I have got permission to hunt a new property and am in need of some tips on finding the bedding areas of the bucks. I recently walked around and saw all sorts of rubs and scrapes from last year! This property has ponds for cattle near and lots of fields surrounding the woods. Any info would be great! Oh and I have been bow hunting the last 3 to 4 years so I know the basics of deer movement but I have some more time to spend hunting so I want to learn a lot more.
Best advice I can give you is try and forget about the bucks and hunt the does. What I mean is early in the season they are concentrating on food and bucks and does eat the same things, find travel routes between thick nasty bedding areas and a food source. Then when late october/November roles around all a buck cares about is finding and checking does. Figure out where the does are bedding or feeding and hunt there. I don't recommend however trying to get too close to a bedding area, stay out on the edges and catch him going in or out. Good luck
Just realized I read your question wrong. As far as finding bedding areas of start by looking in the thickest hardest to walk through places on the property, that's where they bed down on the farms I hunt.
Post a good aerial photo and topo map or shoot me a pm and I might be able to lead you in the right direction.
Looking at only your aerial photo, mature bucks want to bed on transition lines. They're going to bed with the wind to their back looking out over open areas. They'll be able to smell anything approaching from the woods and see anything approaching from the open areas. I'd focus on the transition lines I have marked. The other place to focus on is the military crest of hills, the top 1/3 of the hillside where the wind rolls over the top and the thermals from below rise. Obviously this isn't visible in an aerial photo, but if you have ridges or points in the wooded areas of this property its another place to look. Always think, top third of the hill at the military crest.
Just googled military crest...that makes a lot of sense. thanks for that little nugget, purebowhunting!
