HarvDog Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 Ok...I'll admit it...I've never really done any scouting prior to deer season. But I have a decent reason...I think. Normally, I have hunted with buddies who either own the land or have already scouted it. Anyway, I'm just looking for some tips and suggestions as I want to do some scouting this summer in an area I will be hunting in the fall. So, I'm thinking that I need to walk through the area looking for signs (scapes, rubs, etc.) and then do exactly what I would if I were hunting...basically park it in a treestand before sunrise then again well before sunset. yes? no? Forgive the ignorance but...He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 It'll be tough to find many scrapes or rubs with all the vegetation this time of year.Setting up from a distance and watching where the deer move is a great idea.I would do that first to see how the deer travel,then go to the trails that the deer use and start looking for spots to hunt and even clear some shooting lanes if needed.I usually do this part in the middle of the day when the deer are less active,and still use scent control to keep the area a little less disturbed.Hope this helps you out some Harv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted July 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 No other comments? Wow! Maybe I should have posted this in the lodge since it is the off season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 I honestly don't scout for deer much this time of year, just because I know that in my area, their patterns will change drastically between now and hunting season. But I figure this is a good time to familiarize myself with new territory, and if I had picked out a spot for a new stand last year, now's the time to get it set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 No other comments? Wow! Maybe I should have posted this in the lodge since it is the off season. My advice isn't good enough for you huh Harv.:pLOL Texans right,the pattern will change,but usually not until after the season is in full swing.If you can find where the deer are traveling they should still be using the same trails,feeding and bedding areas at the start of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted July 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 My advice isn't good enough for you huh Harv.:pLOL Sorry MUD...I wasn't saying that. I'm just use to a thousand or so responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest razortec Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 what i do is i sit early in the morning and at night. and i will look for bedding areas. bedding area's are a big key to success if u can find where they get up in the afternoon then you could be set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Sorry MUD...I wasn't saying that. I'm just use to a thousand or so responses. Always gotta be the center of attention dont you.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest razortec Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 hahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted July 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I'm hoping to get out there sometime in early to mid August. That shouldn't be too early or late, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bownarow Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 In all honesty you've missed the best time to scout for this comming season already. That time is late winter/early spring when the new vegitation hasn't grown in yet and it's easy to see the previous years scrapes and rubs. However, all hope is not lost. Like some of the other guys have already said above, long range scouting if the first step in locating some good bucks. Once you found a good area then you can move in, in the middle of the day and check out all the trails and see which ones are being used by the bucks. By looking at the tracks (all big bucks make tracks) you can determine what trails are being used the most. Follow those trails as far as you can and see where the deer are comming from and why they are using that particular trail. Now find a good tree in shooting range of the "good" trails and hand a tree stand nice and high. My advice at this point would be to get the heck out of there. Especially if you are after a nice mature buck, sitting in that stand in the mornings and evenings at this point would be a big mistake IMHO. You have a huge advantage over a buck as long as he doen't know he's being hunted. Continuing your long range scouting is still a good idea so you can determine if the buck is still using the same fields and trails and then adjust accordingly. As I always say, take my advice for what its worth. Sometimes that's not much!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quackmaster4 Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Like the others have said, it's a little early (or late) for scouting right now, but don't let that stop you. It's still good to get out and see how many, and what the quality is of the animals in your area. I do alot of my scouting with binoculars from a distance. I don't really like to enter certain areas until I'm ready to place a stand or hunt it. You don't have to strictly scout. I have found alot of deer hunting spots while fishing, mushroom hunting, small game hunting, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Don't really scout anymore per se for a few reasons. First and foremost, we know where the deer will be. We tend to tweak the stand sites as the season progresses. Two--what you see now will be totally different as the crops mature and get harvested. Don't really know about your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Dont really scout that much anymore here either. Use trail cams, and am always looking for where I think a good setup would be while I am out checking cams. Most of our stand sites or general areas we hunt are pretty well set and in areas that produce year after year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Sorry Harv...been out of pocket for a couple of weeks. Let's look at it from 2 sides...one on unfamiliar land and the other from land you are familiar with. When planning to hunt a new place the first step for me is to get a quality aerial photo and a topo map. Most years I go through this making out of state hunt do it yourself hunts. Save yourself some boot leather and familiarize yourself with the big picture of the property before going to details. Take particular interest in looking for potential food source areas, ways to get to and from them, and funnels. After you've reviewed this if you know people that are very familiar with the property talk to them and pick their brains. Make written notes from your conversations. Doing this can narrow down your scouting areas considerably thus saving you a lot of time in the field. On your first trip take your maps and familiarize yourself with the overall property area before setting out on foot. For me things look different the first time at ground level. From there I'll go check out as many of the areas I've previously chosen to check for trail locations, multiple trail crossings, crops planted, natural food sources, water sources (if water availability is critical), old and new buck sign, deer droppings, etc. Chances are you'll find a number of places of interest. Next is to choose how to hunt them and for what wind conditions and plan how to get to those spots making the least amount of disturbance as possible. Sometimes you can hunt some spots for different winds but there are always some places that can only be hunted for certain winds. At this point you are picking stand positions so you can take it from there. However, whenever your hunting one of your chosen stand positions, always keep and open mind and watch how the deer use the area for the potential need to adjust a particular stand position. If you're hunting land you're already very familiar with the first step I go through is checking buck sign before spring green up. I also set out trail cameras to try to get pics of older bucks that survived the season. I also use our 6+ week spring turkey season to scout for the coming deer season. The fact that I naturally cover a lot of ground during turkey season allows me to look over a lot of land without any concern about spooking deer. From hunting the same 3,000 acre piece of property for some 16 years now I know most of the land like many people know their own back yard so there's no need for me to study maps hardly at all. During the summer months here at home the first thing I consider is potential natural food sources and how the deer come and go from it. I first check the soft mast crop since it's visible earlier in the summer. In late summer (early August here) I'll check for hard mast. I also have several trail cameras that I run from mid July through the season. I mainly set them up on mineral licks during the summer months, switching over to food sources, scraps, and converging trails right before and into the season. I usually have a lot of different options to choose from by early September for early season bowhunting so I mainly focus my hunting where multiple trail systems come together that contain good natural early season food sources, funnels with food sources, converging trails into staging areas near food plots, and on some particular food plots, especially for bagging some early season does. When bucks start laying down sign I mainly pay attention to rub lines. Why, because they are buck highways. As the rut approaches I prefer hunting funnels. If you haven't identified some you need to. At that time of the year, does are the bait for bucks. Consider where you've seen lots of does and funnels in those areas and you'll find the bucks there searching for does. I addition to all that I check my trail cameras for mature bucks. Also, I always make notes in my hunting journal of when, where and what direction deer come from and go to while I'm hunting. I won't hesitate to adjust a stand position if I need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 As I always say, take my advice for what its worth. Sometimes that's not much!!! That and 50 cents might get ya a cup of coffee!!! Just joshin ya bownarow! I'm in the same situation myself, got new land and have no idea wthe deer are doing. You won't be the only one out there taking a risk by scouting this late!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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