When to start scouting?


woodsman2230

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Hey everyone. I was just wondering when a good time would be to start scouting for next year's archery season. I was thinking about going out to look here in the next week or so, but wont the deer sign be from pressured deer, and not what they will be doing during the archery season? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Chris

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It's always a good time to be out scouting and looking for deer sign and where they are going, especially in the snow. To agree with what you said though, deer during early archery season will usually be on a much different pattern then what your finding now. I usually use my scouting for the next year at that same time, meaning what I find is working in late season will prob be working late season the following year and prob not during the early archery season. It's always good to get a feeling for what deer are doing in your area and maybe you'll stumble upon something that will work out for ya.

It changes, heck I've had bucks patterned for a gimme in mid september only to have them doing totally different stuff come October

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Well I have in recent years been a slacker as far as scouting goes, been hunting the same old spots and up until this season I was in a hunting club so I wasnt to worried about finding deer but I found out the hard way this season that unless you are in a hunting club you have been hunting for a while like I was its hard to findem.... My scouting will start just as soon as this deer season goes out this year, got plenty of places to hunt now just gotta find out where the big boys are hiding at.... Good luck to ya....

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Guest adrenaline_junky

You know how hard we hunt up here cris. My scouting is always year around but you are correct by saying the deer movement will change a little cause of hunting pressure. From what i've found in the past is the bigger bucks seem to use the same travel corridors when the pressure is on as they would in October. They always seem to skirt thick cover and hardly ever come out into an open wooded area. As long as your scouting the edges of bedding areas or thick cover coming out into a crp field you should be alright. If anything you'll atleast be able to find out what bucks made it through the rifle season and maybe new travel areas of new bucks that moved into a bucks area that had been killed during hunting season. Hope i was of some help when i do my scouting up here for us to hunt in late season it will all be on the edges of thick cover and bedding areas. Also food sources that have good cover for security.

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Guest baerbucks005

I also agree that scouting year round is a good idea, whenever your in the woods. I like to scout in the winter when there is snow on the ground, this way you can get a pretty good idea of the heavily used trails that the deer are using...usually they will use the same general trails come the beginning of archery season.

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