Simple Deer Bed Analysis upstate NY 12/22

[upstateNYhunter518]

Hey guys just looking for a little bit of feedback from this bed I found yesterday.

It was snowing in the morning, everything before was melted from rain the past few days. It stopped snowing at like 11 am and I found this bed at like 230 pm. It sits in a hemlock grove on the Eastern side of a ridge overlooking a pond. A thick deer trail sits less than 50 yds adjacent to it in a southeast direction around the hills surrounding the pond. There is a corn field on the other side of the pond.

I have not posted a pic yet, so this is new for me. Hoping to get some feedback and can also post more pics on this area if that helps. Thanks in advance beast members!

Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays!

[upstateNYhunter518]

Judging by the size of the bed can one assume its probably a mature deer?

[Dingler3]

Looks good. Single bed? Which way was the wind blowing? Did you bump the deer going in? Any rubs around? All things I ask myself when scouting. Good luck and Merry Christmas

[huntfromabove]

It almost looks like a V shape as if it changed position in the bed.

[ghoasthunter]

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Judging by the size of the bed can one assume its probably a mature deer?

memorize that setup that is a bedding pattern for east coast deer almost all my beds are under hemlock trees. what your looking at is two beds in two winds from the shape. its a buck bed for sure but dont be surprised if you get a lone doe bedding under it too. i would scout around the area more you might find a even better buck bedding. the highest point of elevation is normally the bigger bucks the lower ones are doe and young bucks. your on too something for sure. now find that big lone bed that puts all the other beds between him and his destination travel and you will find the oldest buck. the hemlock is overhead cover and will be used alot on hot days for shade or on rain or snow days. 90% of my bedding in that terrain is based on this bedding pattern. now you need too sort threw the maze of beds and find the kings throne use the terrain advantages and you will find it.

[ghoasthunter]

Looks good. Single bed? Which way was the wind blowing? Did you bump the deer going in? Any rubs around? All things I ask myself when scouting. Good luck and Merry Christmas

old rubs and historic rubs for this time of year anything that says a buck was there at one point of time.

[ghoasthunter]

i had a couple threads on bed patterns last year but i cant find them too make a link. finding this is your eye opener and from now on its going too get easier finding beds. when you see the key features needed to locate a bed in your area the pattern will continue too work. marsh swamp hills farm all have bedding placement based on certain types of vegetation in your areas. once you paint that picture you can scout the woods see the layout and be right on top of every bed in a matter of minutes.

[upstateNYhunter518]

i had a couple threads on bed patterns last year but i cant find them too make a link. finding this is your eye opener and from now on its going too get easier finding beds. when you see the key features needed to locate a bed in your area the pattern will continue too work. marsh swamp hills farm all have bedding placement based on certain types of vegetation in your areas. once you paint that picture you can scout the woods see the layout and be right on top of every bed in a matter of minutes.

Thanks for all the info @ghoasthunter that makes a lot of sense. This area is so close to the entry of the woods that we hunt on, towards the top of a north/south running ridge with a pond to the East of the ridge. The bed was on the transition of hemlock trees to hardwoods/thick on the east side of the ridge over looking a lower peninsula east of the ridge and pond on the other side of that. Its only about 300 yards from a main road. Woods, a power line and crop field south and east of the ridge about 200 yards. The deer have a thick trail headed out of it on the south side of the pond. I also found a cluster of about 6 beds about 25-30 yards out in the thicker stuff. There were about a half dozen piles of poop and some really large pellett sized ones.

We usually just circle around the pond and hunt the hardwoods and spots more interior on the land. There is a funnel on the south side of a corn field. I have been trying to cut deer off as they cross the gasline clearing and go from one woods to the other over the top of a small ridge. I know the deer use these trails, I have shot a nice doe during muzzleloader there. But i think my access is all wrong to get to that area. And im not sure if the deer are bedding in that area next to the pond often, if they are, they knew our every move we came into the woods mostly. Im not sure how I should work this setup? What do you think?

[ghoasthunter]

i had a couple threads on bed patterns last year but i cant find them too make a link. finding this is your eye opener and from now on its going too get easier finding beds. when you see the key features needed to locate a bed in your area the pattern will continue too work. marsh swamp hills farm all have bedding placement based on certain types of vegetation in your areas. once you paint that picture you can scout the woods see the layout and be right on top of every bed in a matter of minutes.

