Guest COACH J. Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I just got in from scouting and for the first time I saw the 8 point I have seen on my trail cam in the daylight. He is an awesome deer with a perfect rack! What an experience!! How much do you guys scout? Can you do to much scouting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodtrails Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I scout all the time. In fact I try to spend alot of the off season scouting. You can never have too many huntin' spots! Happy shooting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 i like to from a distance with the spotting scope. i have one place i think we burnt out because we spent too much time in there looking for deer. too much pressure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Scout a lot but always from a distance. Dont get in close till its time to shoot.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbucks Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 how can you scout from a distance if its so thick you cant lol would you run the deer out of there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam16 Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Walking in and out of bedding areas is when you get in real trouble. Watching fields and travel areas isnt nearly as harmful as the thick areas. I try to hang a stand in the bedding areas, cut my lanes, and stay out till the season and sometimes till the rut. A bucks bedroom is a fragile place. I believe if you kick a buck out of his bedroom, u may kick him off ur property, just my opinion though.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I don't scout at all, and yes, you can scout too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest titleist_03 Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 This time of year I do my scouting with trail cams and from roads and field lanes. Starting in August I move all my cams to the edges so I don't have to go into the woods to check them. By now, I have a good idea of whats around this summer and there is no sense in educating it 2 months before the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogg6 Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I do a lot of my scouting in the spring, checking bedding areas and travel corridors from the previous winter. Around here the deer don't change habits unless we get a damaging storm in the summer months. Then I do some light scouting in late July and August. I try to get my stand out and in place by the end of August to early September. Then stay out of those areas completely until I am going to hunt. The final 2-3 weeks before season I like to stay out and keep the human scent to a minimum. This has worked for me, but everyone has their own ways of doing things. It all comes down to what works for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildthing Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I scout a lot and from a distance. This year, I have seen a variety of bucks in different areas of my farm. Every time I scout, I try to learn something new about the deer on my property (i.e age, habits, etc.). Plus, scouting beats watching television any day of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 How much do you guys scout? Can you do to much scouting? You can definately scout too much depending on what you do in your scouting efforts. I scout a lot but the majority of my on the ground preseason scouting is between Feb 1st and September 1st. Once I figure out where I need to put a stand I prepare the spot, get out, and stay out of that area until it's time to hunt it. Like many people I put out trail cameras and use them for scouting tools too. During the preseason I mainly put my cameras on mineral licks and summer food sources to try to get an idea of what bucks are using what areas. During the season I prefer to use them on scrapes or food sources. If a scrape is on a food source that's even better. Although glassing from a distance opportunities are limited here at home, I will do it at certain spots provided the wind is right. By September 1st I'll have at least a couple of dozen preferred places to choose from for bow season prior to our rut. For hunting the rut I focus on hunting funnels. I know where a lot of them are on my home turf so no need to go look at them on the ground until I hunt them. They can also be identified from aerail photos and topo maps. I actually do a lot of scouting using an aerial photo and a topo map, especially for my out of state hunts and hunts off my home turf. Once you learn how to identify funnels using both maps there's no need to do a lot of on the ground stomping around, especially if your picking hunting spots for rut hunting. I've found that it's best to limit your invasion of the deer's domain when it comes to scouting during the season and when you do, be very sneaky about it. Choose your time when deer are least apt to be moving and try to be a scent free as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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