The Latest Buck Bedding Research
By Mark Melotik
Have you ever set a stand based on where you believed a mature buck was bedding? Many of us have done just that, but the latest whitetail research has found the tactic might be hit-and-miss at best. Well, sort of.
According to data compiled recently by Mississippi State University researchers and presented at the 2024 Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting back in February, buck bedding areas can vary significantly throughout the hunting season — which means they can be quite difficult for a hunter to pattern.
The study — reportedly the first of its kind to lean on the power of GPS accuracy — used data from 60 GPS-collared bucks that were 2 1/2 years old and older. The study took place during hunting season, from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31.
On average, researchers found bucks typically bedded four times per day, in two different bedding areas. Day and night beds were equal (50 percent each) and bucks used 31 distinct bedding areas across the hunting season.
Maybe even more eye-opening, bucks used 52% of their bedding areas a single time — as well as 30% between two and five times, 14% between six and 200 times, and just 4% greater than 200 times.
The average return interval to bedding areas used more than once? That was found to be about six days across the entire hunting season. However, researchers found bucks returned at a significantly longer interval during the latter portions of the rut than during the weeks preceding the rut. That’s a fairly easy concept to digest, with bucks being mostly homebodies early in the fall, and ranging much farther later in the rut as they search for hot does.
Ultimately, researchers found the data suggests three main takeaways: Number one, that bucks choose numerous bedding locations when bedding cover is available most everywhere; Number two, that bedding areas reflect the reproductive status of the deer herd (i.e., dependent on the rut); and Number three, that bucks have far more bedding areas than previously thought.
Overall, some very interesting findings, according to Brian Murphy, veteran deer biologist and lifelong avid hunter. Murphy said he believed the study would likely turn up some very different findings if it was held in, say, Midwest farm country versus the heavily cover-laden tract where it occurred in Mississippi.
“One thing that needs to be explained is that the study was done in Mississippi, and big bedding cover was everywhere, which is typical down there,” Murphy said. “It’s not like many agricultural areas of the Midwest where there can be very limited bedding options.”
Another aspect of the study to take into consideration for your own hunting, Murphy said, centers on its average buck scores.
“There is a lot of good stuff in [this study]; it’s an area that we’ve just never really explored before,” Murphy said, further explaining that it’s critical that hunters know how the average scores were obtained, and how those can be affected by individual buck behavior.
As an example, Murphy said the study found that from Sept. to Jan., about half the year, bucks averaged 31 bedding areas. “But it’s important to note that one buck had eight beds, and one had 87,” Murphy said. “What it means, is that buck behavior is very individual.”
My own take? I’m with Murphy in that this study is very interesting and another step forward toward better understanding America’s favorite big game animal. But in the end I will continue to hunt (and strategize for) individual bucks based on what they show me. If the sign says their bedding areas are consistent, I will hunt them there accordingly. And if some good-looking spots — or areas where I’ve experienced historical success — are running dry, I’ll now have a better understanding of the hows and whys.