Buck bedding areas on public land...
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Buck bedding areas on public land...
Everybody seems to struggle finding the spots where mature bucks bed on public land. But there is one ingredient in a mature bucks primary bedding spots that seems to get over looked, but is perhaps the main ingredient.
All of the really great spots I have where I find mature bucks bedding every year on public are in spots with very little human intrusion. With this in mind, think about the way your looking at a public land your about to scout... If you take a map and cross off everywhere people go to hunt there ain't much left to the map... But within those little left over pieces is where your going to find the mature bucks hiding as long as you don't over pressure them and make them like the rest.
Often these spots are over looked spots like right next to the road, or remote spots where guys don't want to hike that far, or cross water. Or maybe its remote and over looked.
Sure, you still need a bedding spot that is secure enough for a mature buck to bed, but by looking mostly where no one else walks or hunts very often, your going to find the better bucks and waste less time searching out over hunted areas.
All of the really great spots I have where I find mature bucks bedding every year on public are in spots with very little human intrusion. With this in mind, think about the way your looking at a public land your about to scout... If you take a map and cross off everywhere people go to hunt there ain't much left to the map... But within those little left over pieces is where your going to find the mature bucks hiding as long as you don't over pressure them and make them like the rest.
Often these spots are over looked spots like right next to the road, or remote spots where guys don't want to hike that far, or cross water. Or maybe its remote and over looked.
Sure, you still need a bedding spot that is secure enough for a mature buck to bed, but by looking mostly where no one else walks or hunts very often, your going to find the better bucks and waste less time searching out over hunted areas.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Dan, you picked out a spot for me to check out after the scouting seminar. It was the spot next to the road, in the small cattail swamp.I've walked past it many times, each time paying little attention to it. Well, today I checked it out! And yes, you were right on the money. I found a good bed. Wore down with use. Mabey only 50 yards from the road. He can lay there watch people driving by. And if he gets unsettled, he just slips out the back.
Thanks for the spot.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
dan wrote:Everybody seems to struggle finding the spots where mature bucks bed on public land. But there is one ingredient in a mature bucks primary bedding spots that seems to get over looked, but is perhaps the main ingredient.
All of the really great spots I have where I find mature bucks bedding every year on public are in spots with very little human intrusion. With this in mind, think about the way your looking at a public land your about to scout... If you take a map and cross off everywhere people go to hunt there ain't much left to the map... But within those little left over pieces is where your going to find the mature bucks hiding as long as you don't over pressure them and make them like the rest.
Often these spots are over looked spots like right next to the road, or remote spots where guys don't want to hike that far, or cross water. Or maybe its remote and over looked.
Sure, you still need a bedding spot that is secure enough for a mature buck to bed, but by looking mostly where no one else walks or hunts very often, your going to find the better bucks and waste less time searching out over hunted areas.
I honestly think some of these bucks are hiding right in plain sight if most hunters put the time into looking. I would go as far as saying a lot of deer are probably watching us get out of our trucks when we go to hunt them. I know one public spot I hunt I walked over by the outhouse building and a nice buck was laying 5 feet away in some tall weeds. Had I never walked there I bet he would have stayed there the hole time we were getting our rifles out and talking and forming a plan. Unfortunately he saw me before I saw him and he jumped and ran away without me getting a shot, but I would have never ever guess a buck that big was right there, he was 50 yards from the truck and the parking lot.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Swampthing wrote:Dan, you picked out a spot for me to check out after the scouting seminar. It was the spot next to the road, in the small cattail swamp.I've walked past it many times, each time paying little attention to it. Well, today I checked it out! And yes, you were right on the money. I found a good bed. Wore down with use. Mabey only 50 yards from the road. He can lay there watch people driving by. And if he gets unsettled, he just slips out the back.
Thanks for the spot.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Great information.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
I have found some doe beds this year scouting, but I have not found any slam dunk beds yet. I found one great bedding area last weekend and kicked up a few does and a young buck (found quite a bit of hair and poop with a rub cluster nearby). A couple of weeks ago, I found an old buck bed that hadn't been used in a while.
A couple of months ago, I did find my one and only buck bed worn to dirt, but I am not sure that I can get close enough to hunt the bed. This buck was bedding against a large resevoir facing north with the lake to his south. His front is pretty open, so I think he will bust me if I get very close. I am going to try the spot this fall and see what happens.
I have to be honest and admit that I am pretty discouraged. I found some great rut sign in the process, and thus I have some great rut spots for this fall. But, I only have 2-3 possible buck beds to hunt with many, many hours of walking under my belt. On a couple of my public spots (3,000 acres total), I walked dang near every inch of the property without finding any real great bedding areas.
