So earlier i posted a question about what steps to take for prepping a hunt on public land. One of the postings told me to scout out the area. So i travel to the public land, and I am walking about, looking at the scenery, looking for the places that a person would hesitate to go into (there are alot), but then when i started thinking about deer and finding them, i realized this:

Look for bedding areas, water sources, and feeding areas. Trails will be to the dirt and lead to and from these areas. I have even made my own "deer trails" to lead deer to a better shooting lane, with success. Most deer like to stick to trails for easy travel, wary bucks are the exception but bucks do walk secondary trails through heavy bush and cover. They do get bolder during rut, and can catch them on the major trails trailing does, unfortunately the smart ones go nocturnal during the rut if pressured. I am not an expert just my observations. Now I'm itch'n to start snoopin'.

ok. So what constitutes a "bedding area". What does it look like? how would i know that im looking at one?

You will find matted down grass, usually a foot and a half to two feet wide and 3-4 feet in length, and find several spread out in an area that has decent concealment or good vantage point, or both, I have more experience with muleys than whitetail, but sure not much difference between bedding areas. Just an area they bed down and feel safe from predators. Usually where they can see, hear and/or scent something approaching.

deer will bed just about anyplace provided as was said they feel safe...summer months find them at the edge of edges were they can get some shade...fall winter and early spring is generally high grassy areas that face south...the bedding sites look like tiny crop circles..with the grasses matted down...usually several right together...but what they use now may not be what they will use a month from now..nor what they might use in Aug or Sept...or when the winter comes....you also need to look for what they eat...different plants and vegitation throughout the year...whitetail deer can eat just about any given green thing without ill effects..they also eat shoots and stems of bushes and brush...they don't have top front teeth..so the ends of the shoots or branches are kinda crushed looking (not bitten off clean)...you can learn a lot from books..but if ya really want to know the critter then ya have to spend time in the woods...look for trails look for prints and disturbed surfaces...set up and sit still and watch...take notes...learnin' the animal you hunt is more than half the fun...

In our area I know what they eat....and in their travels what ever seeds they ate will be deposited where they walk...and patterns can change yearly depending on pressure and the lay of the land change...due to storms....changing water...ppl activity and farming....That said...those seeds will grow and were there favorite food is growing where it wasn't...shows a pattern change...
For me May apples....when I see large new patches of may apples far way from other patches...deer and turkey...have been using the area a lot...when I see the red elder brush going from 6ft down to 3ft...deer are traveling that area...when all the little tree sprouts in the woods disappearing deer are traveling that area....also in the hills here they seem to move with the sun....we are at the top of a wnw facing hill...as the sun rises in the morning in the east...top of hill land travels across the sky west...they move down the hill....then as the sun sets they reverse and head back up the hill to feed and bed at night...going this way and that across the hill as they travel that basic pattern...been doing this here at home and at camp ...well for ever.....takes time to know the herd in the areas you hunt

Go out to your hunting area with a lawnchair and a six pack in the evening. Setup where you can glass hayfields/crops and watch. You can determine their core area from there. Late summer you'll be able to pattern the big boys.

Could you give a bit more info regarding the area? Are you in dense woods or wide open farmland or.... ? It makes a difference. If hunting farmland then Guts advice would work great but in the deep woods kind of areas that I hunt, the seasons themselves change things so summer scouting doesn't really tell you too much other than what's in the general area. Their patterns change seasonally though.

The area i am looking to hunt in is a large marshland. The central area is water and reeds and cattails, the northern quarter turns from marsh to woodland then cuts off to farm land. The southern part is marshy with a small pond in the center area. There are some sections of that area that show solid land, but it looks very open. There is some woods/brush, but it butts up against private land.