I hunt in huge valleys and hillsides. I remember reading this somewhere that deer always bed above feeding areas. In your experience is this true? Appreciate the insight.

Nope. Not true. Always is never a good term when describing deer behavior. Bucks typically have dozens of areas they will bed or have bedded. Some times they only bed there once. Other bedding areas are used more frequently, but rarely the same bed.

I have found it to be true a lot but not always. In areas like your talking about I have seen many times where they bed on the ridges and feed in the bottoms.

Not true.

I think it varies, some places where I hunt and there are only hardwoods, they will bed in any little patch of briars or downed tree top they can find......most of those area are low bottom land areas and they seem to be comfortable doing it.....

I think bucks utilize things to their advantage in the name of safety. I would be looking at wind directions based on the food source more than a theory that they just bed above. It’s my opinion, but I think bucks, particularly older deer, utilize the wind a whole lot more than we give them credit for.

Flying my drone I have found that if you never pressure a buck he will use one bedding area 75% of the time you can't be found about 25% of the time. If he is pressured you will never find him in the same spot. Doe family groups bed in the same area about half the time. I flew today about noon and found 8-9 bucks bedded or pushing does around in different areas. I found 8 groups of does with more then 6 all in established bedding areas. I found 10+ groups of does with 2-3 does in transition areas, creeks, fence lines or pine/hardwood. If your property will support the deer they will bed anywhere.

That pattern is typical (though of course not absolute) of the pattern elk use in mountains out West where diurnal thermals are prominent. The general idea being that the animals start moving up the mountain towards bedding areas while the thermals are still falling then arriving in their bedding area when the thermals switch. Then they start heading back down towards the feeding areas while the thermals are still rising and arrive in the feeding area as the thermals switch again.

I don't know what you classify as "huge" here or how much the thermals affect air movement, but in my limited experience the deer just bed in the thickest stuff near them when they decide to lay down for the day.

Do you scout with your drone?

I can’t say I’ve ever seen (or even thought about) any correlation between elevation of bedding and feeding. Bucks like to bed on ridges in the woods, but in a clearcut weather matters where they bed. Windy, they’ll be in the bottom of a big hollow, cold and sunny they’ll be on a hillside facing the sun. Hot weather will push them in the bottoms where it’s cooler and shady. The idea that they’ll bed in the same location most of the time is false imo. Weather dictates where they bed as much or more than safety. A buck has several safe bedding spots in dif weather related areas imo.

the only place I can pretty well tell you where a buck is bedding regularly would be in farmland where there are limited options. It is frustrating in the AL pines and short hills they appear to just bed anywhere as long as there is cover. They wander around in their travel patterns a whole lot more as well.

What that means is you need to focus on hunting the feeding area whatever that may be and forget trying to hunt close to what you think is a bedding location. They are just too random for me given that I'm limited to hunting weekends for the most part. Hunting travel routes are a bit different but picking the right ones is much more situational based on the layout of your particular hunting area.

As far as elevation I tend to be a saddle hunter and hunt high on a ridge because the wind is more predictable that's really the only reason.

I shot a deer near a corn pile I keep in the same location earlier this season. Thick planted pines and briars for miles and miles. When I started following the blood trail, I found too many beds to count ranging from 20-80 yards from the corn pile. There's nothing much for them to eat for miles other than brush browse. My corn pile turned into a hot spot I guess. They have been bedding waiting on me to refill the corn. I bet they've been lying there watching and listening to me pour it out.

I know a little high knoll at oakmulgee that has a good buck bedding in it every year. He steps out and runs his scrapeline and can drop off into the oak bottom to feed. Been like that for over 20 years.

I don't scout to hunt but it's fun just to look. I'm to old to be killing young bucks but if I wanted I could kill most of the bucks I find just by stalking them with the wind in my favor. The biggest buck on our north side beds in the same spot most of the time. I think my neighbor killed him yesterday but not sure yet. I'll fly mid-day Saturday to see if I can find him if I don't hear from my neighbor.

When it comes to turkey I can fly all my fields on 400 acres and check for gobblers in less then 15 mins. But I will only be calling for other hunters this year so if I fly before they get to the house I'll look like a genius because I'll always know where the gobblers are at.

Thanks for the insight. I learned a few things.

Those thermal drone's are amazing to me...I only got to see one fly just once and we found 9 deer in about 5 minutes....stayed right above them and zoomed in up close and personal, and crazy thing was none of them ever looked up....It almost seemed like they were oblivious to it... I was gonna ask you Squadron if you have ever spooked, (Wigged em out and they run off)any deer with yours?

When I first got it I seem to spook several deer from 2-300 yards out. I was told to accelerate and brake slower so I wouldn't get the loud prop noise. When I brake at 30-40 mph the drone turns straight up to stop and makes a loud noise. Now I fly to where I want to be and coast to a stop. If I fly over deer at full speed it doesn't bother them.

Awesome....

Which one do you have?

I always ask myself , where would I be today . Worked out pretty good for me