Gotta burn boot leather

[Rhino]

Often hunters here ask for help trying to determine where good spots are to hunt from aerial photos of their turf. I'm not saying we can't help but what help we give really needs to be confirmed from the hunter burning their boot leather. Many times optimal stand selections can't really be figured out without doing that. For obvious reasons it's best to scout some areas during the preseason and the post season. Entry & exit routes causing the least amount of disturbance also need to be figured out.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about from our own turf covering a small part of our property in MO.

Last fall we owned the property N of the yellow line. I had, well still have a stand on the spot denoted by the blue star N of the yellow line. Why did I choose that spot in the 1st place? Multiple trails intersecting there. Also a line of N/S trending cedars helped for deer wanting to hang close to cover once the leaves were off the other trees. It turned out to be an awesome morning stand, especially as the rut began kicking in. One of the other stand spots was set in Dec. last year after we bought the land S of the yellow line. The other 2 were set this year.

The red oval area is a large area predominantly in cedars. The tree's foliage within that area cover up most of the cedars on the aerial. To the SE, outside that area it's easy to make out the cedars there since there aren't any large trees mixed in with them.

Mid Dec. last year right after we bought the property S of the yellow line we picked and set a stand on the spot furthest to the S. The aerial helped out some there. We found strong trails skirting the ag field S of it and trails going to it.

Here's what I learned from post season scouting to pick the other 2 spots.

The stand to the SW really shows nothing to clue you into what's there from an aerial standpoint. In Feb. I walked from the N stand on the strongest trails into what turned out to be a cedar thicket bedding area. In that cedar thicket I found more deer droppings than I'd ever seen in my life in a such a small area. Lots of big rubs too. We have other cedar thickets but the sign in them is nothing like this one. It's also situated near the end of a ridge trending from NNE to SSW. A creek loops around the end of the ridge. Where the creek turns more or less E/W there are 5 strong trails crossing the creek going to the ag field. There's also 2 strong E/W trails on both sides of the creek. That stand is set to cover 4 of the 5 N/S trails and both E/W trails from a bowhunting standpoint taking advantage of the predominant NW wind. Looking forward to hunting it but I won't risk hunting it in the morning until the rut kicks in.

The stand on the far E side was also picked from my Feb. scouting trip. There were several strong trials coming together there. on the N side of an E/W trending bottom. To add icing on the cake, while standing there one of our target 10 point bucks (150 class caught on trail cams) came easing in still with his head gear. I froze and watched him approach using the strongest trail. He never knew I was there until he was inside 15 yards. Even then he only left circling around to another trail going around the N side of the stand.

The moral of this story is...it pays BIG dividends to burn boot leather. Also, make note of where deer come from & where they're going to from stands you're hunting. That's going to help clue you into where you may need to burn boot leather later. Figuring out optimal places to hunt is an ongoing process from one year to the next.

I hope you don't take this like I'm a know it all or something. I'm not..just an old veteran deer hunter that want's to stress the importance burning boot leather. Good luck...hope this helps some of y'all!

Edited August 10, 2013 by Rhino

[redkneck]

Good advice Al. I need to be burning some right now but the heart and ticks and my general laziness have kept me from doing so lol. Getting time to be out though I need to see what the food sources are going to look like this year.

[hoosierhunter]

Gotta burn boot leather

Great thought. Stuff like this is the difference between weekend warriors and avid outdoorsman.

[MNhunterr]

This will be my first year bow hunting and I post my scenarios just for additional feedback. I really appreciate all of the responses you guys help me with. After I posted my thread in the bowhunting forum I went and scouted more throughly in the deeper parts of the property. I ended up finding two travel cooridors along the woodline and the swamp and a trail connecting two sections of woodlots through the swamp. Needless to say I set my camera at the intersection of two trails. All it takes is a little time in the field and you will find what you're looking for.

Practice makes perfect. I've learned so much this first year, I cant wait to learn more!

