How to Identify a bedding Area

How to you identify a bedding area? What are the key features you look for?
Thick cover? That's pretty much what ive been going from. If all the sudden thick cover pops up out of no where especially near food I'm assuming the deer are using it to bed. Im not sure if this is right or not cause I haven't had too much luck hunting what i think are beds.

So what should i look for while looking for bedding areas?

Deer beds. Just because an area is thick doesn't mean deer use it to bed in. Just because an area is all open hardwoods doesn't mean they don't bed there. You can see where deer bed if you look for the depressions they leave behind on the ground. These are pretty visible when fresh, and if you get into bedding areas mid day you will probably jump deer out of their beds and see them run off. Another way to determine they are using the area to bed. Also, thick cover with lots of droppings usually means bedding areas. Deer will typically get up and browse around and dump in their bedding areas.

Thank you that's very helpful!!

There are also different types of bedding areas. Cold days deer usually look for more of a southern exposure to get warmth from the sun. They will also try to avoid wind. In a marsh look for high spots. Some areas I hunt have cattails and if you see a small clump of trees growing in them the area around the roots will usually be higher and dry (great bedding spots very hard to hunt though). One place I hunt the deer travel a long way to the crops. They will bed at night in the grass and cover around the fields then after the before dawn feed move way back into the marsh. I see people all the time hunting these beds and wondering how there could be so many fresh beds but they never see any deer. Scouting after a fresh snow and following tracks gives you a great idea of deer movement, habits and travel. You will also find the bedding area eventually. Always remember a deer's bedding area can change seasonally as well as daily.

I look for the lee side in hilly areas. Deer will bed in front of blow downs with the wind at their backs and watch the open woods below them from the ridge.

I hunt in Delaware so its mostly flat but ill see what I can find. Thanks! Gonna scout some more on Sunday (12/22/13)

One of the old tricks I use is to wait until right after the season closes, and then just bust brush and cover ground. Walk hard, cover lots of ground, and see where you jump deer at. This will give you an idea of where they bed when the pressure has them holed up. You can then do some in depth scouting of those areas, and try to pice together feeding and travel routes back and forth from that. Of course, you don't want to do this while the season is open, as you may relocate deer or run them in front of other hunters. They will have forgotten the intrusion by next season, but you'll know right where they will want to head when the pressure hits next year.

I will make a post later today about a bed hunting trip with photos of things to look for in the late winter/early spring! If I don't get to it today, it will definitely be tomorrow!

Okay thanks you! Ill be sure to check it out