I've often wondered
 

How many people methodically choose there stand's looking at the big picture? And how many pick a trail, creek crossing orbig rub atrandom and hope for the best?

RE: I've often wondered
 

I follow known paths and antler shed locations. And I usually get my deer every year...All except the 2 years I never even walked into the woods.

RE: I've often wondered
 

If I find signin an area I usually put a camera out for a few days and see what is using this area. If it is something good then I hunt that spot, usually with a climber.

RE: I've often wondered
 

gri22ly, normally I will try to scout ahead of the season looking for deer signand continue to do soas I hunt and learn from it. I will move my set up's accordingly, not real sure which category that falls into but it seems to work out well.

RE: I've often wondered
 

I have an aerial map that I look at the whole year round and try to figure out how they get from a to b. Put cameras up and kinda go from there. I find entirely to many trails and to many river crossings to bank on that. So I'd tried all new stand sights this year. I'll see if it works.

RE: I've often wondered
 

I scout a lot during late winter and early spring. I also utilize Google Earth and topo maps. There have been times during the early season that I actually hang an "observation" stand. One that I can slip into and observe a potential area that has shown promise through other scouting methods.

RE: I've often wondered
 

I normally try to figure everything out before the season opens. The last 10 days or so of pre season is the most important to me. I normally don't have a lot of land to hunt, so I end up with "transitional areas" usually. Deer are bedding on one of my neighbor's properties and traveling through my area to get somewhere else. I try to focus on what hold's the deer's attention while they're traveling through (acorns, hickory nuts, good browse) and hunt around there. In the end though, I follow my gut instinct for the exact spot where I think the deer will be.

RE: I've often wondered
 

The bigger pic for me.

I have said time and time again.. if you are looking at an aerial of your land you hunt.. zoom out and get the properties surrounding your own property as well. Deer don't distinguish property lines.

Overall.. the bigger picture is what I look at.

RE: I've often wondered
 

"How many people methodically choose there stand's looking at the big picture? And how many pick a trail, creek crossing orbig rub atrandom and hope for the best? "

gri22ly....I really believe that many people talk a big game but really just hunt the big sign when it pops up. Myself included. I am getting better each year at putting the pieces of the puzzle together but I really believe I am several years off in terms of methodically choosing a stand location. I have really worked hard the last 3-4 years on one large piece of land, trying to learn it inside and out. I was very picky when I scouted this year but feel very good in about 5 of the stand sights I picked...and chose them based on the time of the year and what my objectives were going to be on that time. I guess there is a fine line between being a good buck hunter and a great buck hunter...I have not crossed that line yet. I don't know when/if I will.

RE: I've often wondered
 

I just have some helicopter pilots I know fly over several times at 2000 feet with infrared radar. That'll give you the real picture of the deer on your property.:D

Actually, I try to pattern the deer all year round. I am still learning their patterns here, but it's getting better. I have the big picture, its just not in pure focus yet.

RE: I've often wondered
 

I hunted at random my first few years, with little success.If I found a big rub, ascrape line or trail, I was on it.I would see alot of deer, does and small bucks but nothing real big, I always seemed to be a day late and a doller short. When I put the doe family groupsand how they moved around in the picture, then not hunt the buck sign but ask my self why it was there. Things started to get much better, and I started to see much biggerbucks.:)

RE: I've often wondered
 

I am admittedly, the random setup guy. I have learned the patterns of most farms I hunt by now that I know where to setup anyway, but I started out just finding a scrape, rub, crossing, trail and hanging/hoping.

Nowadays, I dont even set foot on a property without checking the aerials first. Im not even that good at reading them, but at the least, they give you a basic understanding of how the farm lays before you tromp off into it.

I really wish I had large enough tracts of land that I could study topos and find the right terrain to hunt, most of my farms dont vary in terrain, and are relatively small....this leaves just patterning the deer as the only method really.

RE: I've often wondered
 

TEmbry, I'll try to go a little more in depth on what I do, bear with me I'm not good at puting things into words.

I find where the different doe groups are bedding and feeding and how they travle to and from these locations. I make a note of which food sources will be primary at different times of the season. I've found these primary sources to mainly be used by does and young bucks.

Then I find the secondary and isolated food sources. I make a note of when these sources will be available. I've found these to mainly be used by mature bucks.

My dad showed me a trick to finding food sources I would like to share. If you are walking agood trail and it fades away, you arevery close to the food sources or an area the deer like to brows. Look around and find what there eating.

I make note of the creeks, springs and water holes. I also make a note of transitions through out the woods, old growth, new growth, pine thickits, logged areas and clear cuts.

I find the rub lines and scrapes, paying special attention to the ones that show up in the same spots year after year, that happens for a resone. Then I compair my findings to the lay of the land. Things become clear and make alot of sense.

I know this sounds complicated but its not. With a little practice its easy. I take my maps to the woods and do gride aserch for sheds and sign late winter. I do 20 acres at a time and this stuff jumps out at me. I can do 200 to 300 acres in a couple days, and know it better than pepole that have hunted it for 20 years.

Hope I helped some one, THANKS for reading.

RE: I've often wondered
 

The areas that I hunt, I've hunted for years and know where the deer travel. I hunt oak flats find a good looking tree and wait. Since I'm not a trophy hunter I'm not worried about what decides to eat on the flat that I'm hunting I jusy whack what comes through.

RE: I've often wondered
 

Great topic, Grizz. I keep a binder in my trunk - at all times - with color copies of aerials of each of my hunting areas - both old and new. I've got turkey maps, shed hunting maps, deer stand maps, gun season maps, maps of places I've never been, and maps of places I haven't been in 15 years.

Those maps include companion topos, field notes, chickenscratch arrows, lines and circles... It's a process, to be sure.

My maps show property boundaries, oak groves, thickets, past stand sites of mine, and past stand sites of OTHER hunters. Sometimes, you start connecting the dots and things become a lot more clear. It's definitely a "big picture" endeavor.

However, despite the detail and observation needed, you CAN scout an area relatively fast, if you know what you're looking for. This is a LOT easier once the leaves are coming off, the weeds are down, andthe acorns are falling. With the extra visibility, it makes the geographic funnels stand out. You can hear the acorns and go to them. You play off of the pressure points, the crop rotation, the safe travel routes - and strike. Strike unexpectedly and infrequently.

Always remember that you're hunting an animal that survives by avoiding humans. The more pressure he gets, his skills are honed all-the-sharper.

Duke is right - know thy neighbour. Deer can't read POSTED signs or Plat Maps. They live everywhere. If you have the opportunity, get out and walk your neighbor's land in the spring, or in the snow, when it reads like an open book. Even if you're not allowed to hunt there, walk it and understand it. Knowledge of the surrounding properties WILL fill your tag, sooner or later.

RE: I've often wondered
 

i myself hunt spots that i noted the previous year and have looked over and views signs and sighting. i trail camera or timer are awsome tools.

RE: I've often wondered
 

I usually pull my skull cap over my eyes, spin real fast 3 times around and hunt the first tree I bump into. It's worked pretty well for me over the years! [:-]

RE: I've often wondered
 

I take the sign that's giving to me and pretty much go by pure instincts on where I think a particular buck or bucks will be traveling.

RE: I've often wondered
 

i once shot my arrow in the air in my wood and huntedx the nearest tree it was by...well i never found the arrow