Thanks for all the info @ghoasthunter that makes a lot of sense. This area is so close to the entry of the woods that we hunt on, towards the top of a north/south running ridge with a pond to the East of the ridge. The bed was on the transition of hemlock trees to hardwoods/thick on the east side of the ridge over looking a lower peninsula east of the ridge and pond on the other side of that. Its only about 300 yards from a main road. Woods, a power line and crop field south and east of the ridge about 200 yards. The deer have a thick trail headed out of it on the south side of the pond. I also found a cluster of about 6 beds about 25-30 yards out in the thicker stuff. There were about a half dozen piles of poop and some really large pellett sized ones.

We usually just circle around the pond and hunt the hardwoods and spots more interior on the land. There is a funnel on the south side of a corn field. I have been trying to cut deer off as they cross the gasline clearing and go from one woods to the other over the top of a small ridge. I know the deer use these trails, I have shot a nice doe during muzzleloader there. But i think my access is all wrong to get to that area. And im not sure if the deer are bedding in that area next to the pond often, if they are, they knew our every move we came into the woods mostly. Im not sure how I should work this setup? What do you think?

looks like a good spot and i dont think your too off on using that funnel. big question how long does that corn stay standing reason being is will that pattern continue every year im betting you can get a crack at the buck in the pinch while the corn is standing. but once that corn is cut your loosing a lot of security cover and thats going too make that buck hang back till cover of darkness. with this happening your going too have too push closer too the bedding too get a shot at the buck. your going too have too plan entry carefully so that the deer dont see you cumming. im betting you will have eyes on you from field and from around the pond. i might try making a big loop and trying too enter the back door so you can stay out of line of sight. get in the bed and look out and mark the bucks field of view on his exit trail then set up just out of his sight range. you could also try setting up low in the morning and catching him where he enters pic a day you might think he will head home late. you will prob find some rubs and other sign from where he enters possibly along that pond using the thermal pull from the pond. for early season i would set up in that pinch first near the corn and use the corn too get in if possible farmers can be nice some times and give you access like that. but once the cover disappears your going too have too close the gap most of the time.

[ghoasthunter]

i had a couple threads on bed patterns last year but i cant find them too make a link. finding this is your eye opener and from now on its going too get easier finding beds. when you see the key features needed to locate a bed in your area the pattern will continue too work. marsh swamp hills farm all have bedding placement based on certain types of vegetation in your areas. once you paint that picture you can scout the woods see the layout and be right on top of every bed in a matter of minutes.

Thanks for all the info @ghoasthunter that makes a lot of sense. This area is so close to the entry of the woods that we hunt on, towards the top of a north/south running ridge with a pond to the East of the ridge. The bed was on the transition of hemlock trees to hardwoods/thick on the east side of the ridge over looking a lower peninsula east of the ridge and pond on the other side of that. Its only about 300 yards from a main road. Woods, a power line and crop field south and east of the ridge about 200 yards. The deer have a thick trail headed out of it on the south side of the pond. I also found a cluster of about 6 beds about 25-30 yards out in the thicker stuff. There were about a half dozen piles of poop and some really large pellett sized ones.

We usually just circle around the pond and hunt the hardwoods and spots more interior on the land. There is a funnel on the south side of a corn field. I have been trying to cut deer off as they cross the gasline clearing and go from one woods to the other over the top of a small ridge. I know the deer use these trails, I have shot a nice doe during muzzleloader there. But i think my access is all wrong to get to that area. And im not sure if the deer are bedding in that area next to the pond often, if they are, they knew our every move we came into the woods mostly. Im not sure how I should work this setup? What do you think?

looks like a good spot and i dont think your too off on using that funnel. big question how long does that corn stay standing reason being is will that pattern continue every year im betting you can get a crack at the buck in the pinch while the corn is standing. but once that corn is cut your loosing a lot of security cover and thats going too make that buck hang back till cover of darkness. with this happening your going too have too push closer too the bedding too get a shot at the buck. your going too have too plan entry carefully so that the deer dont see you cumming. im betting you will have eyes on you from field and from around the pond. i might try making a big loop and trying too enter the back door so you can stay out of line of sight. get in the bed and look out and mark the bucks field of view on his exit trail then set up just out of his sight range. you could also try setting up low in the morning and catching him where he enters pic a day you might think he will head home late. you will prob find some rubs and other sign from where he enters possibly along that pond using the thermal pull from the pond. for early season i would set up in that pinch first near the corn and use the corn too get in if possible farmers can be nice some times and give you access like that. but once the cover disappears your going too have too close the gap most of the time.

another spot too look at is that point going into the pond and all the surrounding edges could be some good bedding tucked in there you might find good exit trails going into the east corn field along that whole edge. realistically you could possibly have a couple weeks worth of sits down that line and the ability too stack bedding too boot