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Post by honker on Aug 26, 2017 17:54:45 GMT -6
I'm coming up on the 3rd Fall of owning my property and I'm still very much learning the ins and outs of the place and strategizing my habitat plan. One thing I'm trying to learn more about is how to ID and create bedding habitat on my place. As my 80 acres is primarily made up of old pasture and regenerating woods there is no obvious "bedroom" on my property, but there seems to be no shortage of places they are willing to lay down. I had a few questions on bedding areas that I thought the forum could help me with some MN specific information.
The past couple seasons I have marked where I think bedding areas are during the summer scouting, but then I don't see much for bedding activity when I do my post season scouting with snow on the ground in the same spots. Do there summer and winter bedding locations change considerably do to cover available or will they tend to hit the same spots regardless?
When late summer scouting, what separates a bedding area that you might target for hunting season versus an occasional loafing area? What do you need to see before you decide what type it might be and when to target it?
How much time do you focus on the bedding area aspect of your property? Do you spend more time trying create perfect locations that will make them predictable or creating more bedding area in total to hold more deer?
Thanks for the information as always
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Post by Sandbur on Aug 26, 2017 18:43:12 GMT -6
There are different types of bedding areas for different times of the year. Just some points to remember.. beds that you find in the summer and at night might be night time beds. Cornfields might be summer bedding areas .
Hunting season bedding areas is too broad of a term I think of at least three different hunting bedding areas. Bow hunting when leaves are still on trees is one of these. Travel lanes and bedding areas are different before and after leaf fall . Or at least the movement thru the travel lanes changes. There are at least two other types of hunting season bedding areas. One is where they go after leaf fall and when hunting pressure increases. The other one is the bedding area when severe cold/storms are occurring or approaching. These last two areas might be the same and also maybe not the same sorry for the long post.
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Post by Sandbur on Aug 26, 2017 18:49:13 GMT -6
I like conifers for the last two. Standing corn can work for either one at times. Severe weather bedding seems to require bigger stands of conifers and maybe some terrain features to help block the wind . Severe cold in the southern reaches of Mn might be grassy south facing slopes to catch the sun but I suspect these areas are used more so after hunting season if pressure is intense. I am in the rifle zone, so things might???be different in slug areas.
Dense Popple regrow the can also be a bedding area . Foggy will know in another year or so .
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Post by Sandbur on Aug 27, 2017 5:23:05 GMT -6
I was thinking of another factor in determining rut bedding areas. From my experience, unusually warm temperatures lead to bucks bedding in shaded north slope areas. Perhaps they might also bed near cold water creeks or in cooler swamps.
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Post by Freeborn on Aug 27, 2017 6:34:27 GMT -6
I was thinking of another factor in determining rut bedding areas. From my experience, unusually warm temperatures lead to bucks bedding in shaded north slope areas. Perhaps they might also bed near cold water creeks or in cooler swamps. I have a north facing slope that slopes to a marsh edge. Deer love that edge as it is shaded and thick. Its not a significant change in height but it covers 50-70' and the deer bed their frequently. |
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Post by batman on Aug 27, 2017 7:05:16 GMT -6
Deer like to bed where people don't go. Does closer to food and mature bucks seems to prefer a little more privacy. Often the nasty stuff.
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Post by Sandbur on Aug 27, 2017 13:50:49 GMT -6
Deer like to bed where people don't go. Does closer to food and mature bucks seems to prefer a little more privacy. Often the nasty stuff. Agreed and I think standing corn often fits the bill. |
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Post by honker on Dec 31, 2017 20:15:43 GMT -6
I was thinking of another factor in determining rut bedding areas. From my experience, unusually warm temperatures lead to bucks bedding in shaded north slope areas. Perhaps they might also bed near cold water creeks or in cooler swamps. I have a north facing slope that slopes to a marsh edge. Deer love that edge as it is shaded and thick. Its not a significant change in height but it covers 50-70' and the deer bed their frequently. Freeborn, do they us this bedding spot just in summer and early fall when temps are warmer or do you see them in there late season as well? This is very similar to the area on my place that I was describing on the fresh snow thread. |
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Post by MoBuckChaser on Dec 31, 2017 21:24:18 GMT -6
You want them to bed there, stay away 11.5 months of the year.
