Hotburn76

I have asked questions in the past about this swamp spot and you guys have all been great so here is another. I have never really hunted a deer bed before and thought that I have seen some, and maybe they were but on this new swamp spot I have found a deer bedroom! In this swamp I thought that most of the action was in a thicket area and toward the back half. Found good trails, lots of rubs and some nice scrapes. But one day when walking out I seen deer come out of the front half where I thought it was underwater but it is clear full of this stuff that is like cattails, but is about eight to ten feet tall and has a different head on it. Well I get to where the deer came out and I find a small hidden trail. Walk in the trail about ten yards and find a nice size island, about forty yards wide and sixty yards deep, still full of this grassy stuff, just not under water. Then on this I find four big major areas in there where the deer have worn the ground down bare, and lots of tracks and such, you can see the ovals in the dirt where they lay. Here is the problem, I realized I am walking within twenty yards of this place every time I go hunting here and the deer probably watch me walk down the tracks and go in. This first trail is off the tracks, no trees, no brush, nothing. And hunting off the tracks is becoming a no no in my area and the RR has been reporting rabbit hunters so I can not set up there. I think I found another area where they go in, good size trail, but theonly goodtree is within thirty yards of the beds and am afraid that when I go in they will spot me and not come out or run away from seeing me or hearing me. I guess my question is how close can you hunt to a bedding area and be safe to not spook them? Thanks guys!!

Killer_Primate

That depends on your skill/patience level. Some can get in close, others cannot. I think SB likes to use his shotgun in these situations.

GMMAT

Who's SB?

What I was gonna tell you is you have to be careful to not get TOO close. There's a fine line when hunting near bedding areas.

I started hunting a small field edge in the beginning of our archery season. I worked my way back into the woods .....deeper and deeper....as the season progressed. It wasn't because I knew what I was doing. It was pure, blind luck. If I'd known where the deer where in the beginning.....I'd have gone there and LIKELY blew my entire season. As it worked out.....I ended up playing it just right. To my credit....I spent a LOT of time in the woods to figure out exactly where to keep progressing to.

As the season draws to an end.....I'd get right up in their house. What do you have to lose, then??????

Good luck to you.

jeff

Killer_Primate

You man...

GMMAT

I've never hunted deer with a gun.

Jeff

Killer_Primate

It was a joke man! You know people always type "LOL" and I don't think they're always really laughing...

When I wrote that I was laughing so hard! I needed that! It was all good clean fun, I know you don't.

No Mercy

Try to stay as far away as you can

danscott

Let's see, if you are wearing Enigma Camo should be able to walk right in, they will never see ya! Just kidding, I'm with No Mercy on this one, stay away and hunt the trails they use to get there.

GMMAT

I'm just curious as to why you'd stay away from the bedding areas? I know I would, too.....if it's early season. But....as the season winds down....what do you have to lose by going to the door?

Jeff

statjunk

The best year I ever had hunting was over a bed. There were six to eight bedding spots under a large mature tree that I found while scouting. I took three deer there. One was shot not even 4 feet from the gut pile of the deer I took the day before. Then I got skunked one day and the very next day I took another one the mature doe. So three deer in four days.

Tom