RE: Scouting tricks and tips.
I myself have invested in a couple trail cameras for starters. For me scouting really starts in the late winter when deer are starting to separate from being yarded up.I will look for sheds as well as any bedding areas while there is still snow on the ground. Once spring gets here I will then hit the woods in full camo and sit with a video camera and watch deer movment from a distance. Observe where they are coming from and try to identify any natrual food sources or possible water sources. If you hunt the same land as I do then that should stay pretty much the same from one year to the next. One property that I hunt is a 170acre parcell that is bordered by a large body of water.(green bay) I also hunt a 200+ acre woods that is surounded by farm land crops that very from year to year.2 months before archery season I will take mid day walks and just look for tracks in some of the game trails that are out there. At this point I will rely on trail cameras a great deal. Not so much to see what is there but when and which way the deer are moving. With this info I will then hang or move stands to places that I feel will produce. I will also glass the fields and food plots from a distance at this time again just to see from where; to where and what time they will they are moving. I also continue to scout through out the season. Be ready to move a stand if need be. Pre rut activey can vary greatly from rut to post rut. It is very important that the deer don't learn a pattern otherwise you have to start the whole process over. When scouting I also treat it as if I were hunt. That is esentialy what I am doing. Nomatter what time of year I will make sure I am sent free and even going as far as using a cover sent such as fox or coon urine. I try to never hunt a stand more then 2 sits in a row. I also never want to return to that stand for 2 or 3 days after. Basically for me time is the key and having an understanding wife doen't hurt. I don't know if this helps but it is what I do and it seems to allow me to see more deer. Shooting them is a differnet story. HAHA