Public Land Mature Buck Bedding Tour (Part 1)

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

What kind of terrain do you hunt in most frequently? Woods? Farmland? Swamps? River Bottoms? Something else?

[@rattlingjunkie]

Flat bigwoods habitat.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@@rattlingjunkie, that's some interesting terrain to hunt. What state(s) do you hunt, if you are willing to share?

[@rattlingjunkie]

@@SeedstoDreamsDeer I'm in Manitoba, Canada. Not a lot of info on bowhunting flat bigwoods terrain.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@@rattlingjunkie, I hear you. When I first started hunting swamps there wasn't much out there. I learned by trial and error. Now there is more information available. What is your deer density like? Feel free to send me an aerial map of a place in your area and I might be able to point out some likely spots. There are a couple edge/transition areas I think would be key. My email is [e-mail] if you want to send a map, link or coordinates.

[@rattlingjunkie]

@@SeedstoDreamsDeer low deer densities, the trick is to focus on vegetation transitions.

[@douglasanderson1151]

Sorry that you got burnt by people when you were being generous. I am a newer hunter and did not have an old man to teach me. I am seriously grateful for the information. I am trying to provide for my family nutritional food that is good for them instead of the trash you get from the store. Thank you so much again!

[@joenewmeyer8358]

Thicker is better on public land. When I lived in PA, ALL MY HUNTING WAS IN NORTHWEST PA ON STATE GAME LANDS. MOST OF IT WAS THICK SWAMPS. IN THOSE SWAMPS, THE DEER BEEDED WHEREVER THEY WERE AT THE TIME. BE PATIENT AND LET THE OTHER HUNTERS CHASE THEM TO YOU. SHOT A LOT OF DEER BETWEEN 9 AM AND NOON THANKS TO THOSE OTHER DEER HUNTERS

[@douglasanderson1151]

@@joenewmeyer8358 I appreciate your advice and will be scouting some land here in Michigan that is a bit swampy and thick!

[@ericbrooks8573]

Great video, not only content, but info. Most videos are kills w/o teaching. Ibelieve in old school hunting, its cheaper and fair chase. No cell cams, no tinks, no frills...just boots on the ground and time in the woods...👍

[@lukejensen3486]

Thank you for making this serious. It's been incredibly helpful for me even as a veteran hunter. You have put a ton of work into these videos and I appreciate it!

[@slooshark1]

Great video. I’ve been deer hunting for 35 years and have learned a ton in the last 10. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@mastercly4031]

My boyfriend and I live in Pennsylvania ....We understand the secrecy of locations ...he bags a very nice buck every year on public land as you have mentioned by really putting your feet on the ground . He loves to scout and has taught me a lot about the whitetail world. Keep up the great video's and best of luck this year archery opener is only a few weeks away for most archery hunters. But as for us it opens up this weekend in the special regulation areas! Be safe everyone and bring home some of that tasty meat mother nature has provided for us.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thank you! Wishing you and your boyfriend success this fall, too.

[@kylemurray7086]

Nice to hear people getting some good bucks in PA.. I hear the out of towners are doing a number on the public land out there

[@kylethompson1106]

I rarely subscribe, but I subscribed to you. I appreciate the detailed explanation and examples

[@angelramos8363]

I follow many people and have listened to advice for many years, yet your content is straight to point, ‘actually’ provided true advice and, more importantly, visual / explanation of deer movement. Way to go! I will continue to follow you.

[@ambienceization]

Great video! Real woodsmanship is becoming a lost art!

[@charlesleblanc6638]

Very well explained verbally and visually .. Good content thanks.

[@stevenspencer5085]

Great video and explanations of buck bedding. Really appreciate sharing the information

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks. I will keep on making them. Thanks for subscribing and watching.!

[@nx3980]

You have excellent content! I'm enjoying it!

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks for watching!

[@jakemitchell1671]

I hunt public land river bottoms in MS. The single biggest lesson I've ever learned is what you mention about water: Deer do not mind one bit walking or swimming through water to get to their primary bedding area. I grew up hunting "hills 'n hollers" where there wasn't any water, so I was almost 40 before i learned this lesson. And only then was I able to be successful in swamp lands. I truly thought deer would avoid water and bedded near food. Absolutely not true. Deer, esp older bucks, don't mind at all walking miles at night for food. Their primary goal is *security*. Go where other hunters won't or can't go. For me that often means hip waders and/or a boat.

