Lockdown wrote:JAK wrote:Lockdown wrote:That not all buck beds are created equal. It takes more than a good looking bed and a few rubs to make it hunt worthy. Most guys find a bed with a rub in it and get all antsy in their pantsy (I did when I first started)
but realistically a bed can look pretty worn with fairly minimal use. If a buck lays in it once or twice a month, and one decides to leave a rub, it’s going to make you lick your chops.
The best bedding areas have rubs from multiple years and lots of beds. The bedding areas that get used very consistently... those are the beds you want to concentrate on. And even then when you hunt the best it’s fairly common to not see anything. It’s all part of the game.
I would say I’m to the point where 10-20% of the buck beds I find get hunted. It takes a few years to really understand what you’re looking at. I’m certainly not “there” yet, but definitely better than when I started.
The best bedding areas I’ve found are hard to hunt. And that’s why they’re the best. Figuring out how to hunt them effectively might take some trial and error.
Learning Beast techniques is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. Pay attention to all the little details and KEEP AN OPEN MIND. The information you read here and watch in videos are guidelines, not gospel.
In 3-5 years you’ll be in pretty good shape as long as you’re putting forth the effort.
I would agree there. Probly 15 % of the spots ive scouted a truley worth hunting and i can see how
a new beast cant let those type of spots string them along. I know when i first started i found a few beds and salavated at the mouth. But then thought to myself got to be better spots then this. And when u find one you know. Only way to find them is scout scout scout.
I agree.
A guy definitely doesn’t want to run out, find a bunch of spots you think are “good enough” then stop scouting if it’s still pre-green up. At the same time, if there’s a bed(ding area) that you aren’t sure is hunt worthy, I’d lean towards hunting it. Is the hunter stringing himself along on mediocre bedding? Maybe, maybe not.
It comes back to the instant gratification stuff that others have mentioned previously in this thread. A guy has to put his time in.
There’s nothing wrong with hunting a few questionable spots! That’s how you learn. Before long you’ll recognize that similar spots are mediocre and you can pass them by and not feel bad about it. I’ve said it a hundred times on the forum... any time you can answer a question, that’s a positive. I can’t stand questioning things. I want the answer and I want it now.
That said, Jak your 2nd to last sentence is spot on. “When you find one, you know.”. The good stuff should really get you excited. It will make perfect sense on an aerial, AND in the field.
The best bed I ever found was not visible on an aerial. It was a point into the cats that was almost imperceptible from the aerial. But like you said, once you saw it, all the tumblers fell into place and my brain-lock opened. The current occupant of the bed had little rubs in it, but there were larger older rubs in it too. It was a total mess to get to, even though it wasn't far off a road. I don't know if I'll see a big guy there, but I will try it. It was primary bedding.
I've pounded a lot of other ground and haven't found anything that good yet, although the snow and ice is obscuring the picture right now.
So here's a question, particularly for Lockdown, who is getting hammered with snow: Assuming snow cover of less than 8 inches, would you still go out and scout it, or wait for thaw? I'm seeing stuff that
could be decent bedding, but it's under ice right now.
I feel like I'm getting the lay of the land scouting in Feb in SE WI, but I don't feel confident about nailing a specific bed. Rough areas, yes, but prime bed? No. I might not be in right spots either, but the conditions are leaving potentially more questions than answers.