Archery Hunting CO high country for mulies. Do I HAVE to glass?

[CMF]

Once you get a good feel for deer beds, you’ll see more deer - the deer beds are well worn because they’ve been used for centuries. They make good videos because they do bed in relatively open areas - that is litterally where most mature mulies bed down.

I've been hunting 10-12k high in CO. In three years, in the same general habitat, I can't recall seeing a buck bedded in the open. The area has a decent amount of timber and I always see the deer feeding up top above the timber or in the meadows and then moving down or even over ridges to bed in dark timber.
I'm sure this is specific to certain elevations and areas. I know they bed in the open, I've watched plenty of videos of guys stalking them in the open and I've watched them do it in NM.
What's your strategy when they work into the timber to bed, wait for the evening or still hunt into the timber?

 

[TaperPin]

I've been hunting 10-12k high in CO. In three years, in the same general habitat, I can't recall seeing a buck bedded in the open. The area has a decent amount of timber and I always see the deer feeding up top above the timber or in the meadows and then moving down or even over ridges to bed in dark timber.
I'm sure this is specific to certain elevations and areas. I know they bed in the open, I've watched plenty of videos of guys stalking them in the open and I've watched them do it in NM.
What's your strategy when they work into the timber to bed, wait for the evening or still hunt into the timber?

When I said out in the open, that was referring to being exposed enough to locate by glassing - often with sparse brush or krumholtz to hide in, and not necessarily easy to see. Often, what doesn’t seem to hold deer, has a few tucked in there.

I have no doubt the deer you’re talking about are bedding in the timber, but I’m not the best person to answer how to still hunt that type of situation - I’ve just never developed a feel for how to hunt timber deer or deer that live on large unbroken brush covered slopes.