[@bcreed9348]

Man did I need this tutorial! I work out of state from where I hunt and look at maps to speed up my stand selections. Thanks again.

[@dongentry5895]

Thank you for making this video. Your description mixed with boots on the ground video and topo maps was so direct and informative!!! I recently began hunting in hill country only to find that the wind does not do as expected. I have watched dozens of videos on this topic and this is likely my last LOL.

[@codyperkinsoutdoors]

Most informative vid on KZbin! Appreciate it brotha!

[@DRZCLIFF]

Very good information. Great video, thanks

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks for watching...I appreciate you!

[@doncook3584]

Shortly after season is great time to get out and scout. No buggies few if any vehicles in the parking areas. All sign is way easier to see. Great video. Enjoying the series

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Yeah, I am with you on that. I always enjoy the scouting in winter and early spring. Thanks for watching!

[@LCdonkeyshow]

I'm out west. Much of what you're saying holds true of our big mulies.

[@kythom7574]

Thank you for the vids with aerial's bear explanations for understanding yet

[@BiggerAlan]

You can be proud of this excellent and very informative video. This is my first time to view one of your videos but it impressed me so much that I must subscribe and view your others.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks a lot. Welcome aboard! I appreciate you watching!

[@KatelynArmstr0ng]

Extremely helpful! Thank you for maps and explanation!

[@nunya6874]

Great information thank you sir

[@doncook3584]

All good stuff aligns with opinions of others and you are right about too much intel. I identified 2 WMA’s from the aerial map provided on their channel but I won’t encroach or tell others

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks for watching...best wishes this hunting season and beyond.

[@beeez8236]

I just stopped in to say great video...i have hunted all of my life its genuinely a life style not a hobby or sport and watching this and learning something is awesome and much appreciated

[@joncox2682]

Good video brother good luck this year

[@Woodsy-Ways]

This is pure gold

[@kyleveitengruber2368]

I mostly hunt the big woods of northern wisconsin. My question is when a buck leaves his bed and would be going towards the primary food source. How does he travel according to the wind. With the wind or quartering etc or just straight to the food ? Just trying to figure out how bucks exit their beds . Ty and great video. Appreciate this

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks for watching. In my experience bucks don't care much about wind when they are leaving their beds. In the mornings when they bed down they DO PAY ATTENTION and will circle downwind of the potential bed to 'clear it' of danger. But mature bucks will walk into the the wind, with the wind at their back, with a cross wind...pretty much anything when getting up in the evening. They do use the thermals at sunset to their advantage which I describe in a video I will probably get uploaded tomorrow regarding how to hunt a buck like this one.

[@jimmyghersi]

Fantastic video

[@racerdaveracerdave]

Nice video!

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks for watching. Working on the next one. Welcome aboard!

[@ianlilley6430]

Awesome video 👊

[@jalton9416]

I really enjoyed your video. One of the best I've watched on buck beds.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks so much...that means a lot! I have a few more in this series I am working on...hopefully one of them will be ready shortly. Thanks for watching!

[@nunya6874]

Broadside, going across a steep hill dripppng into swamp. The final scape and 1000% was hot that morning was ok a point of land jutting out into a slightly less wet area of the swamp with thick cover

[@claudest.-germain3635]

thank you so much to teach me very interresting

[@manofthehour1983]

This was amazing. Im lucky enough to have 65 of my own acres in western part of NYS (Steuben County) . I never scouted for mature buck beds but now i damn sure will. What months would you say are the best to do it in to get an idea where they will be come hunting season?

[@Kyrutandstrut]

What a video. I hope the boys round home don’t see these videos won’t be a deer in the country.

[@thehuntersight7548]

Good job!

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks! Next one in the series will be uploaded soon!

[@OfftheHookOutdoors99]

I’m from Pa also! What part are you from? I just picked up your channel. Good info👍

[@paulwakefield1015]

Idk who you are but this video is a banger!! Daryl where did you put your stand on that river bottom buck?