A couple of months ago, I did find my one and only buck bed worn to dirt, but I am not sure that I can get close enough to hunt the bed. This buck was bedding against a large resevoir facing north with the lake to his south. His front is pretty open, so I think he will bust me if I get very close. I am going to try the spot this fall and see what happens.
I have to be honest and admit that I am pretty discouraged. I found some great rut sign in the process, and thus I have some great rut spots for this fall. But, I only have 2-3 possible buck beds to hunt with many, many hours of walking under my belt. On a couple of my public spots (3,000 acres total), I walked dang near every inch of the property without finding any real great bedding areas.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Its not easy Jake... Especially at 1st. In some terrains you can look right at a buck bed and not know if it is or not... It takes time to build up those areas and likely you won't put a whole lot of new spots on each year. Just keep looking and it will get easier and easier... For me, a lot of the beds are hard to see, but from a distance I can pick out the ingrediance that makes a buck bed, so just a close up look at the area and I go straight to the beds, thats why I am good at finding them. To get to that point, there is only one way to get good, you have to keep doing it till you get to the point where you look at the terrain and can see where the beds should be.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Jake no reason to get down on yourself! Learning anything new takes time. You are well on your way because you're not afraid of the legwork involved. Not all beds allow you to get close. Just get as close as you possibly can. Get down in that bed and see what you can get away with.Good Luck!
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Solid advice as usual Dan. When I am out scouting I often ask myself where are the other hunters not going. More often than not it is to a place that isn't easy to get to, when I arrive in those locations I find buck sign more than not. It isn't alwasy mature buck sign but it lets you know you are on the right track. It seem the more I scout the better I am at finding these little honey holes.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Good advice. It's amazing what you will find when you avoid walking the path of least resentence and walk or ever crawl through the thick stuff.
Short story: I hunted this one saddle off and on for years, I had confidence in the spot and seen a lot of deer but never the big guy. I left my stand one day and thought I would walk up the ridge and circle back to the car. I walked 150 yards up almost to the top then the ridge got narrow. I found several trees blown over. I thought about turning around and going back but I decided to crawl through and over the downed trees. I threw my leg over one tree and stepped right into a buck bed. I stood there and looked down the ridge right at the tree I was setup in. I felt pretty stupid. How many times had that buck laid there and watched me come in and out of my stand. He was watching me and watching all the deer I was letting pass. Smart old deer. I learned a lot that day!
Short story: I hunted this one saddle off and on for years, I had confidence in the spot and seen a lot of deer but never the big guy. I left my stand one day and thought I would walk up the ridge and circle back to the car. I walked 150 yards up almost to the top then the ridge got narrow. I found several trees blown over. I thought about turning around and going back but I decided to crawl through and over the downed trees. I threw my leg over one tree and stepped right into a buck bed. I stood there and looked down the ridge right at the tree I was setup in. I felt pretty stupid. How many times had that buck laid there and watched me come in and out of my stand. He was watching me and watching all the deer I was letting pass. Smart old deer. I learned a lot that day!
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Ive noticed on private land that bucks will bed in spots that will watch the 4-wheeler trails so they know we are coming. I really do think they watch out for us. And yes sometimes in spots Ive never thought a buck would be.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Great topic and excellent examples from everyone. Keep'em coming.
I must admit the first couple of years was the most challenging for me, but when I found that picture perfect bed (rubs in bed, big tracks, etc.) it all made sense why he was there.
I must admit the first couple of years was the most challenging for me, but when I found that picture perfect bed (rubs in bed, big tracks, etc.) it all made sense why he was there.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
dan wrote:In some terrains you can look right at a buck bed and not know if it is or not...
I have found this in some of the farm land i hunt...even though I jumped deer from a bed from a distance i get to that spot and it is sometimes hard to pin exactly where they were laying( sometimes easy with hair etc but other times not). You still get the basic idea of where they are laying but im just saying it can be a little harder than marshes because there is only a clump they can lay on in some cases...
has anyone else noticed this
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
Most of the buck beds I've found are in secluded areas (very few humans if any, atleast til gun hunting)
I have a couple I've found that are just overlooked. Just a pocket of brush a or a clump of cover in the dumbest (you think anyways) location until you walk over there and realize oh hey there is a big bed in here with a couple of rubs! Never think never.
I have a couple I've found that are just overlooked. Just a pocket of brush a or a clump of cover in the dumbest (you think anyways) location until you walk over there and realize oh hey there is a big bed in here with a couple of rubs! Never think never.
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Re: Buck bedding areas on public land...
I find it very difficult to find mature buck beds on the public land I hunt. I work my rear off to find them, but find very little mature buck beds. And when I do find the bed, it is like one bed in the middle of the bigwoods.....how/when/what time of the year do I hunt the bed? hahahaha
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