RE: Public Land Hunters - Did you start scouting new stand sites yet?
I don't bother scouting spring or early summer. Too many things will change between now and hunting season.
I don't even begin to scout untill September. The reason is, I usually hunt food sources.
The world of the whitetail changes drastically in the fall. Apples ripen, acorns begin to fall and the cornfields are full of corn. As new food sources become availabe, patterns change accordingly.
Other factors also change patterns in the fall. Farmers harvest cornfields and the first hints of the rut begin. Then there is the pressure of other hunters.
During the months of October and November things change fastand patterns change too. They can change form week to week.
Scouing now does little to help me understand which food sorces are being used and how.
Scouting now may help you find old rub lines and maybe give you clues on where to look at betterin the fall, but I prefer to do my scouitng in September.