Is there anything I can learn now about deer movement and habits here in Nebraska? There' s snow on the ground and its bitter cold, but are the trails and such that the deer using now the same as they will be in September?

IMHO right is one of the best times to scout. Deer may still be using the same trails in Sept. as they are now, it depends upon when the rut is for you before the rut they should be using the same trails ( at least the same food/watering areas ). You can also pick up sheds to see what deer made it through the season and how many bucks that property may hold next season. It' s also great for any late season hunting you may do next year. But you want to to take my opinion with a grain of salt as I think any time is a great time to scout. The more you know about deer in your area the better hunter you will be IMHO.

The bucks in SD are still packing around their headgear, and should be around Omaha also. It is a great time to glass fields where deer are feeding. The bucks will usually be out well after daylight and before dark as feeding is first on their list this time of year. It is a good time to glass out of the pickup, that helps also in sub zero temps.

Absolutety the best time to be in the field, deffinetly learn alot. Trails, tracks, rubs, feeding and bedding areas and deer numbers are a great sign for your future hunting season. Find the sign now and you got a good area to hunt next season. Try not to spook or pressure the deer for this is a hard time of year for their survival. Good luck

I do 90% of my scouting and tree set ups in the winter/ spring. You have 4 or 5 months of being in the woods alone - no one else around[:-]

If the average bowhunter puts in one solid month of pre-season scouting, and I can put in 5 months of winter scouting, in five years I have about 25 yrs more info.

Use this time to learn the woods like the back of your hand, set up or mark as many possible stands as possible, shed hunt, look for new land and new areas.
And besides it just plain better than watching Golf

In myopinion this is by far the best time of the year to be scouting. With snow on the ground you can see everywhere the deer have been moving. This time of year allows you to go into those areas which are off limits during the season. This is also the time of year my hunting partner and I hang our stands, trim shooting lanes, and take notes on which winds the stand can be hunted from. We pull the stand so that all we do in September is go in and hang the stand! We try to follow low impact hunting as much as possible. This definately helps break up the winter and leads you into TURK season!!! Best of luck.

2L

To me this is, like the others have said, the best time of year to scout. In addition to what the others have said, I like it because all of the foliage is still off the trees. I usually look for those little openings in thickets that otherwise I would not even know they were there. This tactic has helped me find those " safe zones" that deer feel more comfortable in once the hunting pressure picks up.

I agree the best time to scout and the bonus is you can shed hunt at the same time. (Well at least in my parts)

I went out a couple of weeks ago. I found so much sign. I was in the right area but I found much more sign about 200 yards down the draw I hunt. It is a great funnel area that will be great for nest year. I didn' t find any sheds but I will go out some more and look again. I know there are some big bucks in the area. I would love to find some sheds. I never have though.