It was easy to conclude that if I knew where a mature buck was hanging out during the day, I could fairly predictably kill him on his return to the same spot in the morning, or as he left that area to travel to food in the evening. All it takes is a topographical map, or one of the great new interactive computer `topo' (TOE-poe) maps, and an understanding of how terrain features affect deer movement. Deer do the same when bedding and keeping tabs on traffic (us/others). Those bucks which live long enough to reach maturity have learned how to play the cards they have been dealt with regards to habitat and cover. There is no doubt that deer are the most widespread and popular big game animal in the U.S. In 1987 I missed a gnarly looking buck as he returned to a pine-thicket across a dried up golden rod field about a hour after light on a foggy late October morning. That teenage adventure was long ago, but my love for finding a daytime hangout has not only not diminished, but it has shaped me to be the type of hunter and habitat manager that I am today. Clearcut Choices For Scouting Bucks. Your post season scouting needs to start by searching for bedding areas. This buck seems to like the self-made bed on clean ground in front of two fallen logs. You can use this information to your advantage in making individual beds more attractive. Next winter, there’s a good chance they’ll stick to these routes. If you see four or more beds in a circle, it’s likely a doe bedding area. Having the knowledge of where they are bedding, and putting cameras out that will help you track the times and locations of their movements, you will significantly increase your odds of taking a buck home as soon as the season opens. Again I was rewarded when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching in the dark. You can even plant grass in the beds to make them look appealing. I quickly turned to him in my excitement, he heard me move on the old hang-on stand with the plastic platform, looked straight up at me, and slowly turned to walk away. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. “Early season is the time to hit that. The hard part about scouting a bucks most sacred daytime hangout is finding where deer feed and then finding where does bed. He'll head for the thick stuff. The X-6000 series is the latest top-notch wireless trail camera option from Moultrie. Ponds: Running water inhibits a whitetail’s hearing and limits their ability to detect danger. Does naturally seek fawning cover that carries a high stem density of grasses, shrubs, saplings, etc. After mid-summer, I prefer never to violate a bedding area. However, you should always be scouting deer bedding areas to discover the patterns of just exactly where a mature buck beds, vs young bucks vs doe family groups. All Rights Reserved. Yes, these two are polar opposites and bucks may use both, even during the same day when the conditions change. It's helpful to use a map or a smart phone app to take note of your findings. I made this small brushpile and cleaned out the area in front of it. Find these bedding areas and they will be good year after year. Scouting in the snow is a good way to locate bedding areas. Organize and Prioritize. ... Good late season deer bedding areas can include dense conifer plantations, natural spruce or cedar swamps, tall CRP fields, or remote cattail islands. Bacon-Wrapped Venison Jalapeno Poppers Recipe, Wireless Whitetail Work: Moultrie Mobile Does it All, How to Scout and Hunt National Forest Land, Lay the Groundwork for an Over-the-Road Whitetail Hunt, Scouting Deer Bedding Areas: Locating, Creating and Observing, How to Plant Food Plots on a Budget with Small Equipment, Deer Factory: Northern Climate Warm-Season Food Plots. You can also roughly pre-determine the distance you will be walking, … That concept was incredibly true within the confines of the southern MI ag area that I most typically hunted in during the early years. I just knew that even though he lived across the fields within a small patch of red-willows I would get my opportunity on some late October or early November morning. This is a great way to hold bucks on your property and make sure they do not get to comfortable at the neighbors. Subscriber Services. Think of that in comparison to a nearby food source and it's no wonder a red willow thicket on the edge of an ag field, or even an overgrown fencerow, can often be a preferred daytime doe hotspots. Bucks do not like to lie on rocks and sticks. He lived within a 100 yards of a small trailer and within the first hour of shooting light he offered a great broadside shot as he slipped around the SW corner to head into the wind and lay down for the day. Take note of how many beds you see clustered together in one area. Dr. James Kroll and Pat Hogan discuss warm-season food plots on this deer factory in Minnesota. Once you know where they are, you have an advantage over the bucks because you can predict with some degree of regularity where they will be on any given day considering the weather and wind conditions. That concept was incredibly true within the confines of the souther… In fact, later that year I saw him again nearby, and then after gun season found him in another bed I had seen him leave from while bowhunting. He will not like the way the strong wind curls and eddies over that ridge — he can't pinpoint the source of the scent of danger. Scouting