RE: Winter Scouting
I had this problem in an area that I hunt in Iniana which had been timbered out and contained heavy bedding cover all over. I used the month or two after season to walk through the entire property with my bird dog during the middle of the day. I would then make a note of every place I jumped deer up at. This is an agressive tactic that I wouldn't ever try any time close to deer season. However, the following deer season while hunting between the food sources and the areas that I jumped deer, I saw lots of deer and arrowed a nice 10 pointer. Don't spend too much time in the woods though - they'll be watching. I've also had luck creating the perfect bedding areas for deer. If you own the property, go in and cut the trees down in a small area, plant some pine or cedar seedlings, plant some warm season grasses and let it go. In three years or so, you will have created the optimum bedding area on the property and deer will use it!! Good luck.