Love all the tips, it’s helped me up my game a ton. The main observation I’ve made hunting in NewEngland in the more highly populated areas, even where there is a decently large piece of woods. Many of the biggest bucks will have a bedding area tucked into a house, it eliminates an entire side of danger in their mind. This makes them super tough to get to in some cases. But, I have noticed they have maybe 1 or 2 other bedding areas in the woods that will be overlooked, say right next to access or right inbetween some walking trails where human traffic is going on all day, allowing them safety from most hunters and coyotes(as long as there is good cover).
Thanks Dan. Having only a few seasons of hunting under my belt and being in my mid fifties all your info and insight is incredibly helpful. Also the white board illustrations give a greater understanding.
I love the scouting videos definitely helps me make sense on how to scout ,investigate beds and on how to set up… in 4 years I have learned more about mature buck behavior due to you… Thanks Dan!! Being a good woodsman is a lost art
I learned a lot from you Dan and It took me awhile to understand how to hunt these old bucks here in the mountains of NW Alabama public big woods. Everyone thinks bucks bed random here and they just don’t from what I see. Everything your saying is true down here. Although the entire state would disagree but my trophy wall is growing every season to prove it.
Great vid Dan, thanks for taking us along. I’ve been finding those little caves in some pretty thick places, have the rubs in the beds. Still trying to figure out where to set up on them, but getting there.
If there’s one thing iv picked up on in the last few years. The older they are the more concentrated there home and travel routes are. Seems like it should be easier. But with that age they become masters at moving through these areas undetected. As well as quite the detective themselves at figuring out hunters tendencies and pressure. Great video Dan!
Don't get discouraged ive only hunted public in my life and pressure made me upset when I was younger but now I love seeing the parking lot full because I know where the game will get pushed good luck sir just learn where everyone is hunting and go where they are not and success will find you......don't overlook hunting the parking spot I got a 140 inch 10 last year and could see my truck the whole time
I coined the parking lot bucks decades ago.Some right next to roads.Deer are similar to goats.My goats always knew if i was home.I learned wind and thermals bird hunting with my dog in the 70s, how damp wet days it was hardest for the dog to smell.I learned if the bird was there all night, more scent there was away from the bird.So I never go out to early, longer your there the more scent there is traveling away from you.
I decided to scout a popular hunting area in northern Illinois. It was my first time there. Before I even left the parking lot I saw a ground blind and a tree stand. This was mid February by the way.. I kept scouting, literally every single ridge top, and bottom had some sort of hunter sign. Usually a tree stand. It didn't matter how deep or thick on the property it was. I couldn't believe it. Basically if there weren't thorns, there was a tree stand. I've never seen anything like it.
@@thehuntingbeast it definitely wouldn't be where 95% of any of those stands were. That's for sure. I think I found a few areas alot of hunters were overlooking, that had great buck sign without a stand close. So that added a lot of confidence. Thanks for these videos! They've shown me so much.
That's true, I paid more attention to my spring scouting. A boatload of two maybe 3-year-olds. But only a seen a view, that had rubs higher then what I consider the youngens would do. I think scouting in general, tells you so much. But I definitely ran across areas, that showed me, areas that held bigger deer. No no about it.
I've seen a lot of study's where people say you can't hunt bed but if you look at the beds in the study some are in clusters and the rest look like night bed areas
You should do.a video specifically on what thick is to thick ...here in NC it's SEEMS like it's either wide open or so thick you can't walk through it. And I have made many trips in cussing the hole way to the tree lol
Them birds will make your adrenaline spike for a few seconds lol. I hate it and love it every time it happens. So many game birds will hold tight until you almost step on them and I always say them f ers do it on purpose so they can cackle as they fly off lolol
He in the flat lands of central north Carolina bucks bedding randomly is very much the case most of the time yet there are hermit recluse mature bucks that only venture out if pushed or during the rut ...
Dan so I noticed on that second tree that it had a bunch of little twigs going up the tree, my goal for next season is to be more quiet getting into set ups, however most of the trees I was trying to get into had trash going most of the way up, any tips for staying quiet and staying concealed behind the tree from the bedding in those types of scenarios?
