gzg38b

Most of the spots I hunt are pretty small so scouting isn't as important.

I do like to drive by the fields of the properties I hunt and count the deer at night. Last night there were 18. All does and yearlings as far as I could tell. I was looking at them in my headlights with binoculars so it wasn't easy.

If 6 of the 18 were carrying fawns, then there could be another 10 - 12 deer born this spring. That puts the number easily over 30 deer per square mile which is pretty good.

You'd think I'd see more of them during hunting season, but the problem is we've also got 30 hunters per square mile.

magicman54494

I hunt in northern Wis. I drive 170 mi. to get there. My scouting is limited and my hunting area is under a lot of snow. I'm hoping to get up there the end of this month when the snow is almost gone. Also the deer up there tend to relocate andyard up so where I find them now they won't be there this fall. It's nice to look around between the time the snow melts and the millions of wood ticks show up.

MichaelHunsucker

When am i not studying the deerthat i hunt!

I even managed to find a massive shed today!

highlonesome

I am going shed hunting saturday. I look for trails and where the prickly pear have been eaten. That is deer. I have livestock in my pastures and they use the same trails as deer. Right now most of the deer are feeding on the oat field which was planted thanksgiving.I dont get out as much as I like but its funto just pack a lunch an walk all day.

GregH

I have never hunted far enough up north to where the deer yard up. My comments are directed to a less harsh environment in farm land.

Don't anyone kid themselves, post season scouting is the best time for scouting deer. It has been written about for many years by a lot of whitetail experts. I'm just restating that fact.

Too many things can change to try and remember what was happening with the deer during the last hunting season. Some of the changes I've witnessed are crop rotation, high water, changes in woodland structure that can change deer travel patterns and the cycling of buck/doe core areas.

Starting at the end of April, I break off of scouting because at this time of year the does are getting ready to start birthing. The bucks will start coming out of their core areas and start forming bachelor groups and hanging out near the prime food sources in their area, where ever that may be. This can change from year to year because of crop rotation, soil depletion etc. The deer know where the most nutricious food sources are located.

After the 4th of July I start scouting food sources in the evenings. I like to find the bachelor groups of bucks to see what is around. However, I've noticed that a lot (most) of the time, the biggest/oldest bucks are mainly loners and hang out by themselves. More often then not, they wait until after dark before entering the food source. By the third week of August I'm done scouting and my stands are in place and I let the deer be.

Usually from mid-September until early October, the bucks will break out of there bachelor groups and return to their core areas and build up reserves for the rut. You don't see them much during this time, hence the October lull. I camped out on the edge of a bucks bedding area one time, from Sept. 20th until Oct. 20th when I finally spotted him during daylight.

Once the rut starts kicking in the bucks start venturing out of their core areas and you never know where they'll be from day to day. This is where post season scouting comes in handy.

Things I've learned from this years post season scouting:

1) I found a fairly heavy trail behind one of my stands that wasn't there before. Now I have to prune for it.

2) I found alternate creek crossings for when the water is high (could be handy during the season).

3) I found a couple of travel routes where the deer could travel unseen from any roads or fields. They certainly value their privacy!

4) Best of all, I found a trail that is prefered by bucks. I accidentally found this with the use of my trail cam. I had it set up on a main trail and was getting mostly does and fawns when I noticed a couple of deer traveling 20 yards past this trail. I moved the cam over there and was getting almost all bucks, some nice ones too!

One thing about post season scouting is that the weather is usually not the best. I'm sure that this alone keeps some people from venturing out and doing some scouting. I have learned many valuable things from scouting at this time of the yeat that I wouldn't have any time else.

GMMAT

Greg your success is hard to argue against. I said a while back that the deer where I hunt aren't where they will be during hunting season right now. I caught a lot of crap for it.....but it wasn't said as an off the wall statement. I have factors that dictate this in the woods I hunt. Around here.....they have a very distinct sanctuary. To find the deer, here.....you just have to identify the food sources for that SPECIFIC time of the season. The highlighted portion I cited earlier works best for ME. No claims as to what will work best for someone else. My situation (as is everyone's) is unique.....to a degree.

I appreciate the SOLID info, though. The reason I asked the question RE: the size of the parcels you were referencing is due to the new land I acquired. I am going in there a bit "lost". unchartered waters, so to speak.

Thanks for the advice.

Germ

Great stuff Gregh

I moved a stand about 40 yds, from what I seen the deer were moving 40 yds from where I was setup, and I could not see them.
I also put a stand right where MR.Mass was bedded Oct 1st. I cannot tell if he's been back there, it flooded. This weekend I am goign to check.

I will be headed back to KY 15 and 16th, this year I know where I want to go look

NEW61375

Not as much as I would like but as much as possible. The woods are so open things really seem to jump out at you. It's much wetter now as well so that really makes it easy to pick out creek crossings and preferred trails around/through marsh areas where I hunt. It seems easier to find old rubs and while some areas are still really thick trails going in and out of the thicketsseem to stand out more. I also like to try and find some good trees for new stands and trim/prune as much as possible (less to do come fall), taking note of the location of the sun and the ideal wind direction for stands, new and old. Probably my favorite time to scout.

huntingson

Yes, I have 2 new stand placements and one I am moving about 25 yards. The snow is an awesome tool for learning travel routes, and even though I have been hunting the same farms for 20 years, I still learn something new every year. That or the dang deer change something every year.

Mark my words boys. There are 2 bucks I am targeting for next year. One is a WIDE 8 point, and the other is a really good 10 point. Both are broken to hell right now, but they will sure look good next year!

recurver167

I've been outdaily checking snares and scouting.Season closed 3-1 so I'll cut back to 1 outing a week for sheds and family time.I put out a trail cam yesterday to see if all have dropped yet.It's alway fun to find where the bucks hid during season when the pressure hit. Always searching for a new cutoff or rub lines.