How many of you guys/gals scout while the season is in, and how much time do you spend doing it? I have always scouted before the season starts, but never after. what would you look for while scouting at this time? Scrapes, rubs, food sources... I havn' t had much success seeing deer while hunting, but now that I think about it, I didn' t practice scent control as well as I should have. Where do you keep your gear while not hunting?
thanks
steve

I always scout while the season is in. I think it is the absolute best time to scout. You will have a better understanding of how the deer are moving now....not last month. Deer in my area seem to stay in thicker cover when the hunting pressure is on so their patterns always change during the year. I always look for trails into and out of big, thick areas - like so thick that it doesn' t seem as if a deer can even crawl through it. ' Cause when the pressure is on, that' s where they' ll run.

One method that I use all the time is what I call the " one shot stand" I' ll walk into an area (new to me or old) with all my gear ready to hunt. I' ll scout all the way. How long does it take? It may only be a few minutes or maybe a half hour till I find what I' m looking for. I' ll be looking for trails, rub lines and scrapes, feeding areas, and bedding areas. But mainly rubs. I' m just looking for the general area that a buck is running. When I' m on to some good sign, I' ll look for a good tree close by to hang my stand. I usually do this in the early afternoon and sit till dark. Now that I know the area, I can come back in the morning before light and know exactly where I' m going. After the morning hunt, I' ll get down and do the same on the way out. Or if I see deer far away, I' ll go there and look for the trails and set up closer next time. I' ve harvested some nice bucks and several does this way while bowhunting an area that I' ve never even set foot before. I think that the reason it is so effective is that you have the element of surprise to your advantage.

As for hunting clothes lots of hunters (including me) keep their camo in a big rubbermaid container to minimize the foriegn odors in your hunting clothes. To me, the most important thing is to spray your boots and legs with scent killer type spray. The less scent trail you leave on the ground, the better. I' ve seen deer spook when they crossed trails that I' ve walked on hours before, but since I' ve used the spray, I haven' t seen this happen. Think about how a trained dog can track down a human hours and hours after they' ve walked in an area. Well a deer has an even better sense of smell and can absolutely smell exactly where you' ve walked. Good Luck!!!!