Any strategies or bedding secrets for deer in non-hill or non-marsh county? How about large, flat, hardwoods like northern Minnesota or Wisconsin? Anywhere deer tend to bed there? Anything to look for on a map or aerial photo, or while scouting?
How about farm country? Are deer generally bedding in people's groves? CRP? Drainage ditch banks? Fence lines? Do you see any tendencies? Again, anything to look for on an aerial photo or map?
Bedding in Non-Marsh or Hill Country
- cornfedkiller
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Re: Bedding in Non-Marsh or Hill Country
How about large, flat, hardwoods like northern Minnesota or Wisconsin?
A look at a Topo will hopefully reveal that although it appears flat there are likely small hills, or low lying wet areas. I would look at the spots with the highest elevation and look at the down wind side of the hill for a buck bed. Also look at your topo for any ground that is low and wet. The transition along the edge of the wet stuff should be good.
How about farm country? Are deer generally bedding in people's groves? CRP? Drainage ditch banks? Fence lines? Do you see any tendencies? Again, anything to look for on an aerial photo or map?
Hard to read off a map if its flat... I would look for over looked areas that get very little human attention. Sometimes there is a thick patch along the road that nobody ever drives or hunts cause its by the road...
Sometimes the woodlot that is ignored right behind the barn. Or a thick spot on a fence line. Or someplace so thick that if you try and get into it the deer can slip out or lay low and avoid you...
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Re: Bedding in Non-Marsh or Hill Country
Hard to read off a map if its flat... I would look for over looked areas that get very little human attention. Sometimes there is a thick patch along the road that nobody ever drives or hunts cause its by the road...
Sometimes the woodlot that is ignored right behind the barn. Or a thick spot on a fence line. Or someplace so thick that if you try and get into it the deer can slip out or lay low and avoid you...
Or a farmplace grove that the owners havent allowed anyone to hunt in 15 years?
Which brings a question to my mind (not that it has anything to do with hunting them, but more-so just behavior)..Do you think in places like this, the deer that hole up in there eventually just feel safe no matter what wind or anything, and just bed in the same place all the time? Do you think they just know they are safe, like the deer in refuges that seem to not care about anything? Do less (non) pressured deer worry less about where they bed when compared to pressured deer, or doesnt it matter?
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Re: Bedding in Non-Marsh or Hill Country
Worry less? Probably... But I think the way wild deer bed is more ingrained
into there genetics for survival. I do see differences in bedding behavior in heavy pressure however the spots they do pick are generally for the same reasons. Such as wind and thick cover behind and open visually in front...
Some bedding on flat farm land has more to do with thick cover than wind direction and bucks will bed some of these spots regardless of wind direction.
I can also say that outside of penned deer, ALL deer feel pressure from predators such as dogs, coyotes, and even human people just out walking.
No... I think they seek out places where they smell or see the least predator interaction and that happens to be where the fewest humans hunt them.
into there genetics for survival. I do see differences in bedding behavior in heavy pressure however the spots they do pick are generally for the same reasons. Such as wind and thick cover behind and open visually in front...
Some bedding on flat farm land has more to do with thick cover than wind direction and bucks will bed some of these spots regardless of wind direction.
I can also say that outside of penned deer, ALL deer feel pressure from predators such as dogs, coyotes, and even human people just out walking.
Do you think they just know they are safe
No... I think they seek out places where they smell or see the least predator interaction and that happens to be where the fewest humans hunt them.
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Re: Bedding in Non-Marsh or Hill Country
ALL deer feel pressure from predators such as dogs, coyotes, and even human people just out walking.
I totally forgot about natural predators as well..
Thanks for the excellent reply!
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