July 3, 2025 – Ben Rising: Big Bucks in Bedding Areas

I’m set up in what I believe is one of the bedding areas of a mature buck on this 80-acre piece I’m hunting. It’s tucked away in the corner and connects to bigger blocks of timber, though most of it is surrounded by hay fields. The neighbor’s property has been heavily logged in the past, and this section I’m in now is an overgrown pasture—thick and secluded, just the way big bucks like it.

I’m here trying to pinpoint exactly where this buck likes to bed, and I’ve got a trail camera hung to confirm if he’s really using this area consistently. One of my go-to strategies when setting a camera in spots like this is to minimize intrusion as much as possible.

Here’s how I approach it:

• I hang my pack in a tree, never laying it on the ground
• I place the camera where I can reach it without stepping off-trail
• I wear regular work shoes—not scent-free, but worn daily doing farm work like fueling tractors or weed-whipping

That last point may seem small, but in farm country, deer are used to human scent—just not aggressive scent intrusion. The way I see it, my boots and shoes already smell like everyday, non-threatening activity. I’m not worried about those odors blowing up a bedding area, especially in July.

But I do avoid unnecessary contact—no sitting around, no gear spread all over the ground. Even during hunting season, I’ll hang things like my backpack from Novix climbing sticks to avoid laying anything in high-sensitivity zones.

It’s the little things that matter when you’re trying to pattern a mature deer. The goal is always to gather intel without tipping them off.

– Ben