Human intrusion 101. I don't even use sticks cuz it's too much intrusion. This reminds me of 2 yrs ago when I parked my bike & locked it to a 🌳 in the summer to checkout a spot. I was 10 yards from a huge CRP field when a solo deer got up. I figured he was young & a couple of months later I realized it was a buck that was 2. His mother ruled the woods & had triplets 2 yrs in a row. I got a pic of her from January with 4 of her female offspring. They r all alive due to hunan intrusion. Mostly human intrusion that aren't hunters but people with dogs. It's becoming a big problem in MN or should I say Eastern California. 😮
Actually around this very broken ag land with smaller woodlots ,small thickets and Creekline/bottom land with a higher human population yes our bucks are often caused to bed randomly . Seasonal changes causing open landscape and open woods ,AG growth then sudden harvest and the ever Constant human activity moves them way way more here than say the huge wooded areas , heavy cover and swamp lands of the south and farther north states north .Big ag country in the central midwest is always in flux . Those with lots of stable cover do get the advantage of more stable bedding for the bucks and doe.We are talking the miles of what seems open farm fields with random creeklines and small woods .Not the same as big country with heavy woods and cover . too many landowners per sq mile and far too little public land unfortunately in most farm, country .The exceptions are totally or mostly unbothered or un hunted parcels of some size .
When your looking at the beds, your looking at cover, at food, what winds does it apear they bed here on? Then in season your hunting it somwtime in the window of time you have come up with, on the wind you determined. If you think they are bedding there for a food source, can you check the food source for activity? Is there sign like rubs and scrapes showing up near the bedding... etc
@thehuntingbeast most of your videos it seems you find alot of early beds. What's a say late December/ January bedding. Will the rubs just look fresher then most when scouting march or april?. Why would they just bed there late season? Primarily food? Or is it hunting pressure and movement of doe beds. Most big sign i find is around the truck which puzzled me until the king of Wisconsin made a youtube channel
They dont rub a lot in late season bedding, and late season bedding changes year to year based on food. Cover is a huge factor in late season bedding@@edwards4445
Woodsmanship and skills? That about dead Dan. Skill now is placing a gazillion cell cams and baiting. If baiting isn't allowed then plant a food plot. The hunting is being taken out of the hunt. We are a dying breed you and I. I hunted in Jefferson county when it was shotgun. Even going back when it was shotgun buck or doe 5 day season too
Yep, its changed a lot over the years. I think good woodsmanship will still kill more old bucks but lazy and unskilled is rewarded more and more as tech increases.
@@j.shooley7636 nope. They all want it easy. Crossbow= easy. Food plots and tower blinds=easy. Bait piles= easy. They all want to take mature bucks by easy. Including cell cams. I believe there are 5 states that have now passed laws restricting use of trail cams in public lands from Aug. 31 thru Jan 31. Guys put cams on public land and then claim that area as "theirs". Hunters vs Hunters who you think will win that one? Anti hunters for sure
Dan I love pretty much everything you put out. But how about putting out something for us older gentleman/woman. Which don't look now, put your approaching. Lol. I know where the big boys are, and I can still get there. But it would kill me to bring them ouy. I've had to adjust. Had to. Just life. Freaking boatload of us that are extremely passionate with our hunting. And we're still out there, do our thing. Like I said, we've made adjustments. But, how about throwing us a bone, on how we might be able to be, a tad more successful?! Just a thought brother! We're still going to do our thing, and adjust as necessary. But damn man, we just can't drag them out, like we used to. 😞😅
Not everyone is a “big buck” hunter.There still are plenty of “Deer” hunters out there so don’t be so judgmental,but I understand what you are pointing out what not to do for more success on older deer or smarter deer in general.
Yeah, I've decided to focus on and target does this fall hunting season because I'm more into the meat than the antlers. I watch all of Dan's videos, though, because the same principles can be applied to hunting does, minus the rub and scrape sign. Although buck scrapes tend to be in areas does frequent.
Your missing the point... Im quite sure you would not pass a 6 year old 12 point buck in your quest to kill a fork horn? and Im quite sure you would like to see more fork horns, or more deer in general. Correct? Then learning how to hunt properly and not spook the deer into avoiding you is a good thing... I mean seriously, do you people want to shoot less deer and have less opertunitie or chance at a big buck? Me? Im willing to kill smaller deer than I want occasionally, but you don't see me setting up to avoid killing deer and to spook them all away...
I stated what you just said in your response. Didn’t miss point at all. Your videos are eye opening at times. There are just hunters out there looking to enjoy the woods and hope to see a deer and I think those are the ones building big blinds and cutting highways thru woods. See it all the time here in Pa.
@@wish2fish37Yeah, and I think hunting mobile is the key. EXACT tree stand placement seems to be really critical. It is definitely an art. I hunt in PA, too, and it's a common practice to set up a permanent lock on or ladder stand to "claim" a spot. But, by packing in one's treestand and climbing steps in and out will put a, hunter ahead of all the other hunters. The only issue is weight ( and bulk, too). My stand weighs 11 pounds and my sticks about 8.5 pounds. Altogether, that's about 20 lbs plus my backpack which weighs probably at least 10 lbs. I'm 52 and I wonder how long I'm going to be able to do the mobile set - up game.
