Took my young cur dog out for a walk about on South Cherokee and may have finally figured out an old buck I've been hunting. Anyone else scouting now? Sign is still fresh and easy to spot.
Anyone scouting?
- Thread starter timberjack86
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Ladys man
Well-Known Member
I was going to go this coming weekend but forgot my FIL is coming in from Dallas, so will have to wait.
Turning to sauger fishing now but will scout if we get another snow. Kicking myself now for not scouting this weekend since my daughter decided not to hunt.
Volbuck777
Well-Known Member
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- Jun 20, 2020
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It was perfect and I learned a few more exit strategies the deer were using from the thicket. It's crazy all the things you find because of snow. I found out a lot of my regular trails were getting used but found one spot in particular which was on an old log road that was getting all the traffic. I was very surprised by this because it's just out of sight of what I can see from my lock on stand. I rarely have seen deer in that direction at all but the difference a few feet can make is sometimes what makes up tag soup. Anyway for the crazy stuff, I found blood in the snow which could have been a lot of different things but I had a nice buck shot earlier in the season about mid November. Not sure who shot him but he's still alive. I kind of wonder if he's still bleeding a bit. I also found a lot more beds than usual. I saw a couple places they were eating that I really never paid attention to. By the way they tear those locust pods up in late season. A lot was learned. Snow scouting is almost cheating.
I went Saturday to see tracks in the snow . I learned I had some trespassers . 
I've been out in the snow quite a bit.
Another negative of not living near your hunting property. Plans this weekend but hope to put boots on the ground in February.
I feel you on that. I live an hour from my lease, but I'm 400 yards from south Cherokee.
I'm 2 hours but my brother is 10 minutes from it. Told him he should find new spots, mark them on OnX and share with me.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
Our snow is pretty well gone. I poked around yesterday evening but the tracks were already melted enough that I was having a hard time telling deer from hog tracks
I went after work yesterday with ideas of hunting small game and scouting. I saw 14 squirrels and a rabbit, but never fired a shot. I was successful with finding three main deer travel routes that avoid my house and open area around our pond. ;o)
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
I plan to this weekend and many other weekends before green up
Always, best time to scout imo
themanpcl
Well-Known Member
Lost my lease...
I don't hear it talked about much but a honey locust is as good as late season food source as you can find. Deer LOVE them.
Yep, season may be over but it never ends.
Hate to hear that, lots of public land in your area.
themanpcl
Well-Known Member
yea, it sucks but hopefully i'll get another lease soon. I haven't hunted public here but if I have nothing by turkey season...lol
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Nope.
Still hunting hard in south MS till Feb 14th. I don't scout deer until turkey season opens.
Besides, my TN deer are so stressed out from the drought and lack of acorns this year they need a respite.
Still hunting hard in south MS till Feb 14th. I don't scout deer until turkey season opens.
Besides, my TN deer are so stressed out from the drought and lack of acorns this year they need a respite.
tree_ghost
Well-Known Member
We squirrel hunted a couple days and I scouted on the process. I can't imagine being in a place where there was lots of snow every year and big bucks…it's just so much easier to get good information on what they're doing in late season when the mature ones are seemingly hiding under rocks.
Me and my hunting partner start scouting the day after season ends. Feeders and camera's all over the hunting area. This allows us to inventory who and what made it through the season. We place salt licks and mineral block out to help get through the cold. We try hard to help the herd.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Will be posting property and scouting sat-sun. This time of year requires boots on the ground for a hunter
BSK
Well-Known Member
I no longer do a lot of post-season scouting, although I certainly used to back when I was trying to figure out the deer patterns on my place. In essence, trying to figure out the basics - how deer use our habitat and terrain. Now it's more of - which of the features I know they prefer to use did they use this year? I generally figure that out during the season.
I'm very much a "visual" learner, and because of that, maps are a huge help. I started hand-drawing maps of my property when we first bought it but eventually moved up to digital maps. I collect everything. I have maps showing all of the rubs and scrapes I found each year. I can then lay these maps one on top of the other and see patterns that have developed or changed over the years as the habitat has changed. I can also see the very different patterns in buck sign that occur in good versus poor acorns years. Extremely helpful.
I'm very much a "visual" learner, and because of that, maps are a huge help. I started hand-drawing maps of my property when we first bought it but eventually moved up to digital maps. I collect everything. I have maps showing all of the rubs and scrapes I found each year. I can then lay these maps one on top of the other and see patterns that have developed or changed over the years as the habitat has changed. I can also see the very different patterns in buck sign that occur in good versus poor acorns years. Extremely helpful.
JeepKuntry
Well-Known Member
Plan to do a little turkey and deer scouting on a wma next weekend.
Have been out multiple times since deer season ended. Latest scouting mission was today. Mostly on public. I really enjoy looking around in the woods anyway, I guess hoping to unravel some secrets that will pay off the coming season.
I hear that. It's always good to be it the woods when you can. Best of luck and maybe find a shed or two.
