Can you scout too much?

sffguitar · 08-16-2007, 12:17 PM

can you scout too much...Ive been going out almost everyweek....I've jumped some bucks every now and then...so Im just wondering If I should stop scoutin so reguraly, I dont want to put alot of human pressure on them.

RDHunter · 08-16-2007, 12:20 PM

Not really but if you go out close to your openner you can spook every deer in that area , the trick is when you do go out on your scouting ventures make sure your sent free as much as possable and try not to leave any human sent behind.

robbcayman · 08-16-2007, 12:22 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: RDHunter

Not really but if you go out close to your openner you can spook every deer in that area , the trick is when you do go out on your scouting ventures make sure your sent free as much as possable and try not to leave any human sent behind.

+1 this is good advice.

BKE · 08-16-2007, 02:01 PM

What RDHunter said. Try and stay away when it gets close to opening day. Also, if you're spooking those occasional bucks in the same area I'd stay out of there too, you know where they are so leave um be. Good Luck

sffguitar · 08-16-2007, 02:37 PM

Thanks

timbercruiser · 08-16-2007, 03:48 PM

As food sources, etc change during hunting season as opposed to now, I think all you are doing is working up a sweat for nothing by being out there now. Spooking deer now isn't going to benefit your season. As you hunt, scout for the remainder of the season and next season.

matt1214 · 08-16-2007, 05:19 PM

dont scout the same area too much

Roadkillwarrior · 08-16-2007, 06:07 PM

That is a tough question to answer. If you dont scout enough you might not pattern the deer and know where to set up, but if you scout to much then the deer will get wise to you and start avoiding that area. I do alot of my deer scouting with binoculors, but you can only figure out so much watching deer. So after I think I have an idea of what the deer are doing, I will only walk through an area once or twice looking for sign like trail routes and buck sign to get a better idea of where to set up. Hope this helps you.

indybrad · 08-16-2007, 06:11 PM

I spotted the same 4 bucks last year in a grown up field. Kept going up there for about2 months or so and they would be in the same spot most of the time. Opener came and I saw them 3 times but was never close enough for a shot. 2 of them were mature 10 pointers and I never spooked them out of the area. When the rut came around I only saw the 2 smaller bucks. I know some other people that went up to that same field over the course of the 2 months after we knew where they were bedding down. They weren't hunters so no worries for me, but I was scared they would spook them out of there. It didn't seem like they were bothered. Hope there still around this year. Haven't seen them, but I can hope.

Goose Assasin · 08-16-2007, 11:27 PM

if you've been scouting a certain area and your jumping those deer regularly and your seeing the same deer, pick your trophy, get you spoting scope or glasses and stay a few hundred yards away, and find patterns food plots, times, water, bedding areas, and his overall alertness and the alertness of the herd i cant say i believe you can over scout just keep your distance, if the animals are used to being around you and knowing you arn't a threat this can possably help. when you scout and they can see you dont move as a preditor, move casually NON-THREATINING!also make sure these are the same animals you have been following for instance find your trophy and name him.