Buck bedding behavior

[TheLBLman]

Absolutely, I have many pictures of mature bucks bedding at night in food plots.

Which is one of the reasons it can be counter-productive to hunt food plots on morning hunts, as you can easily spook them when you set up near the plot/field.

 

[Ski]

Which is one of the reasons it can be counter-productive to hunt food plots on morning hunts, as you can easily spook them when you set up near the plot/field.

IMO the only way to hunt a food plot is from long distance with a rifle. Primarily being a bow hunter my plots are off limits to hunting. I don't want anyone near them, including myself.

 

[Rackseeker]

I know the thread was mainly about buck bedding behavior but, I think deer bedding in general is different depending on the terrain. The places I tend to set up year after year is near bedding, which where I hunt is usually in steep, rocky areas. Where they have a good vantage point to see danger coming and also where they can smell danger coming. I have found bucks like to cruise above these bedding areas wind checking for does during the rut. Often busting them out of bedding areas chasing during the rut. As far as buck bedding I think they just travel around never bedding in the same place very often. Unless they are locked on a hot doe. The key where I hunt is not to pressure the does, once they figure you out they avoid that area. I have hunted the same property for 42 years and I learn something new every year that I think helps me see more mature bucks.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Bedding areas are a myth. They bed where they want and most of the time is random. They don't go somewhere to bed, they bed where the notion strikes them.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I agree with most everything that's been said here. There are a few areas I know bucks tend to bed year after year. Not a specific bed - that's ridiculous in our environment, but certain areas do tend to be repeat offenders in November/December. 3 areas stick out to me that I set up on occasionally. All are ones I've capitalized a few times in the mornings as they're headed there, but can't get close to in the evenings - have heard them get up and leave but I'm 100+ yards away and never see them due to darkness.

But again, these aren't specific beds or even 1-2 acre blocks. They are areas around 3–5 acres, so the same principle applies. They use general areas to bed, but it never gets anything close to "granular" like some think (and predict on hunting shows).

I will say finding as many buck beds that you can throughout your hunting career can help identify HOW they like to bed. But as far as consistency, they are a random species and will lay when they feel like laying, no matter the scenario

 

[BSK]

Bedding areas are a myth. They bed where they want and most of the time is random. They don't go somewhere to bed, they bed where the notion strikes them.

This is generally what I have seen from GPS collar data. However, as bucks age, I do believe they tend towards thicker cover to bed. That said, even when thick cover is nearby, I've watched them bed in open hardwoods.

 

[Ski]

Bedding areas are a myth. They bed where they want and most of the time is random. They don't go somewhere to bed, they bed where the notion strikes them.

For dark hours bedding I'd say that's accurate. But for daylight bedding I disagree. I know far too many spots where more often than not if I approach them in daylight hours I'll bump a buck up. It may not be the same buck every time and probably isn't, but it's a spot bucks like to bed during daylight. It's like a good fishing spot. You can get them there year after year, decade after decade. They range in size from a small shelf below a hogback ridge to a couple acre woodlot in big ag. I believe a coincidence is two or three times. More than that is a pattern. And the pattern I see is there are a few certain spots I can bump up a bedded buck on the regular and a whole lot of ground where I can't, so to me that indicates there's a preference for that spot.

 

[Ski]

This is generally what I have seen from GPS collar data. However, as bucks age, I do believe they tend towards thicker cover to bed. That said, even when thick cover is nearby, I've watched them bed in open hardwoods.

I've only seen that occasionally and almost every time it's because he's tending a doe or watching/waiting over a doe trail. I have seen them bed on points, shelves, or just below the crest of hogback ridges in open timber but there was an obvious terrain advantage. I don't assume that's what you meant. Otherwise the only exception I've seen is summer or night. In summer they lay down right in the open so long as there's shade. I assume because of uninhibited breeze to keep them cool. Or at night they seem to bed down anywhere like they let their guard down completely. But during fall if I see one bedding without vegetation or terrain cover it's pretty much because of a doe.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

When we think of thick cover, we imagine a 3-5 acre thicket you can't walk through. Bedding Cover can be a single blown down tree top.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Actually, mature bucks will sometimes bed right in the middle of a food plot or field, but usually at night. Same goes for open mature hardwoods with little "cover".

And sometimes they even bed right in front of your camera on a scrapeline, like the one in my avatar.;)

Bedding areas are a myth. They bed where they want and most of the time is random. They don't go somewhere to bed, they bed where the notion strikes them.

Absolutely agree with this.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

Bedding areas are a myth. They bed where they want and most of the time is random. They don't go somewhere to bed, they bed where the notion strikes them.

I would agree with this roughly 9-10 months out of the year. But in my area at least, once the guns start cracking it becomes more predictable. It's not necessarily that I can tell you where they do bed, but I can show you plenty of spots where they will bed before being pressured that they'll stop using once the pressure ramps up.

 

[SJS]

Living part time in Michigan it's interesting to take note of deer beds when we are rabbit hunting in the snow. Some are in open hardwoods, and some are in some of the thickest cover you can find. There never seems to be a reason other than it being random! lol

 

[BSK]

Living part time in Michigan it's interesting to take note of deer beds when we are rabbit hunting in the snow. Some are in open hardwoods, and some are in some of the thickest cover you can find. There never seems to be a reason other than it being random! lol

Are you in a part of Michigan snowy enough for deer to exhibit yarding behavior?