Bedding Area: Had to Walk Through it to Track Doe

[UTGrad]

The blood trail from a doe I shot this morning led me right into the heart of a prime bedding area on the property I hunt.

Did I ruin the bedding area by walking through it looking for blood?

 

[cfmartin1833]

Doubt it

 

[catman529]

I'm no expert but I would guess walking through there once wouldn't be a problem

 

[W.Seay]

Just leave that area alone for a couple weeks

 

[REN]

You will be fine. A couple weeks is a bit excessive IMO but a couple days for sure.

 

[EastTNHunter]

It is some good scouting tracking deer through their hidey holes.

 

[UTGrad]

Bump

Would like to get more thoughts on what impact walking through a bedding area will have on deer.

 

[BACKWOODS BOY]

I have been through them many of times never really noticed a change in their activity

 

[richmanbarbeque]

No such thing in TN. If so how come we don't have threads about hunting doe bedding areas during rut. I wish I knew where "bedding" areas were. I could kill a deer every time I went hunting. Deer bed where they want and where they feel like it and it changes every day.

How come when I find beds it's just a few and not bunches? Why when I Check weeks later they are gone?

 

[UTGrad]

No such thing in TN. If so how come we don't have threads about hunting doe bedding areas during rut. I wish I knew where "bedding" areas were. I could kill a deer every time I went hunting. Deer bed where they want and where they feel like it and it changes every day.

How come when I find beds it's just a few and not bunches? Why when I Check weeks later they are gone?

The bed area on one of the properties I hunt is a dried up pond that is full of bedding sign. I would venture to say this is a long term bedding area.

 

[Crosshairy]

I know what Richman means, though. A lot of places I hunt don't have regular bedding areas. It is possible, however, to find spots that are "very common", if not regular, in the right areas.

A classic spot that I saw was a thicket in Benton County, that was on the back side of a large ridge, just off of an abandoned logging road. It was predominantly mature timber in the area, and that was one large thicket that always had bedded deer sign in it.

That being said, I still think that me passing through a place like that once is not going to drive all of the deer out. Especially since bucks and does don't normally bed together this early in the season, I think your impact to them won't be too big of a deal.

Make a note of the trails coming from it, and consider setting up there after Thanksgiving.

 

[richmanbarbeque]

No such thing in TN. If so how come we don't have threads about hunting doe bedding areas during rut. I wish I knew where "bedding" areas were. I could kill a deer every time I went hunting. Deer bed where they want and where they feel like it and it changes every day.

How come when I find beds it's just a few and not bunches? Why when I Check weeks later they are gone?

The bed area on one of the properties I hunt is a dried up pond that is full of bedding sign. I would venture to say this is a long term bedding area.

How big is it and how many beds?

 

[bigtex]

Yes, deer will bed anywhere they feel the need to lay down for awhile. But......they also prefer sanctuaries, [over grown clear-cuts, thickets, etc] to lie up when the pressure is on.
I think the OP was refering to a "sanctuary" which at times is used as a bedding area.
My farm is bordered on three sides by a 600 acre 12 year old clear-cut. It's so thick and over grown that a person can hardly crawl through it. But you can bet your sweet arse deer utilize the heck out of it any time of the year.
Bedding areas, sanctuaries, hidey holes, all the same thing to me.