Your Scouting Process

[bigdawgwill44]

What are your scouting techniques? Do you walk around aimlessly or are you regimented? I like to map out various spots i have seen animals/ have had success at and set up trail cams with mineral blocks. I also try to find water and look for their tracks coming and going from the water. All these things help me select which spots i will put my 3 tree stands. That"™s what I do, what is your approach to scouting? When do you start your processes and how do you do it?

[Pops423]

It all depends. Are we talking about new spots or previously hunted?

New spots - I find them on some type of Map service (google earth, etc.) and see what the lay of the land looks like. This gives me a starting point. If I've driven by and see deer in a spot, I'll also make sure to check that out as well. From here, I just start to get a feel for the lay of the land and what I know from my maps and try to find the bedding and food sources. I'll look for old rubs, scrapes, trails etc to get an idea.

Existing spots - If there is ground I haven't covered, I will check that out. Otherwise, I will go to where I saw deer last year that passed by out of range or went a different way then I thought they should and see why. I'm always looking for new trees to climb as well. Last year after shooting my buck, I had to take a long way around to my truck as I wanted to give him a bit of time, and found 2 new trees that would have put me on 2 other bucks I saw that am. I'll also check out the food sources to see what's change from the previous fall.

Most of my scouting is done in the spring while shed hunting. Assuming nothing has change (like logging, construction, etc.) I don't spend much time until it's time to hunt.

[Steven McBee]

first, i look at a topo overlayed by an aireal map, i look for funnels, ridges,benches and other various deer locals, then i walk that area to see if deer are using it.............every morning and evening i will watch these areas like a hawk and where i see the most deer, i put up a trail cam to see if thier is any mature bucks using that spot.........if i get a photo of one i then will find a tree suitable for a double stand setup(for filming) and put up the stands...............then i sit in the stands b4 season to see how i like them(deer movement, security etc..) then during season i sit there and hopefully kill a giant

[Siman08/OH]

I do a lot of visual scouting from the road all summer. When August rolls around ill check out a few of my hot spots and hang some stands.

[il coyote]

The area I hunt now I share with 3 other guys(all family), and we kind of keep to our own areas within the property, so that limits me to a small degree. Most of my scouting is done by memory of previous deer sightings and what I see while walking/shed hunting after season ends. When I walk upon a well used trail or intersection, I start wondering where are they coming from, where are they going, and WHY.

I usually keep in mind what the other guys on the property do, and where their stands are, and sometimes adjust accordingly.

I don't use cameras(might someday) I do more reading the terrain than anything.

When hunting new areas, sometimes my hunting and scouting will be done simultaneously, and in that case I start hunting the edges and will move in closer based on things I see from stand. The good ol' 'observation' stand.

[early in]

I don't really "scout" my regular hunting area anymore. I pretty much know what I need to know aboutit after hunting there for 6 years. Around August/Sept I'll set my trail cam up to see what the local talent looks like though!I may cut a few small branches that may have grown in the way of some of my shooting lanes, but that's about it.