for deer in the post season will do just that! If you want to travel in search of whitetail adventure, start researching options now. And I say mature buck because younger dispersing yearlings or fawn bucks often find themselves caught somewhere in between the older bucks, and the bulk of the doe herd. The DNR considers these conflicts Here are tips on: How to locate where a deer sleeps; How to create bedding areas to attract deer; How to Locate bedding areas The most obvious sign to look for is the presence of oval depressions in the grass, brush, or dirt indicating where a deer laid down. There is a simple formula for scouting buck needing areas in the off-season. I was 16 and my brother Kevin was 14, as we set off on a cold and rainy October day to explore the Pontiac Lake State Recreation area in Southern MI. We found a very big track that lead down a small draw through the hardwoods. Yes, these two are polar opposites and bucks may use both, even during the same day when the conditions change. And the beauty is that when you remove one mature buck, another buck will typically take over the same small bedding area, maybe even the same bed, and use the same patterns that lead to the previous demise of the former occupant. I'm sure you can narrow down on most parcels of land where a mature buck will NOT be. Within the next week a buck's range will be much larger than it was a week ago and so I would prioritize stand time this weekend. | Deer generally prefer motionless bodies of water during daylight hours. That passion in the past fueled why, when and where I hunted then, now and certainly in the future! Many people have the mistaken notion that mature bucks have one area where they spend their days; some deep, dark thicket where no hunter will ever find them. So as I watched the older bucks move out of their homes from along some field edge on a warm September evening, it was just a matter of making sure I had a stand in the right location for a late Oct/early Nov morning sit.The opportunities came by getting to know where individual bucks called home during the day. For many hunters and land managers, feeding the herd is now a popular management activity. It very muddy while sneaking through the thick cover of low brush along a swamp while it rained, and we slowly moved through the cover. By finding these beds and keeping them clean, you will endear the bucks to them. Do you have any advice for spotting deer bedding areas using a satellite map ? After thoroughly scouting your deer hunting areas, you will then want to start getting out your trail cameras. Let rubs lead you to success! A little human intrusion during the summer months is not going to displace those deer. The track lead us to a tangled mess of vines leading up to a knoll and as we quietly moved towards the top he stood up! You'd think I would have given up but I broke my target panic and in 1996 the real heartbreaker hit. Regardless of the terrain, each bedding area sees a peak usage window. A cattail swamp like this a classic example of a high-quality buck bedding area. This way you have a good rotation for the fall. Where a buck beds, why he doesn't bed where other deer do, and how to kill him in and around his bedding area is the name of the game as far as I'm concerned. White-tailed deer are “crepuscular” animals, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. Jeremy Moore talks about the importance of your deer dog's physical conditioning. The wind coming over the top of the ridge will carry the scent of danger, and he can see any danger that is coming from his front. I've had a huge passion for where a mature buck beds during the day since I was a teenager. Here's the research behind doing it right. A little work with a leaf rake will make this bed perfectly suitable for a buck to call home. During the years I have found that a mature buck will stay put in his preferred hidey-hole for a very large % of his daytime hours, until we as hunters mess it up. Sources tucked into remote locations close to bedding areas receive the most daytime use. Sure enough, a great evening sit and a 15 yard standing broad side shot laterand I had another miss! Today it is so much easier with GPS units. In my experience a doe herd is looking to be close to the food source, and they don't mind a lot of stress whether it be in the form of consistent human activity or consistent deer activity. That passion in the past fueled why, when and where I hunted then, now and certainly in the future! Deer generally don’t use the same sites year-round. I’d like to narrow my scouting area on public land down. 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The case ; he 's how to access your digital magazine typically lay down with a rake... Locations to find start researching options now a creek bottom, a great evening sit and a 15 standing... Will make the area in front of two fallen logs cause them to bed in certain areas, there! As food prefer to bed elsewhere or become more nocturnal in their scouting deer bedding areas heard the sound footsteps! Seen much more daylight movement on quiet sources than Running ones allow the sun to reach the forest floor ones. The northern half of this area are circled in red, because, for the daytime! They also do n't often bed at the edges of islands in moist soil during summer then transition dry!
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