[whitetailfreak55]

Very good advice Al. You can look at a map all day and get an idea of where you might want to hang a stand but until you put in some walking time you wont truly know where the best spots are. A lot of my spots are like that. They dont look like much from the topo maps but they turned out to be pretty good spots

[Dawg]

I hope you don't take this like I'm a know it all or something...

It's apparent that you know what you are doing when it comes to hunting Al. I enjoy reading your input.

[dbHunterNY]

i'm glad you're putting down all this stuff Al. i'd sound like a fool for posting something like this from here NY and then saying the "target buck" is a 3.5 year 7 pointer. lol throwing in the the idea of a 150" buck makes it seem like much more useful info. I agree whole heartedly with your post. sometimes all you can really make out from aerials is edges of cover and bigger timber. ditches, creeks, and topography many times can't be made out and they're big factors to consider.

[wtnhunt]

No doubt you have a wealth of knowledge to share with those who are willing to listen Al. Always enjoy reading your posts. Your advice helps with putting the pieces together for sure.

[elkoholic]

Excellent post. There is no substitute for putting in the time to know the area you are hunting. One of the best times, if not the best, is immediately following the end of your hunting season. Preseason scouting will lock in any change in food sources, bedding area(s) and/or travel routes. You can never be too familiar with your hunting area. Aerial photos will help to get you started in a new hunting spot and can help to put things in perspective after on the ground scouting excursions, but are just a piece of the puzzle. One just has to remember that deer have few things that matter in their lives; food, security/bedding cover and travel routes between the two. During the rut you can throw procreation into the mix, but, even then, most of the activity revolves around the three major areas. If hunting a food source and you are not seeing much activity, the chances are there is a more palatable food source (maybe short-lived) the deer are using and finding it may pay off. Hunting is so much more than getting into a stand and shooting something, or here in Montana it is driving around the Forest Service roads looking for something to shoot (technically illegal, but a common practice).

[Scbasshunter]

Gotta burn boot leather

I am reading a lot of people talk about actually walking around the hunting area and scouting. I also always hear that if you go into a bucks territory that you will run him out. It just seems to me that if you walk around looking for good sign of a buck or several bucks, all you are doing is leaving traces of human intrusion and running the deer off. I only bring this up because I am still learning. I just have always thought (in my 2 years of hunting seriously) that different hunting lands or properties are different in how deer are affected. I feel that there is enough activity on the farm I hunt that a human going into an area won't necessarily scare off deer. On the other hand, I think that a property that doesn't get much human activity, if any, outside of hunting season, the deer will spook and change locations at the slightest smell or sight of humans. I just basically feel that different "basic hunting rules" may or may not apply depending on where you hunt. Again, I am still learning and am eager to read what others have to say about the subject.

[Dawg]

I am reading a lot of people talk about actually walking around the hunting area and scouting. I also always hear that if you go into a bucks territory that you will run him out. It just seems to me that if you walk around looking for good sign of a buck or several bucks, all you are doing is leaving traces of human intrusion and running the deer off. I only bring this up because I am still learning. I just have always thought (in my 2 years of hunting seriously) that different hunting lands or properties are different in how deer are affected. I feel that there is enough activity on the farm I hunt that a human going into an area won't necessarily scare off deer. On the other hand, I think that a property that doesn't get much human activity, if any, outside of hunting season, the deer will spook and change locations at the slightest smell or sight of humans. I just basically feel that different "basic hunting rules" may or may not apply depending on where you hunt. Again, I am still learning and am eager to read what others have to say about the subject.

I can understand your concern. Take the land I hunt.....it's about 135-140 acres.....no human activity on it outside of deer season save for fall food plot prep. The condition of the land limits my scouting but I still do as much as I can. The deer still move about the property as they please. There ain't a ton of deer on the property, in fact I have gone a whole season without seeing a deer while on stand but have had pics on trail cams that told me the deer were still there.

Scent control is just as important while scouting as it is when hunting. It doesn't have to be complicated. Keep it simple, wash your clothes, hang em out to dry. When you're ready to scout, put em on, slap on some regular rubber boots and get after it.