RE: pre season scouting
 

While i dont have that large of a property, 48 acres
and tend to hunt the same areas,
I do try to scout as much as possible,
to check on the status of the game,
if i dont see many signs, i tend to leave them alone that season,
i may hunt once every 2-3 seasons
also to check on predators,
if i see lots of coyote signs, i will try to go after some,

RE: pre season scouting
 

I scout year around for two reasons, I'm always searching for the next 4 or 5 potential bucks I want to target and theres plenty of public land here to access. There's always something to do whitetail related and tons of ground out there that doesn't get covered.

RE: pre season scouting
 

Exactly! I have been hunting a peace of property sence 1996 And over the yrs I have noticed that the deer seem to always use or come close to using the same travel patterns, Bedding areas, Rub lines, Scrapes, ect..
I hardly ever go into any of my key spots other than to check or to place a stand a month or two before the season starts. I love going to a stand that I have hunted in the past seasons and having the confidence that there is going to be good action on a cool Oct or Nov morning;)..rta47

RE: pre season scouting
 

Goes back to the ole big woods vs. farmland comparison. On a small piece of farmland with predictable travel routes, scouting is almost optional once you get the general lay of the land. But wouldn't you want to hunt shed antlers if you could?

In big woods on the other hand, you'd better be out every chance you can, year after year, because the deer movement is much more of a puzzle and can be altered by the sublest little thing.

RE: pre season scouting
 

i was out scouting today it didnt do much good the crops havnt been planted yet

RE: pre season scouting
 

I've always been in the mind set that there are 2 things a hunter could always do a little bit more of; practice and scouting.

Now I'll agree that if you've hunted the same area for 15-20 years you probably don't have to do very much scouting at all but an occasional walk in the woods could help for a few reasons; 1. Changes could happen. Weeds or a bug infestation could ruin a regular food supply, trees you've put stands in could get struck by lighting and fall, etc.... 2. Poachers. If you're not on your property you may have no idea that poachers are taking your game. 3. Transient deer. The vast majority of deer stick to their regular territory but some deer don't. In my opinion those deer that don't tend to be better and consider all territory theirs. They don't come by very often but when they do you WILL want to know their patterns. 4. You could always discover something new.

RE: pre season scouting
 

For me the scouting builds excitement and is part of the fun! I also need to scout because I hunt thick woods on public land and the deer are always movin all over the place. They are tough to pattern! Im hopin to go out tomorrow.

Jim

RE: pre season scouting
 

I scout in upper michigan every year and each year it seems like the deer are moving from place to place.

RE: pre season scouting
 

I have 3 favorite hunting spots and scount them year round. In my opinion there is no better way to fine tune a hunters abilities and chance of success than preseason scouting.

RE: pre season scouting
 

I have a favorite hunting spot where there are many swampy areas and a natural pinch-point/funnel. I have hunted the same exact tree since 1990 only switching the direction I face when up in the tree. It seems every year I end up facinig the wrong way and end up with an awkward shot. Altough this year I did something right and the deer came in perfectly. As far as scouting that area goes, I hit it about 2 weeks prior to opening day and spend maybe 10 minutes in the area.

I have many areas I go bow hunting, but they are tough to scout during the off-season due to the fact they are located 45 minutes from home and I am just too darn busy to scout. Come opening day of bow season, I start off in the area where I last saw deer the season before and concentrate that area and use the first few hunting trips as my hunting/scouting period.