Tips from The Hunting Public: Find Buck Bedding Areas Using Ridgelines

For the ninth stop of The Hunting Public’s Deer Tour, Ted Zangerle and his two cameramen, Greg Clements and Keith Robinson, hit Iowa public land for the early muzzleloader season. With a cold front on the way, the crew was excited for the 9-day season.

Zangerle planned to hunt areas similar to their archery spots. They found fresh buck sign in those areas and hoped to use their muzzleloaders’ extended range to seal the deal with the nearby big bucks.

Use Ridges to Find the Thermal Hub

The buck Zangerle had captured on his trail camera the evening before. The Hunting Public

The season opened on October 15th, but with the cold front not arriving until that evening, Zangerle and Robinson decided to stay out of the area until the afternoon.

There was a lot of fresh sign, with three big ridges converging into a thick bottom. These ridges provided perfect protection for the bucks. In the evenings, the thermals push down the ridges into the bottom. If a deer is down there, it can smell anything on the ridges above.

“We scouted and hunted those ridges with the bow, but only saw one doe,” says Zangerle. “We knew the bucks were around, but with the warm temperatures, we couldn’t spot them.”

Zangerle believed the bucks were protected by bedded does on the ridges. When the does spooked, the bucks would become alert to danger as well. The buck sign Zangerle found was primarily on the tops of the ridges, but it seemed like they reached the tops of the ridges only after daylight. Since it was mid-October, the bucks weren’t venturing far from their beds during daylight.

In the afternoon of the 15th, Zangerle sat near one of his trail cameras where a nice buck had shown up in daylight on the 14th. He only saw 2 does that evening, right before dark.

Since the cold front was delayed until the next day, Zangerle and the crew decided to sleep in and prepare for the afternoon hunt.

Stage Hunt Into Your Core Area

They returned to the same area as the night before and circled the three ridges to scout for sign. They noticed a couple of does running off. The wind had switched to the northwest, so they had to move. They decided to go back around to the east ridge, which took about 45 minutes, and then started moving down the east ridge toward the bottom.

As they slowly moved along the ridge, they disturbed about 10 does from their beds. Usually, Zangerle would stop and hunt where he’d bumped into a group of deer because bucks are often nearby, but that evening, he decided to push past the doe bedding area and move farther down the ridge to where he could get a shot into the bottom.

“When we stage hunt, we mainly look for sign,” says Zangerle. “If we disturb a deer, we cautiously move toward where they were bedded and decide if it’s worth setting up there. Once we find a hot area with sign and beds, we know we have a good chance to set up and see a few.”

As Zangerle began setting up, he considered moving a little further down the ridge for a clear shot into the bottom. A few minutes later, as Zangerle approached a tree he had chosen, he looked up and saw a nice buck emerging from the canary grass. The buck was steadily walking and only 50 yards away.

Have a Shot Routine

Zangerle swiftly assumed his shooting position on one knee. The buck was walking at a steady pace, but Zangerle found a small opening and took his shot. The buck mule kicked and ran about 10 yards closer to the crew before stopping and looking around.

Zangerle had pulled the shot, skimming the underside of the buck’s chest.

Zangerle promptly reloaded, and the buck started to slowly walk away, uncertain of where the danger had come from. After what felt like an eternity, Zangerle managed to reload, and to his amazement, the buck was still within range. Zangerle waited for a clear shot, aimed, and fired again. The buck bolted, plowing the ground, and as it went over the ridge, Zangerle thought he heard a crash.

Zangerle was fortunate to get a second opportunity at this deer. The Hunting Public

After giving the buck a few minutes and reviewing the footage, they began tracking and quickly found Zangerle’s buck piled up. Zangerle knew he was incredibly lucky that the buck stuck around and provided another chance to shoot.

“There wasn’t much reason for me to rush that first shot; I just got too excited and made a mistake.”

Opportunities on public land can be scarce, so when you get them, make them count. Often, there won’t be a second chance.

Opportunities on public land can be scarce, so when you get them, make them count. Often, there won’t be a second chance.