Leaving bedding

[KCbuckeye22]

Interesting you set up off of ridges. Where I’m at, we typically have to set up on the tops of ridges (usually around the breaks where they start falling off). Most of the deer bed ‘lower’ and then move up in the evening or after dark. We want to go down after them, but there’s just not a good way to go down a cow’s face in the forest quietly or without being spotted from quite a distance in the afternoons. We’ve been racking our brains trying to get to these deer. Almost have to hunt them in the mornings, and get there crazy early to beat them in.

What usually gives you away? Smell or them seeing you access? I would think your scent will drop with the thermal in the evening putting those deer on alert.

 

[TonyGreenway]

I like this thread as well. I’ve been following the Hunting Public guys lately, and trying to absorb as much info as possible so I could see how it relates to my areas (absolutely zero ag, big timber, and rough hill country). Almost everything I’ve ever hunted is as far from what most Midwest hunting is about). Bedding may be in the bottom of a holler on the creek because it’s cooler and thicker cover, or it could be on a bench somewhere between the top of the ridge and the creek. We’ve even bumped deer on the very top of a ridge on a big flat. I’ve had them come in to feed and bed down really got there just because they could. No rhyme or reason that’s obvious much of the time. Their food (on most years) are acorns that you can basically go anywhere in the woods and pick up in buckets. So...with no defined bedding (to speak of) and no destination ag or food sources, they basically eat and sleep in the same spot. Transition areas are almost nonexistent. Could be the trail going around the bench, or it could be a draw (some of the Hunting Public boys call them a ditch I think). Either way, I’ve hunted this country all my life, and through years of observation I have figured out the where’s and why’s. But I want to try some of these techniques and tactics to see what can apply and what doesn’t. I really think they have merit, but as with anything, there is no silver bullet that works for all areas. As mentioned earlier, every situation and location is different. I do thing wind impacts bedding much more than direction of movement. It just makes sense. I’m interested to keep this one going to discuss and learn more about how these tactics can be applied or discarded based on the various types of terrain we all hunt!


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This sounds very familiar.

 

[Carcher87]

Oaks every where, 5-10 year clear cut, and fresh spring water at the bottom by the road. So everything they have everything everywhere lol. I've been trying to correlate wind and the exit. We know the bed leeward but will he exit up wind or downwind primarily for until he feels "comfortable" that's where I'm trying to find maybe an sliver of tendency.

 

[Carcher87]

I named him houdini because I had a shot in him 2x last year. 1st time my arrow hit a branch (clean miss) 2nd time he walked behind a pine tree and so I switched my bow off to the right side of the tree and took my eyes off for 2 seconds and he disappeared.

But this deer has NO pattern I swear. He's just a free ranging Boss.

 

[wildotter]

What usually gives you away? Smell or them seeing you access? I would think your scent will drop with the thermal in the evening putting those deer on alert.

Typically sight/sound. Just hard to move undetected in this country. Entire forest floor is covered with leaves. We’ve even discussed taking a yard rake to the woods and taking a path for quieter routes. problem is, the deer would just start using that trail and then we’re leaving ground scent on the trail.

We normally have wind of some sort up in the mountains (anywhere from 10-20 mph). Even when the weather calls for 5-10, it pushes harder than that where we are. Early season can be a bit calm, and thermals will come into play a lot. Most of the time we try to hang where the wind can push our scent off the top and over their head, but nothing is perfect.


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[wildotter]

I named him houdini because I had a shot in him 2x last year. 1st time my arrow hit a branch (clean miss) 2nd time he walked behind a pine tree and so I switched my bow off to the right side of the tree and took my eyes off for 2 seconds and he disappeared.

But this deer has NO pattern I swear. He's just a free ranging Boss.

I feel your pain on the lack of pattern!

Had a buck disappear behind a tree on me once too. Had my rifle aimed at the opening on the left of the tree. Buck was moving right to left, went behind the tree and some smaller brush...never saw him again. Finally figured out there was a trail leading straight away from me.

IT’S LIKE THEY KNOW!!!!


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[FrigidArrows]

I don't believe they leave bedding in any certain direction in regards to wind direction. It has been stated by many others on this thread as well. I have pictures of hit listers going out all different sides of a small swamp in the middle of timber, no regard to wind. However, I have seen and have evidence to prove that the wind may dictate their travel routes. I have been following a buck for a few years that will leave out of a bed in any direction, but will make an effort 95% of the time to always reach his destination on the downwind side, whether that be food, water, or checking doe bedding(that ones for obvious reasons). Depending on the wind it may not be much of a change, but there are times he will make a very large loop to come out to a food source with the wind in his face.
P.S. I wish the Midwest was as cut and dry as some have you have stated. Lol from the sounds of things I should just get an arrow with a GPS tracker on it, step out of the truck, shoot at a 45 degree angle in the right direction, and go find my buck on the ground. Winner!

 

[Carcher87]

I hunt south central PA pressure and woods lol

 

[FrigidArrows]

I hunt south central PA pressure and woods lol

Lol I hear yah, referring to others.

If you think you know the bed, then there is a good chance you know the exit route. If the conditions are normal for that particular bed( wind etc...), he will likely use the same exit route day in and day out. I mean normal, as in no changes from his typical pattern. If he was spooked while leaving his bed, depending on how far away he was from it, he may only modify his route out and continue to bed in the same location. They pick where they bed for a reason, and will not change unless they are forced to.

