I was wondering what I should be doing right now tobe getting ready for the season....my bow is all done over and I am shooting well....I hunt on public land, so I have nofood plots to build.....should I be out scouting now? I hunted a nice spot last year that was very, hot...new rubs a big scrape on a tree about 10 yards from my stand....but I didn't ever see him...my Dad saw a 4 pointer one day, but that wasn't the deer making the scrapes I saw...I think he might have gone nocturnal? Anyway, I am still trying for my first deer....any help would be great. Jay

Partsjay,

I'm not sure how old you are, what kind of physical condition you are in, or the roughness of the terrain you hunt in, but this is pre-hunt conditioning time. You should be doing lengthy (start low and slow if you're in bad shape) cardio, preferrably with resistance (hills, stairs, etc.). Here in the West,you can count on one thing. If there is an easy way in front of you, and a hard way in front of you, the bucks and bulls have taken the hard way!

In addition, you should be exercising your upper body and core, to make your hunts (and life) more enjoyable. Chest and shoulder workouts will allow you to maintain a full draw for longer times. It's not too late if you are in poor condition, but the sooner you start, the more positive your results will be. You just need to put in the hours in the gym. Believe me, if there was an easy way to stay in shape, I would have found it already!

Forgive this message if you are already in hunting shape.

Hey Jay when you say scrapes did you mean scrapes on the ground that deer urninate in or rubs on the tree's them selves?

I meant rubs on the tree in front of me....I saw some scrapes in the ground in other areas.

Most of the places I hunt are totally bug loaded right now, so most of my "hunt" prep at this point is just plain old shooting, in the yard, 3D, whatever. I do put my scouting cameras out occassionally to see what's around, but its to early to see what oaks are going to drop, bucks will be on different areas due to growing/soft antlers and doe's are with fawns. End of August I will go out more consistently, but right now, I just don't want to be bug food.

Plus to hot to run around in long pants, to much golf to play etc.

This the time I spend glassing the last 30 min. of the day you will need good glass ,cold drinks and bug spray but you will see most of the bucks in groups now.I like to clear trails and shooting lanes on rainy days,theres always new and old stands to work on.

right now scouting and practicing

Fishing is a good option for me right now.

If you can take the bugs you could always just keep learning more and more of the public land area you hunt so as to give you more options.

I'd say the physical conditioning is a great idea. But while you're doing it, why not scout, too? And I'd recommend that you get back off the roads and away from the major parking areas as far as is practical. If you don't have a GPS, use a reliable compass and set off into the bush - wild - puckerbrush, or whatever you call it there. Get familiar with the terrain and landmarks so you can navigate around your area with confidence.
Find an area with good sign (trails, beds, droppings, etc) and locate a couple of trees (if you're gonna use a tree stand) that you can use with different wind directions. In my experience, the pressure on public land is so unpredictable that you really can't depend on rubs and scrapes being sure-fire spots to see a buck. Too many things change, and the pressure will often make them move only after dark anyway. I concentrate on the areas where the does are (most major trails, beds and droppings), and hope that will be enough to draw a buck into my range when it's time to start shooting.

I do alot of shooting. There willnever be a time where you will wish you didn't practice so much in pre-season. I also start looking at topo maps adn getting my mind back in the game.

Tim