Justin got me thinking...
 

He responded to a thread and said that summer scouting is tough because, well it's the summer, it's hot, it's thick, it's miserable.... this is why I never scout in the summer, like he said, things change so much between now and fall. Why do so many of you guys hang stands and scout in the summer? I never understood it, I know that in my area I couldn't see much sign for the all the foilage. Plus, the deer are usually not very active and I don't see sign to start with. Heck, even in late sept, and earlier oct it's a chore sometimes to find defined trails and feeding areas. So, what am I missing out on?? Do I need to be looking in the woods in July??

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

I like to do more scouting after the season, when the woods are bare and the sign is fresh. Yes, there is reward in getting out in the summer, but I use the summer to act on what I found in Jan/Feb/Mar. As for spring and summer, I have trail cameras up and also check for paths in the pain in the butt ferns that are on one bench in particular. But summer for me is mostly hanging stands on my intel from the after season scouting and planting hunting plots.

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

I have done zero summer scouting the past two years and it has not affected my success, however I missed not doing it. This year I am looking to get back out there a few evenings for glassing - I really enjoy it and that makes it worthwhile to me even if I rarely see any of the bucks months later. It is part of the package to me.

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

I've said it before......

Where the deer I'm hunting are at right now (summer)........interests me not. I only want to know where they are when I can actually kill them.

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

I don't really scout in the summer, but I do hang stands late in the summer for several reasons. First, I want them to be there when I go to hunt them. Second, I like to trim shooting lanes when everything is thick and green. I have found that by doing this I can create adequate small holes to shoot through when the leaves are up, but there is still enough cover to break me up in a lot of stands when the leaves fall.

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

I put my fixed stands up in late august. I have trail cams up year around. I know the feeding areas and bedding areas around the farms I hunt. Nothing should change pattern wise until the full swing of the rut. I also like getting the stands up in non pressured times so the deer can adjust to it. I will review the trail cams to see if putting up my stands have changed any patterns in the area. For example I hang a fixed stand with in throwing distance of an o'l stand I built out of wood 7yrs ago. The deer are used to it and they are weary of it. Usually when the deer come in, at least 1-2 will stair at it..usually giving me time to make a good shot.

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

So for the guys that do hang stands in July/ Aug, are you finding that the deer are still using those same trails/areas come earlier fall??

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

VA:

Nope. When I used to hang stands.....I did what "I think" any smart man would do. I hung stand where I thought the deer would be when I sat my butt in that stand.......which is nowhere near (in my woods) where they are in summer (when stands were set).

If I hung stands.....based on where I was seeing deer in the summer.....they'd be hungon someone else's property;)

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

When I do hang stands during the summer it's generally over sign or areas that I scouted earlier in the year, or have scouted at some point in the past. I'm pretty much done with haning "new" stands in the summer. Every time I've ever done it I've ended up moving them anyways.

As for summer scouting, trail cameras and glassing feed fields give me not only a good idea of the bucks in the area, but something to do to pass the time until the fall. Other than being fun and a way to get into the woods, I'm not sure it's really an effective means of scouting or patterning bucks. Many big bucksmay be miles away from where they feed in the summer when fall hits.

RE: Justin got me thinking...
 

See, I usually don't walk the woods until about a week or two before the season and I look for trees that are dropping acorns and more importantly I look for deer droppings, fresh droppings. I try to locate trees that are dropping acorns and go from there. Usually I find a few trails to and from and/ or rubs and tracks.