I moved from the mountains of New England to the flat land of south Louisiana. I look at my topo maps & if I can find a 6' elevation change within 6,763 miles I'd be lucky but Nope!!! It amazing they'll use a 3' elevation change just like a ridgeline up north. The only problem is all the deer are made are like they're wool & they've been run through a dryer compared to their northern cousins.... 🥹🦌👍🏻💯🇺🇸
Love watching you work in the woods scouting is the best part of hunting
I can’t wait to watch a future episode where Dan eviscerates one of my hunting spots! 😂
Love the shirt. Next we see Dan running Ultra Marathons like Cam Haynes. Bucks are going to be doomed next season.
E Fel
Thank's, again, Dan, for taking us along with you on your scouting. Always learn something from your videos.
Love all the tips, it’s helped me up my game a ton. The main observation I’ve made hunting in NewEngland in the more highly populated areas, even where there is a decently large piece of woods. Many of the biggest bucks will have a bedding area tucked into a house, it eliminates an entire side of danger in their mind. This makes them super tough to get to in some cases. But, I have noticed they have maybe 1 or 2 other bedding areas in the woods that will be overlooked, say right next to access or right inbetween some walking trails where human traffic is going on all day, allowing them safety from most hunters and coyotes(as long as there is good cover).
Thanks Dan. Having only a few seasons of hunting under my belt and being in my mid fifties all your info and insight is incredibly helpful. Also the white board illustrations give a greater understanding.
Great tips Dan! Thanks for sharing...
Scouting is my favorite part of the hunt.
I love the scouting videos definitely helps me make sense on how to scout ,investigate beds and on how to set up… in 4 years I have learned more about mature buck behavior due to you… Thanks Dan!! Being a good woodsman is a lost art
I learned a lot from you Dan and It took me awhile to understand how to hunt these old bucks here in the mountains of NW Alabama public big woods. Everyone thinks bucks bed random here and they just don’t from what I see. Everything your saying is true down here. Although the entire state would disagree but my trophy wall is growing every season to prove it.
North AL, here as well. 29 and just now getting into bowhunting. They say Alabama bucks are the hardest to kill. Good luck bud, and thank you, Dan.
Great vid Dan, thanks for taking us along. I’ve been finding those little caves in some pretty thick places, have the rubs in the beds. Still trying to figure out where to set up on them, but getting there.
If there’s one thing iv picked up on in the last few years. The older they are the more concentrated there home and travel routes are. Seems like it should be easier. But with that age they become masters at moving through these areas undetected. As well as quite the detective themselves at figuring out hunters tendencies and pressure.
Great video Dan!
Love these episodes Dan! Hopefully there's more to come!
Trying to find beds in the mountains of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia is a pain in the rear. Of course I have very little experience at it😂
I just received my beast gear shirt today, thank you for the autograph Dan it sure put a smile on my face
Lost my hunting spot that I've used for over 30 years forcing me to hunt public land. These tips are going to hopefully put me where I can find them
Don't get discouraged ive only hunted public in my life and pressure made me upset when I was younger but now I love seeing the parking lot full because I know where the game will get pushed good luck sir just learn where everyone is hunting and go where they are not and success will find you......don't overlook hunting the parking spot I got a 140 inch 10 last year and could see my truck the whole time
I coined the parking lot bucks decades ago.Some right next to roads.Deer are similar to goats.My goats always knew if i was home.I learned wind and thermals bird hunting with my dog in the 70s, how damp wet days it was hardest for the dog to smell.I learned if the bird was there all night, more scent there was away from the bird.So I never go out to early, longer your there the more scent there is traveling away from you.
Thanks for taking us along with you. Always enjoy a walk through the woods or swamp.
I decided to scout a popular hunting area in northern Illinois. It was my first time there. Before I even left the parking lot I saw a ground blind and a tree stand. This was mid February by the way..
I kept scouting, literally every single ridge top, and bottom had some sort of hunter sign. Usually a tree stand. It didn't matter how deep or thick on the property it was. I couldn't believe it.
Basically if there weren't thorns, there was a tree stand. I've never seen anything like it.
You have to read the hunter sign and ask yourself if you were a smart old buck on that ground where would YOU hide...
@@thehuntingbeast it definitely wouldn't be where 95% of any of those stands were. That's for sure. I think I found a few areas alot of hunters were overlooking, that had great buck sign without a stand close. So that added a lot of confidence. Thanks for these videos! They've shown me so much.