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Thanks...I appreciate it. If you haven't seen it yet I made a video on how to hunt the river bottom buck. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqHTdXaKad6pptE

[@treestandtwerkers5908]

Are you just using Paint and screen record, while recording audio to make these? Fastest Subscription button hit ever. Keep it up man.

[@thebigbuckslayerr579]

Waiting on more content

[@gaelewis6623]

Love your videos!I've got to small ponds in my hunting area should I put a tree stand near the pond? Also how often do you think the mature bucks come to drink from the ponds?

[@nunya6874]

Relatively new deer hunter (have yet to get my first buck). Have no problem finding deer sign. But have had issues distinguishing between new and older (early season) sign. Currently hunting eastern shore MD public but live in Pa. How much stock would you put in a 4 scrape line this late in the season?

[@Dutch.1722]

Thanks for your video. I have been trying to hunt this sort of land for 2 years now. Completely different animal from what I normally hunt. Would you consider a doe video?

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@Dutch 1722 mature bucks definitely live differently especially on pressured public land. It is a fun challenge and always keeps things interesting. And, yes, I have a series on the sketch pad about doe vs. buck beds. Not sure how long until I can shoot it, though, as I am working on a lot of different series right now. Thanks for watching!

[@B_r_u_c_e]

Thank you.

[@jorgelara278]

Can I send you a area where I’ll be hunting and could you give me your opinions

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Absolutely! My email is in most of my video descriptions. Thanks for watching!

[@chriskourlos4407]

❤😂🎉

[@deborahsturdivant6884]

Will the buck come back into the bedding area after you’ve created pressure with your presence? If so, how long does that generally take?

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

It will definitely affect a mature buck and I would never step in an actual bed except after the hunting season is over up until maybe May. It may take weeks or even months for a mature buck to return to a bed you step in even if it is a favored spot, though some bucks return much more quickly, in my experience. Being in a mature buck's bedroom as opposed to a specific bed is less intrusive and usually takes less time for the buck to return. My hunch is that the time it takes a mature buck to return is connected to the individual buck's personality, amount of quality bedding in the area and time of year. Geography can be a factor, too, as 'wilderness bucks' seem to take longer to recover from intrusive visits than those living closer to regular human scent. All the location footage for these videos I made of these beds were taken immediately after the hunting season, early after spring green-up or even a year before I planned to hunt a certain area - I frequently scout new land for the next year. In short, pick the times farthest from hunting season (of course, right after is fine) to go into a bedding area so you can gather intel and then stay out...until you go in for an all or nothing hunt. Thanks for watching!

[@kylemurray7086]

Right, how do these guys get away with the “bump and dump”

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@@kylemurray7086, that's a pretty advanced method of hunting I wouldn't recommend unless you are really experienced AND know the property really well. Basically you walk the property bumping deer on purpose from more 'fringe bedding' to more secluded bedding and then enter the secluded area the next day or so hoping to have stacked deer into that spot. It's kind of an all-or-nothing approach to hunting.

[@kylemurray7086]

@@SeedstoDreamsDeer They do this all in one hunt, they pretty much scout there way in and lightly bump a buck by accident and let him calm down and start to venture back, meanwhile they’ve shimmied up a tree and are waiting for him.. granted this is happening in places like Iowa and Missouri lol I’m sure that makes a big difference.. I’m a Michigan deer hunter, so I err on the side of caution; and depression lol

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@@kylemurray7086, yeah, don't get discouraged by comparing your hunting situation with some of the less pressured places you see on TV and online. In a highly pressured state like MI you have to be realistic while challenging yourself. There are big bucks just not as many of them.

[@ilovenythismuchilovenewyor5801]

hey brother the one area you told me to check out that.i figured would be on the money ... welp it's on the money....

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

That is great! Any success?

[@ilovenythismuchilovenewyor5801]

@SeedstoDreams i should be saying yes. but I passed up on a solid 8 pointer thinking I may see a much bigger buck. welp after a while in that area that 8 kept showing on cam but wasn't coming around where I'd set up near by the scrape as much as the first encounter.. it's a huge lesson learned to make that 10 seconds of thoughts by viewing certain things on the buck ya know to make sure he's the one I want to take. let's say I got hit w a bad case of buck fever while my first times being ina. saddle season my leg was shaking really bad. i spooked the buck the day he was 8 yards right under me ... he took 2 hops then walked away calmly wagging his tail

[@ilovenythismuchilovenewyor5801]

@SeedstoDreams I'll call you soon. have more new spots to discuss. like I keep telling ppl just because there's a end date for hunting season it doesn't mean the works over. need to learn these woods .. look for signs etc and document it all!!!

