Has anyone tried to create bedding areas for deer on their property? The property I hunt on has tons of downed tree limbs from past logging and habitat improvement projects. To this point we have been just throwing all of tree limbs and brush in a wood chipper to clear up some space but I have a suspicion that we could be using these limbs and brush for something else that could improve the property. If anyone has created bedding areas with tree limbs and other brush do you have any advice, or if you have other suggestions for the brush other than throwing them in the chipper it would be great. Thanks
I had friends who had downed some trees in a square shape over about a 50 ft area and it got crazy thick in there and deer now bed in it. I would imagine you need like the perfect spot for this to really work well though
yes you can create bedding areas. you want those tree tops on the ground and that brush there. it creates pockets of thick stuff for the deer. the thicker the better cover it is. there is lots of info on here about creating habitat for the deer. do some reseach, I bet you will find what you are looking for! TyMiller has a website to check out! it may useful for you. here is his link Small Acre Hunting
I created one bedding area in May by hinge cutting, inside the bedding area I hinged at about chin height to give deer area to lay beside or under, some I landed on each other but make sure you leave trails throughout it and ways in and out of it like a maze. On outside I hinged lower around waist height to give the deer a secure feel two it, next year I have two more to do, its a lot of work but worth it. Scoot
If you have open areas that you don't use for crop or anything else...Native warm season grasses are hard to beat for ideal deer bedding...they love it. I have about 60 acres that is coming out of CRP next month that I want to use for crop but at the same time I hate to destroy my deer refuge. I'm thinking of leaving the borders in native as a compromise.
Hinge Cutting is your greatest friend in transforming properties and building bedding areas for sure! Thanks pastorandrew for the sharing of the site, to the OP check out especially the posts where I discuss and share hinging either by writing about it or showing you on video. Disregard the lack of HD videography...but I ain't Hollywood nor will ever claim to be .
we let our 1 acre lot grow to about knee high, than we go in and cut it all down and blow it to the edge of the lot. the very next day around 8am i went back to seed our plot and you could see perfect outlines of deer in the mounds we just cut. I havent been up there in 2 weeks so i will see if they are still bedding there this weekend. I just thought that was pretty cool and we didnt really expect that.
We've used hay, pine needles or simply cut grass and laid it down in the beds we've created for them...and just days later found hair in them! Got behind schedule this year and didn't do this but will be for sure this coming spring as we do some more!
Last year I used all the grass clipping from the yard and piled then in a mound (5x20yd). had multiple pictures of deer bedding down. I know this worked as a tactic because the property I did this on was just for research and not hunting, it was my backyard in the suburbs of Michigan. Good Luck
LOL, I was spraying soybeans Friday and out in the middle of a 62 acre field there were deer beds all over the place. I farm with high residue and cover crops and these were double crop beans after wheat so a lot of stubble, grass residue, etc.. I expect it makes a pretty nice environment where the deer have nice soft bedding and tender soybeans growing through it everywhere. Anyway I just thought it was funny to see deer beds so out in the open.
They'll lay anywhere they feel safe, and think about it. They're able to easily smell anything coming from one direction (behind them usually) and rely on their eyes to see anything coming in front of them for a long ways. Gotta love em!
My father in law is a dairy farmer and every year he spooks bedding deer out of his corn fields when harvesting. They dont just love eating it, they love bedding in it too lol
Creating bedding areas is actually one of the best things you can do for your property. When trees fall on ours, the undergrowth builds up for a few years and the deer will bed in it religiously (Usually does with fawns). My advice if you were going to CREATE bedding areas is to make them on the higher points of your property. Deer tend to bed where they can see/hear and catch human scent the best.
Thanks for the great suggestions. I am going out this weekend, instead of chipping the brush I think I will try and implement some of these ideas.
I have converted 32 ag acres to bedding areas with norway spruce planted 12 feet apart. I have watched over 60 deer go in or come out to feed from a 5 acre patch. I planted 1/2 to 5 acre patches over 30 years. In the woods? Spice bush, silky dogwood, buttonbush, ect.
