Scott/IL

I have never really put much into this other than running my trail cameras and seeing sign while shed hunting. This year after the season goes out, I really want to set out and walk every little nook and cranny of the farm.

What are you guys looking for? Any areas that you try to focus on?

I'm not done hunting thisby a long shot, but I'm already thinking about at least 2 new spots that I want to be set up in next year.

dukemichaels

I do all my season scouting after the season.. usually even starting at the end of December.. continuing right into April.[&:]

What am I looking for?

I look for everything.. rubs.. scrapes.. trails.. etc.

But mostly.. I seek out bedrooms of deer in general. And gather info. on where does are bedding and where bucks are bedded.

Trying to connect.. through topography and scrape lines and hidden rub lines where and why a buck would go on any one particular route.

Scott/IL

Duke-

While scouting do you mark the sign you find on a map or gps?

Also, is this when you hang your stands, or do you wait until later in the season?

dukemichaels

I don't mark the sign on a map or GPS. But that's only because I don't hunt the same pieces year after year... and I don't much see same connections year after year when hunting a particular buck.. at least not often. Most of the properties I hunt.. it's only for a few days.. then I am done.

However, when I do find a distinct line of rubs or scrapes I will mark them on a Topo.. and take a better look at it when I get home.

For myself scouting is much more than just a few hours in a piece of woods. I'll spend as much as 200+ hours between Jan. and April walking the same properties over and over again.. til I get it just right.

As far as stands being hung. Some will go up during this time. But not many really.. depends on the piece. Many stand sites will be cleared all over each piece in relation to what I have found. Armed with my LW arsenal.. I'll just move to each tree with good winds.. and fresh sign. Depending on the timing of the following season of course.

If I like what I saw during that sit.. the LW set up will stay. Then I'll just grab another from my garage.. and move to the next already trimmed set. Repeating throughout the season.

130woodman

Mike are you sponsored by Lone Wolf?

Edcyclopedia

For me I have three locations I hunt, two of them are big woods and only hit them occasionaly during deerseason, as the home life permits me leaving the family.
The third is suburban hunting, which is 85-90% Archery,so I'll through a few of my ideas your way ~ for what it's worth...

I spend countless hours finding parcels of land when driving home from work (16 miles).
Note, that I rarely take the same route home and will go, sometimes, 5-10 miles out of my way to find all the backroads thoughout my journey to get home.
I stockpileas many nooks & crannies that look good, like lowland swamps or oak hills, etc. I then research this parcel using topos and aerials.
Once I select a parcel, I then drive around the outskirts too mark my GPS with the boundaries, so when on foot I have a good understanding of the limits to the parcel.

Now keep in mind I live in NH and unless the land is posted you can access it, of course it's common courtesy to check with the land owner.
I also access the town info regarding lot lines, who owns it and if it's in "current use" (tax breaks offered for land over 10 acres).
If it is under "current use" andclassified as "recreation", then it is open to hiking, fishing, hunting etc... Now I don't have to ask for permission.

I try and isolate the main info offered on the maps I researched, like funnels, saddles, swamps, streams, etc to come up with a game plan, so once on foot,
I can maximize my walking.After I have a good lay of the land and a few key features with sign,
I then wait until the snow flies to help fine tune my findingsand help key on bedding areas verses different types of food, etc.
Sometimes if I get excited about a spot I may go in with my climber and cut my shooting lanes, along with marking the tree at the top of my platform with tape.
This way I can get to the same height on thattree for my shooting lanes once the season begins. I don't believe anyone notices this tape 20' up in a tree?..

I'll usually go back to these areas in August to trim any other growth now that the foliage has bloomed and also to see if the areas have dried up do to adifferent season.
In other words, making sure the deer weren't in that parcel to hole up for the winter just to survive.
For suburban hunting, I believe most deer may spendtheir lives in a 50-100 acres range (maybe less) and only roam when they are out of food.
Another key note I like to stress is using other hunters to your advantage once firearms season begins. So knowing escape routes can enhance your chances.

Also Look for the funnels between houses to get from parcel to parcel. I have compiled 11 parcels of land that range about 1 1/2 miles in length.
In the last few years I have managed to take a Doe, two 6-pointers andtwo 8-pointers within a 1/2 mile of a crows fly all off ofdifferent roads.
I have created a map to tie these trails together using the GPS points.It's plain as day once you have created the map and how the deer intertwine throughout the land.
Thelast deerI killedI had literally laser range found one house @ a convenient 101 yards (need to be 100 min away from house)
another @ 202 yards and a third house 150 yards away. I watched this guy sneak between two of these houses less then 80 yards apart while a roofing
crew was nailing down plywood. Yes, they were dropping sheets of plywood on the rafters and nailing them down. The deer cared less!

dukemichaels

No. LOL!

I get that alot. And love everytime I hear it.

I wish I was though.. [&:]

jmbuckhunter

I pretty much follow Duke's model of spending A LOT of time in the woods right after the season. I trim up some shooting lanes then and might even hang a stand or 2. But no 2 seasons will be the same with deer movement. We had tons of standing corn in the area untill last week and no acorns in the woods this year. Next year we might have tons of acorns and the corn might be out by Oct. 1. The same patterns will not work for both, the deer will be in different locations.

Scouting after the season can help your odds of finding travel routes. But early season observation stands can tell you a lot too.

Scott/IL

Early season scouting has always been my method in years past (watching bean fields in September and watching deer movement from early season stands). However, I feel I am putting more pressure on my area than is needed my going in and fine tuning a stand during the season. And in my area of the county where pressure tends to get thick at times, a mature buck doesn't need a reason to go into hiding.

I pretty much hunt on our family farm now and have left the crowded public land alone. I have a pretty good understanding of how the deer use our land (bedding area, funnels, etc.), but the hot spots do vary from year to year (corn in one field vs. beans the next and no acorns means our "Oak Ridge" is DEAD). Also, it is getting logged pretty heavily this year and I feel like that is going to change the way they use our land once the tree tops are there. So scouting is a must, and I am looking forward to the increase in bedding areas around the bottom of the hollows.

MeanV2

I Love spending time scouting in Jan./Feb. I especially Love scouting after a snow has been on for a few days. There are things you can see in the woods at that time of year that is difficult to see any other time.
To me me post season is THE TIME to Scout.

Dan