Scouting

[Mike Belt]

Aside from post season scouting being the best time to scout, how many scout during season? I'm looking until the last day of the season. I scout coming out of a morning stand and sometimes I'm looking going into an evening stand. There are too many reasons to name to keep deer shifting throughout deer season to sit one or two stands and if you're not shifting with them you're due for a long-g-g season. Even when I'm seeing deer from my stands I'm always looking for another potential standsite. Why'd they come over that ridge? Why didn't they come over that ridge? Where are they traveling between me and the swamp or where's a buck likely to intercept the doe trail leading out of that cutover? Curiousity killed the cat and probably more cats than big bucks that I've killed by doing this but I can't sit tight day in and day out not knowing what's going on just beyond my current location. I've probably boogered up some spots doing this but I've also picked up some great spots by keeping on the move. Pros and cons....let's hear yours.

 

[Shed Hunter]

I scout during the season a little. Deer move a lot over the next few monthes.

 

[Treestand Troubadour]

thats why i have a climber stand, i am constantly scouting all through the season, thats what youve got to do to keep up with them public land deer

 

[Elmer]

Big bucks pattern a hunter more than we could ever patter them. Their survival depends on it. even when you find good sign that doesnt mean they are using the area in legal shooting hours. Low impact scouting is necessary but the key to my trophy wall is having confidence in my spots and hunting them in the right conditions/ time period without a single deer in the herd knowing I'm there. When I am in season scouting I am a scent free and quiet as possible and look for terrain features and possible bedding areas more than sign.

 

[bowriter]

I scout on every walk to and from and in between. Or I use to. I haven't really scouted in years.

To me, themost fun in deer hunting was scouting brand new countrty and the bigger the woods, the better. Now I just go climb in any one of my stands and know with certainty it is a good stand.

 

[blueridge]

Big bucks pattern a hunter more than we could ever patter them. Their survival depends on it. even when you find good sign that doesnt mean they are using the area in legal shooting hours. Low impact scouting is necessary but the key to my trophy wall is having confidence in my spots and hunting them in the right conditions/ time period without a single deer in the herd knowing I'm there. When I am in season scouting I am a scent free and quiet as possible and look for terrain features and possible bedding areas more than sign.

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