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Just wondering when all of you guy's and gal's start scouting your hunting area and how you go about it. Maybe you could add some input for the new / first time hunters that don't know alot about scouting. I like to start around mid August and look for trails and bedding , feeding areas. Please include pictures of some of the deer signs you find like rub lines , last yaers scrape's and anything else you think would help the " novice " hunters out there.
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There's no better place to be than in GOD'S wood's.
God's natural medicine for cleansing the soul.
well i do a lot of scouting in the winter right after the season is over. You can see the trails in the snow and all of last years sign is still fresh. The only scouting i do in the summer is from roads glassing. I put all my stands up in june\july. I also put up trail cameras for a week at a time from july-end of aug. Our season here in wisconsin starts around sep.18 i think.
I never stop scouting but I do the most from Feb,Mar and Apr.This is the best time to find shed antlers.By looking for shed antlers I'm walking all the trails and bedding areas places that deer spend alot of time in.When I find a shed I know atleast one buck is in the area.Its kind of like a puzzle it takes a little time and effert but once you have done the leg work you get the whole pictuer.
I never stop scouting but I do the most from Feb,Mar and Apr.This is the best time to find shed antlers.By looking for shed antlers I'm walking all the trails and bedding areas places that deer spend alot of time in.When I find a shed I know atleast one buck is in the area.Its kind of like a puzzle it takes a little time and effert but once you have done the leg work you get the whole pictuer.
I live in my hunting area so i just keep my eyes open whenever im out in the woods or driving around. The buck fever usually gets pumping hardcore by August so thats when my real scouting starts to take place. Make sure to take a good camera or video-camera with you becouse the time you dont is the time you'll regret it.
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Poster of the GREATEST photo in HNI history, 12/09/09
"My god Siman...............you just made me sick"
I know the areawhere I hunt, the scouting that I do at most my be the weekend before the season starts. I will takethe most of awhole day and check allof my main area looking forthe best bet for the first morning.
After the season is over I will do a lot of looking during March,April, an May that is about it for me. If I have an area that is new I will lookduring the three mentioned months. Good Luck, this coming season.
I have been scouting the areas that I primarily hunt for the last 2 months. I appraoch scouting very much I would be hunting. There are a couple of ridges where I hunt so I sit up on the ridge where I can glass the area from farther out then where I hunt from. What I'm very interested in is that the doe population is heathy and if they have calves (sorry just a habit most say fawns), with them. I think the does do not travel far out of the area so if they are still there and producing then they will draw the bucks in next fall. I'm not too concerned with the smaller bucks that I see for they may wonder away before the next hunting season. I am also concerned with the travel corridors that I have patterned over the years. If the does are there and using them, then there is a good chance that the bucks will be following them next fall.
scouting is the key to success. if you don't do your homework, you will rarely achieve your goal.
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"As an american I am not so shocked that Obama was given the Nobel Prize without any accomplishments to his name, because America gave him the White House based on the same credentials." - Newt Gingrich
Well I usually start scouting about now. And do it from afar. I try to stay out of the woods as much as possible if I can. The last few days we have been cleaning up our access roads in our woods cleaning up after storm damage and noticed many many deer tracks, more than we normally see this time of the year. The bad gun season last year may pay off big time this year.
Scouting for this coming season
