Guys,

I've always done most of my scouting right after season, before the spring green takes over. However, I just acquired a new hunting area that I need to scout before the season starts.. It's all wooded (500 acres), so glassing isn't an option.

I'd like to hear what some you do in terms of scouting during the summer months.

I think that you still have time to get in there and check the area out. I would looke for natural funnels and worn trails and what not. I love scouting in the summer. Nothing better then setttin up and watchin the deer's patterns right before season opens when they are still wearin the velvet.

I don't think where the deer are and are feeding has much to do with where they'll be when the season rolls around (at least in MY situation).

I won't scout until I start trying to pattern their movements FROM A DISTANCE.......maybe in August. I might not scout at all, this year. I'm after does. I KNOW where they'll be come deer season.

Look for water, beddingcover(areas that may be thicker than others or have terrain charecteristics that may aid an animal in being defensive), likely food sources for later this year(nearby crop fields, oaks, any fruit bearing trees/vines/bushes). Look for transition zones(two different kinds of terrain/cover coming together) or any thing else that may form some kind of edge.Old logging roads/paths or fire lanes, anything that may be an easy travel path(or make a couple if you can, especially if the cover is thick). Water can be vital not just for the animals consumtion but showing crossings and tracks which can aid you in judging the size of some animals and likely directions of theirtravel(not to mention agreat place for a trail cam). Sometimes overlooked but often valuable, old treestands or remnants of them, worth a look anyway. Aerial photos, topo maps, info from anyone that may have knowledge of the land. I would say do some low impact scouting on foot looking for sign(tracks, droppings, buck sign from last year, etc.) and getting a feelfor the land in general. Determinethe predominantwind direction and know thesun location, take note of itto aidyou in stand placement.That is a pretty nice size piece and it will probably take you a few seasons tofigure out mostof the ins and outs of itso good luck to you.

Get an aerial view of the property and scout and mark things. One property I hunt has a sweet watering hole, hard to find unless you know it;s there but come hot weather, it's deadly. Look for old scrape lines, trails, etc and mark them on your map, food sources, etc. I mark it in pencil, then when I get home I color code it with colored pencils. If you develop a system, then you just have to look at the colors to know, ie. blue for water, green for food, red for scrapes, pink for rub lines, yellow for stands, etc.

Be sure to bring yer Permanone.

Was roosting birds last night and pulled 4 ticks off me. I hate the ones that are the size of a pinhead, you can barely see them.

Didn't get any chiggers yet, but it won't be long.

Get out there an look for old sign sooner the better.

Does the land have any terrain features?


Have an aerial?

If I can't glass, I really like to look over wet spots / creeks / ditches to look for track size and track depth as well as the numberof good sized tracksas a starter to determine what the herd is like. Often times you can back track to preferred bedding areas if these wet spots are near inside cover breaklines or thick ridgetops.

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Read Mapping Trophy Whitetails by Brad Herndon then get aerials and topographic maps of your new hunting area. Then go out and look for funnels/saddles and readily visable trails and old rublines.

Then after you stick a monster send me thanks next winter

Seriously though, I bowhunt big woods and love it. I've killed all but one of my bow deer in the big woods.

I don't really bother to scout during the summer. Our property is so thick that during the summer months, the deer stick too the logging roads for much of their travel. As pressure of bow season begins, they move into the funnels in the woods.

Aerial maps are one of my favorite tools to use. Well, that and my bow.