Whitetail bedding is an important topic often misunderstood by hunters and habitat managers. If you want to hold more deer, advance bucks to the next age class, or simply have a better hunt, building optimal bedding is key. Failure to provide the necessary bedding areas that deer require will put them on your neighbor's property during the majority of the daylight hours. Simply put, you must control bedding if you want to be successful in the fall. In this article, I will break down what whitetails require in their bedding areas, the fundamental concepts of buck vs doe bedding locations, region influence, and more.

If you want to control bedding, you must provide deer with adequate side cover, browse, and a lack of pressure.

COVER:

To begin with, deer require adequate side cover. Deer are not hiding from birds and airplanes, they are hiding from predators and you. Cover can come in many forms, such as thick regeneration, conifers, solid grasses, shrubs, briars, and more. The level of “thickness” will be determined by your region, which is discussed later in the article.

BROWSE:

Along with cover, browse is essential for bedding. As noted by Jeff Strugis, deer feed five times a day. Two of these five feedings are in their bedding areas. Thus, without browse, deer need to leave their bedding areas to feed - indicating they are only bedding in such a location because they have no other choice. Browse can be in the form of hardwood regeneration, shrub tips, briers, seasonal acorns, chestnuts, walnuts, and more.

LACK OF PRESSURE:

Even the best cover and browse are insignificant if deer experience hunter or social pressure within their bedding areas. Hunter pressure can be minimized or eliminated through strategic planning, including well-placed stand locations and access routes. For an in-depth guide on creating a true whitetail sanctuary, check out this article. Beyond hunting pressure, social stress also plays a crucial role in bedding. Aside from the rut, mature bucks need seclusion away from other deer. If they do not have the space they require, they will leave your property and find it somewhere else. Young bucks need some space, but they tolerate a much higher level of social stress. Meanwhile, does and fawns prefer larger family groups and cluster in higher-density bedding areas. This variance in social stress tolerance underlines one of the most essential whitetail concepts - layered bedding. Understanding this concept will allow you to recognize where deer bed and build your property accordingly. I encourage you to check out this in-depth article for more information about layered bedding.

By combining all three elements of cover, browse, and a lack of pressure, you will have established the perfect bedding area. Yet, you must consider your region.

REGION:

When designing a bedding area, you must understand your region and act accordingly. In big agriculture areas where cover is very limited, deer require less space and will bed closer together - they have no other choice. However, in large wilderness settings, generally in the northern part of the country with high predation, deer need significantly more space and visibility for safety. An extremely nasty thicket may house many deer in big ag, but would be avoided in a large wilderness setting. Keep this in mind when implementing bedding areas on your property.

PRIVATE & PUBLIC:

These fundamental whitetail bedding concepts apply anywhere a whitetail roams. The key difference is that on private land, you design, build, and maintain bedding areas. On public land, you find existing bedding areas.

CONCLUSION:

With a clear understanding of these fundamental whitetail bedding principles, it is time to put these concepts into practice. Provide deer with the cover, browse, and lack of pressure that they require to make ideal bedding areas. Consider your region and adjust the design of your bedding areas accordingly to promote optimal use. Combine all of these elements to increase your success this fall and for years to come!