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 1, 2018 2:08:44 GMT -6
You want them to bed there, stay away 11.5 months of the year. The coyote hunters with dogs just can not understand why I agree with you. Many of these guys are my friends, but they say the coyotes always run towards my place. They say the Deer just run out and circle back. I say, why bother the deer in the first place. Keep the dogs out! |
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 1, 2018 2:16:36 GMT -6
I have a north facing slope that slopes to a marsh edge. Deer love that edge as it is shaded and thick. Its not a significant change in height but it covers 50-70' and the deer bed their frequently. Freeborn, do they us this bedding spot just in summer and early fall when temps are warmer or do you see them in there late season as well? This is very similar to the area on my place that I was describing on the fresh snow thread. I am not Jerry, but I have a similar place. The Deer bed in the thick red cedars on the top of this area. When moving, they tend to travel the edge, or more specifically the two ends of this edge. The two ends are our best stands and they work for two different winds. The Hill is not high, but is the only topography change for a mile or two in several directions. I have sidewalks to funnel Deer through these two ends with some blockades for stand entrance. A well used sidewalk runs the length of the side hill with a perennial scrape near one end. |
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Post by Freeborn on Jan 1, 2018 7:54:22 GMT -6
I have a north facing slope that slopes to a marsh edge. Deer love that edge as it is shaded and thick. Its not a significant change in height but it covers 50-70' and the deer bed their frequently. Freeborn, do they us this bedding spot just in summer and early fall when temps are warmer or do you see them in there late season as well? This is very similar to the area on my place that I was describing on the fresh snow thread. This is some of the best bedding I have so they stay there until harsh winter moves them off my property. Cold and wind and depending on whether my neighbor harvests his corn determines how long quality deer stay on my place. If my neighbor has not harvested his corn and harsh winter moves in the better deer move to my neighbors Property. I end up with deer on my place as I have 3 acres of corn and 3 acres of soybeans but my neighbor has 200 acres of corn which they also bed in. With a north facing slope the wind and cold moves the deer quicker as the deer are exposed. I will agree you can't beat evergreens and in the long they are what you want but in the short run you need high stem count and hinged areas. You have to work with what you got. Here is a link to a hinge cutting article: www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/hinge-cut-bedding-guide |
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Post by wklman on Jan 1, 2018 8:04:18 GMT -6
You want them to bed there, stay away 11.5 months of the year. The coyote hunters with dogs just can not understand why I agree with you. Many of these guys are my friends, but they say the coyotes always run towards my place. They say the Deer just run out and circle back. I say, why bother the deer in the first place. Keep the dogs out! I'd rather have the deer bothered a day or 2 and the coyotes gone then have a bunch of coyotes around and the deer not bothered. Coyotes put way more stress on your deer year long then any coyote hunter with his dogs do in a couple days. |
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 1, 2018 12:07:04 GMT -6
The coyote hunters with dogs just can not understand why I agree with you. Many of these guys are my friends, but they say the coyotes always run towards my place. They say the Deer just run out and circle back. I say, why bother the deer in the first place. Keep the dogs out! I'd rather have the deer bothered a day or 2 and the coyotes gone then have a bunch of coyotes around and the deer not bothered. Coyotes put way more stress on your deer year long then any coyote hunter with his dogs do in a couple days. That is what the coyote hunters tell me. They also emphasize how many fawns are killed by coyotes, but I have always had a good fawn crop if I have does. Coyote hunters would be here twice a week for most of the winter. There are about three groups of them in this area. |
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Post by wklman on Jan 1, 2018 12:20:13 GMT -6
I'd rather have the deer bothered a day or 2 and the coyotes gone then have a bunch of coyotes around and the deer not bothered. Coyotes put way more stress on your deer year long then any coyote hunter with his dogs do in a couple days. That is what the coyote hunters tell me. They also emphasize how many fawns are killed by coyotes, but I have always had a good fawn crop if I have does. Coyote hunters would be here twice a week for most of the winter. There are about three groups of them in this area. You're decision art but I've heard for many years about the low deer numbers you have. You could set who and when guys hunt the property. I let my neighbor coyote hunt every year on my place and the number of deer has increased every year. |
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