scouting
 

is there any good way to scout now?? season opens like Sept 29th or somewhere right around there...i got atleast 3+ new spots id like to scout...i just dont know how to go about it. leaves and growth is thick...i wont beable to see rubs or trails really...i know it should been done this winter, but they are all new spots..actually spots ive always overlooked but want to add to the list now that ive noticed them.

somehow i gotta get them all scouted out before the season. i doubt i hang stands in any of them. im probably just going to hand 2 lock ons and 1 ladder stand in my usual haunts i KNOW i will hunt and will hunt a couple times..the rest i will use my climber in.

any advice or ways to go about it?? 2 are easy...i know the deer are there, just gotta find the right spot to climb a tree, trim lanes maybe etc...the other one i got in mind ive never even seen but dad says it got deer in it and i need to hunt it...then at school i will scout a few spots but wont do that till early september.

thanx guys

RE: scouting
 

I would look at the creek crossings, an old rubs an check out the acorn crops or the food sources.Look for olds scrapes, look closeyou can see them broken over hanging limbs. Trail cameras, spotting scopes. Just do not over do it, the date is close.

RE: scouting
 

Scout cropfields from a distance in the evening. The patterns may change by the time season opens, but at least you can see who is around. Just don't get too close and push them off your property.

RE: scouting
 

see...thats the problem. the one spot i never been in is JUST woods as far as i know..normally i would go spotting at night or glassing late evening and early morning over the fields...but i need to get into the one area and sneak around. the other 2 i need to get into and find my trees to climb and trim up lanes. i could glass them and figure out where the deer enter the fields and the first day i hunt there, hunt right in that area...i dont know..i know one the deer wont hit till after dark. houses on both sides of the field..

i think im better off to do my sneaking around now...as opposed to mid september though. id see more and find fresh rubs come mid sept...but if i can get close and wing it the first time i hunt them id be happy...the first year is always a learning year...scout on the way in and out and try figuring them out...

i wish i woulda thought of these spots this early spring!! they were all under my nose..just didnt think about them. the 2 i know have deer in them look promising and seem to go unhunted and overlooked by everyone. guys hunt all around them..but not in them. both look promising thick too. come the october lull thats where i will be...in the safe haven as the deer USED to know it..once they know they are hunted they will stack into both areas i think...

i just dont know what to do...should probably go in and get it done so i dont have to worry about it and dont spook the deer right before the season

RE: scouting
 

Topo maps and ariels....Take a peek at my latest journal entry for a BRIEF rundown....

RE: scouting
 

If thiers a creek runnimg throw the place your wanting to hunt , just walk the creek like bow said thier will be places were they will be crossing and most times thier will be a few rubs around on the trail.

RE: scouting
 

ahhhh mo! i forgot about topos and ariels!! thats how i prescout the big woods i hunt at school...never thought to do it on my little woodlots here at home!! dad taught me a thing or 2 about scouting like that...we used to sit down and scout on topos from home, then drive to the big woods and see what we got. usually always had deer sign where we said it would be. i will see what i can find out about my little woodlots...and will be doing the same for my school spots. will read your journal entry as well...i dont know everything there is to know about it...would definently like to learn more on the subject. dad is good...i will con him into helping.

maybe do that this week after work and sneak into them this weekend and hit the spots i found on the map and nothing more...quick and quiet..in and out. take my trimmers and do my thing and get out and dont return till october with bow in hand...using the topos and ariels will save me time walking around aimlessly and narrow things down quickly

RE: scouting
 

If your looking for good spots to catch a Buck bedded down with a Doe be sure to look for the thick brushy area's when you walk through your property.When I do any scouting I make a mental note of any good tree's to use for a ladder stand or my climber later on.If possible do some spot scouting with a scope further away and see where the deer are moving in out of the place you plan to hunt.I have a ladder stand set up in the very back of our Ridge Field and when I see deer crossing or walking along the field edge I take my otherclimbing stand and set it up close to where I see the deer move the most...when they change their pattern later on I move the climber again! ;)

RE: scouting
 

The best way is to walk the property. I think walking it now you can still get away with gettin in some scouting and not bumping the deer too bad. Look for thickets and deer beds and since its all timeber maybe look for some white oaks.

RE: scouting
 

I just drive around and glass bean fields. Saw 3 nicebucks tonight.