I hunt some heavily pressured public lands here in Pa and have never really been able to located places deer bed regularly. With that being said I believe I have found a few spots that deer bed semi regularly. For those of you that hunt close to bedding or even right there in the bedroom, what’s your strategy? When is the best time to get aggressive and set up on there? Any input is very much appreciated, I’m taking a stand I’ve been hunting public land for too long where I don’t see deer 90% of my sits and I want to change that this year Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
I hunt near doe bedding quite a bit. Depending on the specifics I may set up between bedding and the food source or on the edges of the bedding area. Bucks will cruise along the edge and sometimes right into the bedding areas looking for hot does. With a new property I would proceed slowly. Sit close enough to observe what the routine is and move closer as needed.
Not to promote another forum, but....the links within this link are a rabbit hole that I went down a few years ago which changed my entire outlook on how I hunt. The amount of info is mind-blowing! https://www.thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24471
Takes a lot of work and some luck to locate consistent deer bedding areas. Once you do, and if you only lightly pressure those areas, they generally remain good spots year after year. If you find a half a dozen or more of those spots it makes your hunting life much better come late October. I used to wait until November before I moved into those spots. Now I wait until mid October and whenever that first cold snap hits and I have an opportunity to hunt, I'm moving in using the wind. My attitude on hunting bedding areas aggressively changed during a cold snap about 5 yrs ago. Right around Oct 20th we got a cold snap that dropped temps 20 degrees. I moved in to a doe bedding area and all hell broke loose right after sun up. Bucks chasing and posturing. I missed a chip shot on a great buck. A few days later another temp drop happened and I moved in to another doe bedding area. Same results...big bucks moving hard. Those hunts changed my perspective and I dont play by the rules anymore. I'm not waiting for November to be aggressive. Give me the right temps even in October and J am being ultra aggressive around bedding.
When some one brings up the words aggressive hunting, it always reminds me of a Gregg Miller book I bought back in the 90’s. One thing I took away from that book is that being aggressive makes things happen if your smart about it. It’s going to play differently between public and private locations and how the deer are pressured. Here’s a good read that will give you tips on being aggressive. https://www.northamericanwhitetail....uld-use-aggressive-rut-hunting-tactics/370387
Love and hate this advice all at once!! Got all jacked up from the sign I found scouting yesterday and want to hunt this spot as soon as possible... but you are right, I should stay out of there until a cold snap.... I think I’ll take my chances on an escape route for opening day, hoping a mature buck gets bumped somewhere on the public and runs past me on the way to private! Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
If you hunt it opening day I dont see a problem. Maybe find a trail leading into it and hope to catch one returning to bed. Maybe get some Intel if they get past you for future hunts. Return another time when the time is right. Or heck strike the next day... by staying off on a trail maybe 50 yes away you can slip out quiet and not disturb the beds.
I will echo what Brett said about not being afraid to get aggressively close early in October when timed with a cold front. One of my favorite bedding areas is dynamite from October 20-Nov 15 if there is a cold front. It is still a great spot to kill a doe at anytime, but the bucks are not in there without the weather cooperating. For me, the hardest part is not going in when there without a cold front. I have made up my mind not to go in there until at least the third weekend in October. It is one of the best doe bedding areas that I have found on public land and I have become too dependent on that one spot. Any hunting I do before the third weekend is going to be spent looking for other bedding areas that I think I have identified from online scouting.
Thanks guys I really appreciate the input!! I’m gonna get a camera out there and sneak in about a week before the season opens see what it’s telling me then decide where to sit! Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
Glad the more experienced crew chimed in! I'm still learning and can't explain things worth a damn, so that's why I only provided a link (Which I still recommend if you have a lot of free time).
I’ve started down the rabbit hole... has me questioning my sanity the past several years lol Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
What's your goal? Are you looking for does or bucks? Solely hunting buck beds can be very disappointing and lonely. It's not uncommon to have 7 or 8 sits with no deer sightings. Doe on the other hand can be fun. Thick edges close to food. With both it doesn't take long to push them out. They do walk around there bedding area at night and can tell when someone has been in there within the last few day. There are pros and cons to hunting public. More traffic, so never know who has walked thru the area your hunting. On the other hand with extra traffic, they start to get use to humans and will relax alittle. A great goal is to hunt a area til they are bumped out, then be able to locate where they go, then hunt there. You can follow them from bedding to bedding. To learn that, just takes lots is scouting and stand time. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I am looking to see more deer this year, those of you that have followed along in the past I have a lot of sits where I don’t see deer at all, I’m trying to see more deer, want to kill some does and if I’m lucky get a buck! But I am fine with does and even just seeing younger bucks! Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
I don't know that I qualify as more experienced. The last couple of years have proven that I am great at finding the deer. Not so much at killing them. One of my main reasons for deciding to wait on the particular spot that mentioned in my earlier post is that is so thick in early season before the foliage starts falling that there are next to no shot opportunities. I have hunted that spot 8 times in the two years since I found it and have seen deer every hunt. But, early season it is too thick. I have had multiple deer inside of 20 during early season with no shot because of the thick cover.
A doe bedding area with a cold front from October 20th on for me have always been my first close encounters with what I’m after. With that said, if your lucky enough to find a primary scrape area in a bedding area, an early October ambush is in order. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’m thinking I found exactly that in my scouting trip this was just inside the pine thicket Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
It's best to stay out of the doe bedding area all together. Then just hunt the travel routes from bedding to food. The problem is once you shoot a doe in the area, it is done, unless your hunting on the food source. There is alway a reason a doe goes from point A to point B. You got to stop and think why is it that I always jump does in this one area? Why do they feel secure in there? Then point B is the food location. If you caught in the food, they will always be looking for you. Once you find the main food source, just connect the dots. Best bet to multiple successful hunts is always finding that food source each week and hunting in between point A and point B. I find it harder to find the food each week over locating bedding. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I’ve always done a terrible job at stand placement and hunting in general, I find a trail and say this looks like a good spot without getting the entire puzzle piece, this particular area does have some fields located within a couple hundred yards, haven’t gotten out in the fields to see what’s their but it’s typically just overgrown fields, I haven’t seen any crops put in, oaks on the other hand are pretty plentiful in the area, I’ll have to take a better look next time I’m out! Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
The part that looked like it was worked the most recent was about 3x3 the whole area where the grass is dead is about 6x6 Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