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Too bad it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to turn out, but it is still a great memory. You get better at making split second decisions the more you are put in those situations. You still have extended Late Season...maybe it will happen then? @@ilovenythismuchilovenewyor5801

[@ukjw2]

How close is close enough?

[@chrislovely9136]

Man your describing almost the same exact scenario I'm dealing with in East Ohio

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Which bed type? Are you on public or private land?

[@nicholast.5444]

Sir! It upsets me to hear that you bent over backwards to help educpeoole on facts and some took that olive branch and wiped there ass's with it and burned you like that. Thats not hunting ,no sport in that . I personally thank you for putting out this video! Im 45 yrs old and we own a section of private however i Bow on public . So what am i looking for if i have no hills or mountians . My county is 90% fedreal land and theyve really went to town clear cutting it but not my spots yet they havent. I have been taking my knowledge ive gained and have been looking but im still on the fence as to 2nd guessing myself . I use to think i knew where the beds were at but now maybe i was wrong but its the buck beds i want to know where at? So i have a ton of jack pine, white pine, red pine, norway spruce, aspen, popple, maple, a few birch, some kind of an ugly cherry tree that looks burnt always and a ton of oaks , now scrub oaks black oak , white oak ..alot of real thickc swamppy stuff i cant even walk through. Id have to crawl. But its like a ton of pine and its open cuz of canopy then swamppy next to it then next to that is open area with some pine and oak here n there . Its like the terrane changes every 100 ft. Am i to bet that the bucks are in thr thick stuff no one can get through? Its everywhere!! Theres marshes that reach 2 miles some of them bigger but thats avg. I see folks high rises looking over thr whole marsh . Idk theres so many differnt way this could go. Ive been looking now 4 yrs as what started this was every morn at 8:30 i had a bute of an 8 walk 15 yards infromt of my ladder stand daily every morn like clockcwork . I walked the trail he was taking daily and i saw rubs but no scrapes or licking branches along the way and it did not lead to a thick swamp pretty muchcno bedding area i ever came across. It lead to kinda swampy area with high spots where deer bed so there out of wet stuff againt a tree or something but nothing crazy thick and i know bucks dont want to bed with does n fawns . Idk ..seems after 4 yrs id have more answers than questions . Im getting less n less answers and finding out more n more how i was wrong than i am answers. I take time out of season to do this also . Its not only a few weeks durring season that i do this type of stuff. I know alot about alot but the whole bedding thing (buck bedding ) has been my cryptonite and i just cant figure it out as far as area goes like i can tell ya what type of place hes bedding in but where ? I cant pin point it yet its frustrating!

[@ukjw2]

I wonder how many people actually follow this strategy(that often leads to seeing no/few deer) vs just going scouting around a saddle.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@ukjw2 that's a good question. I can only answer for myself and what I learned when I first started putting big buck bedding together in my head. It is incredibly easy to think you have found 'the place' on public land when it is actually mostly 2 and 3 year old bucks in reality. At least in pressured PA and NY, the places that have the jumbo bucks, when you find them, usually cause me to say, "That's insane!", often aloud. Good looks good (enough) until you find great. Thanks for watching!

[@ukjw2]

@@SeedstoDreamsDeer do you have any way of knowing if you have found a 4+ yo bucks bedding area? Do you put cameras on the bed pr a nearby scrape once found? Or trust bed size? I’m new to this way of thinking, living in SC but grew up hunting WV.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@@ukjw2 yes, trail cams and surveillance stands help but there is a time when 'it' clicks and you KNOW it's a mature buck bed because it has all the telltale signs...size but more importantly location. Believe it or not, most mature buck beds that are primary beds, at least where I hunt, contain few rubs and even less 'impressive rubs'. Usually if I need to try to convince myself it's a mature buck it is not. Time and experience are the great teachers...if you put in the time and examine every bed you find, one day, at least for me, it just all starts making sense.

