching the maps that Dan has marked up for others on here. I agree with Ken that you make it look easy Dan. I have marked some maps up for myself and I see elevation changes or transitions and I am there checking them out but it seems like somehow you are able to cross out certain spots just with a glance at the map and head right for the buck bed. I want to be that good until then I'll keep burning out my boots, I think its paying off I found 3 bucks beds on forest crop land (public) in Oneida county (bigwoods) so I will just keep "trucking" as suggested thanks all!

[BackWoodsHunter]

Also, not sure if it fits here but when you find that bucks bed how much time and effort and what do you look for when "setting up" or at least pin pointing the right tree to hunt? DO you prep the tree as some guys are doing or do you leave everything how it is and make it work when the hunt comes?

I only prep trees if I have too... And if I have to it is a bare minimum. I personally think heavy trimming near a mature buck bedding area even in spring has a very negitive effect on bucks bedding there. Especially if they are useing that bedding area in the time frame you are doing the trimming.
I generally take some time the 1st time in to pick out several trees depending on the time of year for cover getting close, for different wind directions, and pick out different access roughts to the area also based on wind / but possibly based on not crossing the deers trail.
Rather than trim, I would much rather just wait for the shot to present itself... I find patience works better than huge openings, that alert educated bucks of your presance.

I agree with patience I don't like the sounds of prepping trees. What do you do when you get in the tree and there is that one branch in the way where you will be drawing back to shoot or that one twig poking you in the back for the whole sit? I hate that and it seems like every tree I climb does it to me...

[Gibby]

Thanks for all the info guys,
I wish we had better access to Topos, Arial photos and Satellite images here in Canada, we dont seem to get the detail you get in the US, unless I just haven't found the right place to look for it yet

[BackWoodsHunter]

Have you ever used google earth with the topo overlay feature? its slick my personal favorite otherwise acme mapper does well too!