Sometimes bedding will dictate an exit route. If a buck is bedded off a point in the middle of swamp, pretty much guarantees an exit route.

However, the bedding will likely have multiple routes branching off of it. There will always be escape routes should he need to run, and also something I have a strong feeling on that correlates to what I wrote above about destinations and wind, he will enter his bed with the wind in his face so there may be multiple entrances to the bed, but they will likely originate from the same route a short distance away.

This is all dependent on the terrain and type of bedding he is in of course.

 

[wildotter]

P.S. I wish the Midwest was as cut and dry as some have you have stated. Lol from the sounds of things I should just get an arrow with a GPS tracker on it, step out of the truck, shoot at a 45 degree angle in the right direction, and go find my buck on the ground. Winner!

Hope you didn’t take what I said about Midwest hunting in a negative way. Never meant to imply anything or anywhere was easy. I was just trying to qualify my comments by saying what I hunt is nothing like the Midwest. Personally, I don’t think anything about deer hunting is cut and dry, or we would all be tagged out after a couple of sits. Not sure what I would do with the rest of my fall/winter. Guess I would just spend more money trying the latest climbing methods and gadgets that keep popping up here!

I think deer have tendencies that we can lean on to try and gain an advantage on them, but each area, type of terrain, and even the personality of a specific buck (or die for that matter) is likely to be different, and may dictate a different strategy. I’m really intrigued by OPs history and chess match he has going with Houdini. Can’t wait to see how it plays out!




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[FrigidArrows]

Hope you didn’t take what I said about Midwest hunting in a negative way. Never meant to imply anything or anywhere was easy. I was just trying to qualify my comments by saying what I hunt is nothing like the Midwest. Personally, I don’t think anything about deer hunting is cut and dry, or we would all be tagged out after a couple of sits. Not sure what I would do with the rest of my fall/winter. Guess I would just spend more money trying the latest climbing methods and gadgets that keep popping up here!

I think deer have tendencies that we can lean on to try and gain an advantage on them, but each area, type of terrain, and even the personality of a specific buck (or die for that matter) is likely to be different, and may dictate a different strategy. I’m really intrigued by OPs history and chess match he has going with Houdini. Can’t wait to see how it plays out!




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agree completely. No two situations are the same. The best chance anyone has is figuring out the terrain they hunt, and how the local herd uses it. There is no 1 answer.

 

[drhogfan]

I find bucks leave beds regardless of the wind. Which is why hunting their beds can be effective. They can’t always have the wind in their favor when on the move.

Entering their bed, on the other hand, is a different story. Here you see a stereotypical J-hook down wind prior to the buck entering his bed in the morning. Which makes morning hunting beds a little more of a crapshoot. How far away will he J hook? And at what time? If pressured, typically before sun up, unless it’s during the rut.

Just my 0.02 and I’m no expert. Just my unsolicited, unlicensed opinion.


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[drhogfan]

I’ll also add, that bucks usually leave their bed and head to food more slowly and carefully, using their other senses. That’s why hunting a rib line 1/4 mile from his bed may be fruitless in pressures areas. He’ll mosey around and scan the areas he’s heading carefully and not make it to the rib line or what not before dark. That’s why I try to get as close as the terrain allows.

Whereas I’ve noticed in the mornings, a buck headed to his bed is usually on a B line and using the wind to his favor.


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[Autumnrider]

I don't believe a deer leaves an area because of pressure. I'm in a dog running club and there is no telling how many times the dogs pump a deer and run it for hours and the next morning, throw the dogs back in the same area and out comes tje same buck. We have also noticed that when dohs are on a buck, other bucks are bumped out of the same bedding area and the bumped buck turns and heads back in the thick that the dogs just busted through
If a pack of dogs bust the same area day in and day out, why are the deer still there?
This shows me that deer is comfortable in areas and they will not leave unless a city is built there, so I can not believe that people can push deer out of an area.
Feer are not as smart as people give them.

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[drhogfan]

I don't believe a deer leaves an area because of pressure. I'm in a dog running club and there is no telling how many times the dogs pump a deer and run it for hours and the next morning, throw the dogs back in the same area and out comes tje same buck. We have also noticed that when dohs are on a buck, other bucks are bumped out of the same bedding area and the bumped buck turns and heads back in the thick that the dogs just busted through
If a pack of dogs bust the same area day in and day out, why are the deer still there?
This shows me that deer is comfortable in areas and they will not leave unless a city is built there, so I can not believe that people can push deer out of an area.
Feer are not as smart as people give them.

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I agree 100%. They will stick to that bedding longer if pressured, I feel. Each time you bump a buck from his bed it confirms to him it was a good spot to be.


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[Ontariofarmer]

Unless he has more bedding areas



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[John Eberhart]

Wind does not dictate their travel routes like it does their bedding. Think about it: If we had steady west winds for 2 weeks all the bucks would wind up drowned in the atlantic ocean...

AMEN

 

[John Eberhart]

Where are you from and what kind of terrain are you hunting? In the thick, semi-tropical, green-hell I hunt, most of the "beast" tactics regarding micro-analyzing bedding are questionably useful at best. I have a sneaking suspicion that may be true elsewhere as well, but that's another post.

AMEN to that as well