[@ukjw2]

@@SeedstoDreamsDeerman. Found our conversation(and rediscovered your channel) 2 years later. I’m only beginning to find beds this year and boy did it ‘just click’. Glad to hear you say they often don’t have buck sign because a couple of the best ones I’ve found have zero. Just a giant bed and scat. I had been questioning some as possibly being doe beds due to lack of sign. Others may as well have flags going into them with all the rubs lol.

[@gfalk3972]

It would never enter my mind to try and figure out where these spots are and go hunt there. I don’t understand the people that would! Is there no sportsmanship anymore?

[@jeffschmelzer1592]

Im 65. Northern wisconsin. Public land. 100% right

[@jeffschmelzer1592]

Topo maps. Creek bottoms. Just think what you still learn as you age

[@aaronmelvin461]

Harvest? Maybe on KZbin.

[@ShaneBolerHunting]

Bet you can’t do that in the southeast big woods

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Yeah, you are probably right...there are lots of things I can't pull off. What part of the video were you commenting on? Thanks for watching and I hope you are having a good season!

[@ShaneBolerHunting]

@@SeedstoDreamsDeer locating buck beds. I see it all the time now with hunting public, Dan Infalt. You don’t see anyone in the southeast big woods successfully locating big mature buck beds. They bed everywhere, there’s no wood blocks, places to glass, deer know your there when you step foot in the woods. I’ve located beds a lot. But they’re everywhere and I’ve located some big solitary ones But consistently locating and having success on them, no videos on that in the southeast. If there is, please point it out to me.

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@@ShaneBolerHunting, I am no expert on whitetails in the SE. But I can say there seems to be a misconception about hunting buck beds that have been found at a prior time. I share the following from my experience and can't speak for others you mentioned like Dan and THP. When I find a mature buck bed (and I know where dozens and dozens of them are on public land) I can never just waltz in there and harvest a buck. There are many (most!) times I can't get in without being busted. If the wind or thermals aren't right, or the leaves are too dry and noisy, or it's really still and I would be heard, or it's a swirling wind day (or a hundred other things aren't right) I usually don't try to hunt one of these spots. But when I do, even in ideal conditions for me as a hunter, I fail most of the time. You almost always have to push in close without crossing the never defined line of when a buck busts out or simply refuses to leave his bed. It is always high risk with a small chance of attaining a great reward. Having said that, woodsmanship and scouting can up your odds. Learning how to walk nearly silently, knowing the best route to getting in, and being willing to have a lot of sits without success (often not even seeing deer in a high deer density property) are frequently not talked about but they are reality if you want to hunt mature buck bedding areas. I don't know exactly where you are located in the Southeast but many states allow hunting with dogs. This puts mature bucks on edge and they will retreat to deep swamp or impossibly thick areas. I would recommend hunting early archery season (before dog hunting begins) and scouting right after rifle closes to see where the big boys are bedding. Then make the best plan you can and when the conditions are right go for it. I will suggest a podcast which may help you some because it is focused on your region...I think it is called the Southern Outdoorsman Podcast. Go through their archives and listen to the speakers and glean what you can. Then try some new tactics. In summary, knowing where a big buck MAY be bedding on a particular day is no more than half the battle. It takes something special to execute a successful hunt and especially to do it repeatedly most years. I hope this helps some. Thanks for watching!

[@riverkatspeaks1827]

After listening to the first few minutes, I had to click away due to you giving false information.

[@bill74ish]

Why not just say Dans name bruh Lol

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

Well...I am not Dan and I have only ever communicated with him once. I have had my own experiences hunting and scouting and there are certainly nuances from region to region. In this series I am simply trying to show real examples of confirmed big buck beds in the northeastern US which is where I currently hunt. I think beds are probably the most reliable starting point for mature bucks. That's why I made the videos to share. I hope you find something of value in them. Thanks for watching!

[@trophypages]

Good job

[@jorgelara278]

Can I send you a area where I’ll be hunting and could you give me your opinions?

[@SeedstoDreamsDeer]

@jorgelara278 , sure. My email address is in most of the video descriptions. Thanks for watching!