That's true, I paid more attention to my spring scouting. A boatload of two maybe 3-year-olds. But only a seen a view, that had rubs higher then what I consider the youngens would do. I think scouting in general, tells you so much. But I definitely ran across areas, that showed me, areas that held bigger deer. No no about it.
I've seen a lot of study's where people say you can't hunt bed but if you look at the beds in the study some are in clusters and the rest look like night bed areas
Been doing a ton of scouting so far this year. Nothing around showing good sign. Where there is decent sign it's super close to private.
You should do.a video specifically on what thick is to thick ...here in NC it's SEEMS like it's either wide open or so thick you can't walk through it. And I have made many trips in cussing the hole way to the tree lol
Them birds will make your adrenaline spike for a few seconds lol. I hate it and love it every time it happens. So many game birds will hold tight until you almost step on them and I always say them f ers do it on purpose so they can cackle as they fly off lolol
Would cutting off limbs a bit higher by where you’d sit in a tree be noticed by deer?
it might... If you have to do it, I would do it now and then stay out till hunting time.
He in the flat lands of central north Carolina bucks bedding randomly is very much the case most of the time yet there are hermit recluse mature bucks that only venture out if pushed or during the rut ...
its all about SECURITY Bucks bed were they feel safe Dan you know your shi#
Our mature bucks bed down in several spots.A lot depends on wind direction and moisture for the day morning and evening.
Exactly, but which ones they use on a given day can be at least somewhat predictable...
Dan so I noticed on that second tree that it had a bunch of little twigs going up the tree, my goal for next season is to be more quiet getting into set ups, however most of the trees I was trying to get into had trash going most of the way up, any tips for staying quiet and staying concealed behind the tree from the bedding in those types of scenarios?
Clippers if its legal where your at... Saws or breaking mskes to much noise. Otherwise go slow and avoid
Your videos have been amazing. Thank you
Killer info in this video
Anything special your doing for insect control, do you put anything on your skin?
deep woods off...
Well hear in Kentucky there ant no swamp most hill big hollow 300 feet deep
Human intrusion 101. I don't even use sticks cuz it's too much intrusion. This reminds me of 2 yrs ago when I parked my bike & locked it to a 🌳 in the summer to checkout a spot. I was 10 yards from a huge CRP field when a solo deer got up. I figured he was young & a couple of months later I realized it was a buck that was 2. His mother ruled the woods & had triplets 2 yrs in a row. I got a pic of her from January with 4 of her female offspring. They r all alive due to hunan intrusion.
Mostly human intrusion that aren't hunters but people with dogs. It's becoming a big problem in MN or should I say Eastern California. 😮
Very informative video as always.
Woodsmanship is losing its use. Cellcam and foodplot is whats the game.
People hide behind pride and dont want to learn. Im always looking for more.
Actually around this very broken ag land with smaller woodlots ,small thickets and Creekline/bottom land with a higher human population yes our bucks are often caused to bed randomly . Seasonal changes causing open landscape and open woods ,AG growth then sudden harvest and the ever Constant human activity moves them way way more here than say the huge wooded areas , heavy cover and swamp lands of the south and farther north states north .Big ag country in the central midwest is always in flux . Those with lots of stable cover do get the advantage of more stable bedding for the bucks and doe.We are talking the miles of what seems open farm fields with random creeklines and small woods .Not the same as big country with heavy woods and cover . too many landowners per sq mile and far too little public land unfortunately in most farm, country .The exceptions are totally or mostly unbothered or un hunted parcels of some size .
Once you've found the spots in march and have determined it's early bedding. What day and how would you decide welp today I'm hunting it?
When your looking at the beds, your looking at cover, at food, what winds does it apear they bed here on? Then in season your hunting it somwtime in the window of time you have come up with, on the wind you determined. If you think they are bedding there for a food source, can you check the food source for activity? Is there sign like rubs and scrapes showing up near the bedding... etc
@thehuntingbeast most of your videos it seems you find alot of early beds. What's a say late December/ January bedding. Will the rubs just look fresher then most when scouting march or april?. Why would they just bed there late season? Primarily food? Or is it hunting pressure and movement of doe beds. Most big sign i find is around the truck which puzzled me until the king of Wisconsin made a youtube channel
They dont rub a lot in late season bedding, and late season bedding changes year to year based on food. Cover is a huge factor in late season bedding@@edwards4445
HUNTIN BEAST!!!🦌🦌🦌
I thought "ancient artifacts" to finish your sentence but you went with "Pepsi can from the late 80s" ... that hurt😂
Dan get a new camera? The footage is lookin crisp
Pick that bottle up and bring it out with you pisses me off people leaving there garage out in the woods.
