| Approaching the bedding from unexpected | | | | These locations should be approached |
| direction could help the hunter. Some | | | | from the opposite side, or the stalk |
| favored bedding area is in the low land | | | | should be made along the top of the |
| near rivers, ponds and swamps besides | | | | ridge if wind or other conditions make |
| the low ridges. | | | | the former approach undesirable. It is |
| Unfortunately there is no hard and fast | | | | always best to try to approach any |
| rule, which the hunter can use in order | | | | bedding area from an unexpected |
| to locate these resting and bedding | | | | direction. |
| places. There is nothing to prevent deer | | | | Another favored bedding area is in the |
| from lying down anywhere they happen to | | | | low land near rivers, ponds and swamps. |
| be and they do this very thing during | | | | Deer often pick wood land meadows where |
| the night after feeding. During the | | | | the swamp grass gives them concealment. |
| daytime rest period, they seek seclusion | | | | These places are difficult for the |
| where they will be safe from enemies | | | | hunter to approach because of the grass |
| and, to some extent, be protected from | | | | and underbrush which cover such areas. |
| the weather. This being so, there is a | | | | I have found quite a few deer which were |
| large part of a herd's range, which the | | | | bedded down on points of land that jut |
| hunter may disregard when looking for | | | | out into lakes and ponds. The hunter is |
| bedding areas. Open fields, feeding | | | | often tempted to save steps by crossing |
| areas, trails that are used by men, and | | | | the base of these points instead of |
| even game trails are seldom used by deer | | | | hunting them. By doing so, he is very |
| as bedding places, but they may be used | | | | apt to pass up a good chance for a shot |
| by the hunter as starting points in his | | | | at a deer. Deer in these places will |
| search. Tracks found at these places | | | | seldom take to the water when disturbed |
| will often indicate the general | | | | by man, but will try to run past the |
| direction taken by deer on their way to | | | | hunter in an attempt to reach the main |
| their resting places. It is seldom | | | | land. |
| possible to stalk a resting deer by | | | | Points of woods which extend into fields |
| following its track to its bed, for it | | | | and cuttings, similar to the points of |
| invariably watches its back trail. The | | | | land which extend into water, are often |
| hunter should use his knowledge of the | | | | used as bedding places, but deer which |
| area to which the deer seems to be | | | | are in these places are not restricted |
| heading, in order to judge where the | | | | in their choice of an escape route. Deer |
| animal might be located and then stalk | | | | in these places are difficult to stalk |
| that area or the most promising | | | | and are a real challenge to an |
| locations in that area. | | | | experienced stalker. |
| Deer seem to be partial to low ridges | | | | Therefore it is very important for the |
| when choosing bedding grounds and will | | | | hunter to know from which direction of |
| often use them even when they are near | | | | the bedding place he has to approach and |
| well-traveled roads. Such places are | | | | make the hunter more successful without |
| almost impossible to approach from the | | | | much stalking and disturbance to the |
| road without detection by the deer. | | | | deer before shooting. |