Bedding areas

[jallen]

I was looking for stand locations today and found an area where alot of bedding is taking place. It is about 75 yards deep in the woods right behind someone's backyard. It is a very moist and swampy area and trying to get in there means I will make alot of noise. There is a good trail leading straight to the area where they are bedding, but I'm afraid I'll spook the deer when I enter. I have found a good tree right in the middle of their beds I can climb and found a good one about 50 yards from them on the same trail. Should I risk spooking the deer by trying to get closer and a much more open shot?

[rjet]

Risk it. But thats just me. Probably why I dont have any big bucks on the wall.

[timhicks]

I tend to stay out of bedding areas, unless i just walk into an area not knowing. The main reason is i try to catch the der either heading out of them or back into them. A hog bedding area will be left and not used again if a person goes into them more than once. Deer will get smart, scent is also a key factor in this.Tim

[turk2di]

I wouldn't risk running them out of thier bedding area! If u do, they will bed somewhere else, leaving you in a worthless tree!

[arkansasdon]

I have alittle over 50 acres and I 'm surrounded by a very large cattle ranch , and it has little huntin pressure and the to the left of me I have another 35 acre piece I can hunt on from the other land owner. 1/4 mile down the hwy is a large huntin club and it gets alot of pressure and durin deer season I notice alot more deer come to my land and the ranch around me. Theres a small section of my land about 10 acres I dont let me or the wife or my Sherwin Williams Rep or his son hunt, its a save zone for them , there thickets , wild blackberries bushes. Deer need a area on land to have as a safe zone. We dont hunt the our piece everyday , about 3 days out of the week and theres other areas we hunt, Farm in Saddle Ar. another farm in Clalamine, Ar. so we have areas to go.
Dont pressure a area where there bedded, I'll set up down from them 100 yards but thats just me. Just like I wont hunt over corn or feeders but will set up down the trail they use about 60 to 100 yards, even though its legal to hunt over bait in Arkansas. Just me

[midrivers]

I am having a similar problem where I hunt in suburbia. Dude you will never slip up on those deer, I have found the more you act like hunter the more you will alert them. i can walk around the driveway with the radio on and the deer do not spook until I walk into the yard.
That is behavior they are not used to. I would strongly recommend morning hunts. Getting in early, sometimes they are already staging to bed early, sometimes they are running later. The fact is thoughif you bump them a half anhour before dyalight they will probably calm down and returntho their normal spot. The nice thing about suburban deer is they they have constant contact with humans, so when they spook they do not freak out and head towards the next county. They will calm down. For an afternoon hunt find where they are headed to feed and slip in between the kitchen and the bedroom. Watch the wind! I have had to learn the best way to hunt my 7 acre spot over the course of 3 years to finally tag down the best blend of close but not too close. Good Luck and watch those doe bedding areas really closely over the next month or so, Mr. Buck also knows where the ladies spend thier day!

[THE GOB-FATHER]

All great advice and I'll echo the idea of not risking it. To me, you can get away with jumping a deer off their bed once maybe twice in the same area, but after that it's a pattern and one they won't forget and wont stick around. So if you're gonna make a risky move, do it later in the season when you have nothing to lose... and most importantly... make it count the first time as you might not get a second chance!

[midrivers]

How limited is the cover? is this really tight suburban cover? Or do they have some room to choose their habitat?

[jallen]

The area is very thick but the deer have numerous areas to bed. This section is about 300 acres and consists of marshy areas with oaks and higher ground with pines.

[kahuna]

I would avoid that area like a two dollar hooker. If you know the trails leading to/from them, try to set up an ambush on these, but don't venture too far to the beds.

[midrivers]

With that much ground I agree with Kahuna and the rest. My aggressivness is from hunting suburban deer that will tolerate alot of human contact without leaving town, but with 300 acres to run on they will boogey out of there in no time! Play it cool. Also take Kahuna's advice on the hooker, $2.00 is trouble every time!

[Rackman]

I'll take the two dollar hooker, I feel it is a safer bet. lol

[JerseyHunter]

Try to put your stand right off the bedding area .

[IndianaHunter]

timhicks said:

I tend to stay out of bedding areas, unless i just walk into an area not knowing. The main reason is i try to catch the der either heading out of them or back into them. A hog bedding area will be left and not used again if a person goes into them more than once. Deer will get smart, scent is also a key factor in this.Tim

I agree, I would find the travel routes to this area and set up on it before I would move in directly...