Them being so big of an animal. Why are they so scared for?
Woodsmanship and skills? That about dead Dan. Skill now is placing a gazillion cell cams and baiting. If baiting isn't allowed then plant a food plot. The hunting is being taken out of the hunt. We are a dying breed you and I. I hunted in Jefferson county when it was shotgun. Even going back when it was shotgun buck or doe 5 day season too
Well said. Nobody scouts anymore I'm not saying trail cams are bad just a lazy way of hunting
Yep, its changed a lot over the years. I think good woodsmanship will still kill more old bucks but lazy and unskilled is rewarded more and more as tech increases.
All the public land by me has 3 plus cells cams hanging on it now, hunting sure don’t feel a whole like hunting anymore
@@j.shooley7636 nope. They all want it easy. Crossbow= easy. Food plots and tower blinds=easy. Bait piles= easy. They all want to take mature bucks by easy. Including cell cams. I believe there are 5 states that have now passed laws restricting use of trail cams in public lands from Aug. 31 thru Jan 31. Guys put cams on public land and then claim that area as "theirs". Hunters vs Hunters who you think will win that one? Anti hunters for sure
I don't run any cams anymore, I find it makes me a better hunter. Keeps me focused on the next move.
Dan I love pretty much everything you put out. But how about putting out something for us older gentleman/woman. Which don't look now, put your approaching. Lol. I know where the big boys are, and I can still get there. But it would kill me to bring them ouy. I've had to adjust. Had to. Just life. Freaking boatload of us that are extremely passionate with our hunting. And we're still out there, do our thing. Like I said, we've made adjustments. But, how about throwing us a bone, on how we might be able to be, a tad more successful?! Just a thought brother! We're still going to do our thing, and adjust as necessary. But damn man, we just can't drag them out, like we used to. 😞😅
I do all the time if you pay attention... One video that pops in mind from last spring is the one called 100 yards from.the parking lot...
@@thehuntingbeast yeah I seen that. It actually happens more than people think.
When the rut is going on he most certainly only cares about doe and where they are located
Lost his wooden platform so they improvised with a stool. Unbelievable how much effort they go through to ruin an area.😢
Not everyone is a “big buck” hunter.There still are plenty of “Deer” hunters out there so don’t be so judgmental,but I understand what you are pointing out what not to do for more success on older deer or smarter deer in general.
Yeah, I've decided to focus on and target does this fall hunting season because I'm more into the meat than the antlers. I watch all of Dan's videos, though, because the same principles can be applied to hunting does, minus the rub and scrape sign. Although buck scrapes tend to be in areas does frequent.
Your missing the point... Im quite sure you would not pass a 6 year old 12 point buck in your quest to kill a fork horn? and Im quite sure you would like to see more fork horns, or more deer in general. Correct? Then learning how to hunt properly and not spook the deer into avoiding you is a good thing... I mean seriously, do you people want to shoot less deer and have less opertunitie or chance at a big buck? Me? Im willing to kill smaller deer than I want occasionally, but you don't see me setting up to avoid killing deer and to spook them all away...
I stated what you just said in your response. Didn’t miss point at all. Your videos are eye opening at times. There are just hunters out there looking to enjoy the woods and hope to see a deer and I think those are the ones building big blinds and cutting highways thru woods. See it all the time here in Pa.
@@wish2fish37Yeah, and I think hunting mobile is the key. EXACT tree stand placement seems to be really critical. It is definitely an art. I hunt in PA, too, and it's a common practice to set up a permanent lock on or ladder stand to "claim" a spot. But, by packing in one's treestand and climbing steps in and out will put a, hunter ahead of all the other hunters. The only issue is weight ( and bulk, too). My stand weighs 11 pounds and my sticks about 8.5 pounds. Altogether, that's about 20 lbs plus my backpack which weighs probably at least 10 lbs. I'm 52 and I wonder how long I'm going to be able to do the mobile set - up game.
What app are you using Dan?
Sparten forge... 30% off with code Beast
If the guy who built that ground blind is in here, pls confirm if Dan is right. Show us your spike!!! Lol
Love the content, but ,Dan your camera work makes me sick to my stomach.😅
I moved from the mountains of New England to the flat land of south Louisiana. I look at my topo maps & if I can find a 6' elevation change within 6,763 miles I'd be lucky but Nope!!! It amazing they'll use a 3' elevation change just like a ridgeline up north. The only problem is all the deer are made are like they're wool & they've been run through a dryer compared to their northern cousins.... 🥹🦌👍🏻💯🇺🇸
What parish you hunt
Informational gold 🪙