How to Make Bedding Areas for a Whitetail Deer

A bedding area is a spot where deer feel protected enough to lie when not out foraging. Creating a bedding area in a particular spot is not difficult, but one must understand that it may not produce immediate results.
Whether it be for hunting or simply wildlife viewing, a deer bedding area will help to ensure that you see deer more often. Once deer have settled into a bedding area, you can expect them to return to it over and over again.

Things You'll Need

  • Chainsaw
  • Wild grass seed
  • Rake
Show More

Instructions

  1. Making Bedding Areas for Whitetail Deer

    • 1

      Scout the property and look for well-worn deer trails. These should be fairly obvious paths through grasses and woods. It is important to know where the deer are moving.

    • 2

      Select an area that is reasonably close to water and food sources. It is ideal to have multiple food sources in the area. Deer need to forage a variety of vegetation in order for their digestive systems to operate properly.

    • 3

      Select an area on or near an existing deer trail and clear trees only enough to allow sunlight to penetrate well to the undergrowth. Leave the trees as they lie as natural shelters for the deer.

    • 4

      Rake some of the area and plant wild grass seed. Grasses that grow tall will be most attractive to deer looking to bed down out of the wind and weather and with sufficient cover from predators.

    • 5

      Leave or plant thickets and thorny bushes in the area. While these would impede your own travel into and out of the area, they are just the sort of cover that deer find attractive.