Whitetail scouting

[Lowg08]

I am a big fan of bedding. Good sources change bedding usually doesn’t change allot. I want to hunt as close to the bedroom as I can. I spend jan-may scouting. Especially Jan and February

 

[Little Joe]

East coast: when scouting new areas of public land what’re the first few things you are looking for? Specifically prior to actual deer sign.

Human Activity

Human activity has a huge impact on deer behavior and will significantly alter deer patterns. Even smaller amounts of activity can change deer movement patterns. Public lands on the East Coast tend to be very crowded with deer hunters, seeing very high amounts of human activity.

After the first few hours, of the first morning, of the first day of rifle season, you can forget most of your scouting and what you think you know about the deer in the area. On public land, all deer movement/patterns will have been dramatically disrupted for the remainder of the season.

Understanding, predicting and using human activity to your advantage in these highly pressured hunting areas is critical to success. Understanding how deer react to high hunting pressure is critically important as well.

 

[ERegs]

Anybody here every feel like the scout a place and hunt it a feel like their just hopeless going through the woods? Like you can scout a place and think it’s money but turns out to be nothing.

 

[Rich M]

Anybody here every feel like the scout a place and hunt it a feel like their just hopeless going through the woods? Like you can scout a place and think it’s money but turns out to be nothing.

ALL the TIME.

You have to be hunting an area with fresh sign - if you don't have fresh sign, go somewhere else.

Scouting helps you get a feel for the woods - lay of the land. You can figure out areas where the critters should be and hope that to be so.

The closer you get to hunting, the scouting should change from in woods to monitoring road crossings and fields. If you go wandering around in the woods, the deer know it and adapt. I been seeing a lot of deer come up to a human scent trail, stop assess the situation and usually retrace their steps. They do that where we been scouting or hanging trail cams too.

When you hunt a stand, it should be as close to a first hunt as possible.

I like to set 2 trail cams in promising areas (lotsa fresh sign) a couple 3 or 4 weeks before hunt and check em when I go in to hunt - if there are deer on that cam I will hunt, if not I will go to a nearby promising spot I have not been before and throw a blind hunt or go watch a road crossing area. Next hunt will check the other cam. Hunting limited time quotas (3 days for ML & rifle or 5-day for archery) so 2 cams help a bit with getting on critters.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

East coast: when scouting new areas of public land what’re the first few things you are looking for? Specifically prior to actual deer sign.

Edges that run between bedding and feeding areas. You’ll find the majority of sign there and it’s that same area that you have the best chance of getting a buck close during legal shooting light.

Ignore almost everything that’s easily accessible to others, meaning your typical hardwoods. Most of the sign there is nighttime or does/immature bucks

 

[Lowg08]

I always look at those places. As a win for eliminating an area. I’m not such a big fan of fresh sign. That normally means they have done been and gone. I hunt more historical sign. Sign that’s there every time every year. Like a feed tree that hits every year they know those things. It’s been working for me and mine for a while now.

 

[Yoder]

The last two years, most of the big buck I've seen have been within 200 yards of a busy paved road. I've setup within 40 yards of the road and seen nice buck. Don't dismiss really good sign just because it's not 3 miles back. If you think someone would have to be crazy or stupid to hunt a spot, everyone else had the same thought. This is another great tip from Dan Infalt.

 

[kolkat53]

My favorite is once the snow leaves...Find last year's scrapes and rubs, little harder now with greenup but you can sometimes find them. I default to walking edges of new country.

getting out and putting some miles on is a great way to see what is out there.

 

[9.1]

I like to locate wide leeward benches on really steep slopes overlooking access roads or parking lots or trails leading into public hunting/recreation areas that are well-used year-round. It seems to me like bucks enjoy patterning hunters from their beds in these spots all day long. My last couple bucks have been shot coming back to these beds right around sunrise.

 

[Lowg08]

I like to locate wide leeward benches on really steep slopes overlooking access roads or parking lots or trails leading into public hunting/recreation areas that are well-used year-round. It seems to me like bucks enjoy patterning hunters from their beds in these spots all day long. My last couple bucks have been shot coming back to these beds right around sunrise.

I’ve legit have a buck. That when I started encountering him. He bedded no where near where I entered. Now he has a bed that overlooks my river crossing. He also likes to look at my camera then avoid them

 

[elkyinzer]

Macro level, a couple layers beyond what Johnny Lunchpail in the closest population centers drive to. I get gas is expensive and the wife wants you home 30 minutes after sundown, but 90% of the people it's like they are shackled to the few pieces that are the closest drive. Which is all good in my book.

Micro level, starts and ends with thick shit aka security cover aka stem count aka whatever influencer looking to make a name for themselves is coining it now (pet peeve influencers coming up with some new bullshit terminology to act like they invented an age-old concept). Certain terrain too, but thick trumps terrain every time.

 

[supernova35]

Northeast NY, Beaver swamps...find the thickest portion, with a little bit of high ground. Rifle season rolls around they go in and they stay there.

 

[Boarmaster]

Funnels and saddles around or coming out of or into cover generally.

 

[rangerysidro]

Look for trails, but in hunting season think of where they'll be sheltering/hiding, and how those two things could be different

 

[Codychapman93]

Fresh sign is always a plus, and like someone said previously further is not always better. Sometimes right at the truck you’ll see some of the biggest deer


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