Scouting help?
 

I have been wondering how to do good scouting for deer this spring and summer (i know there is still a lot of this season still left) to see where they will be. I have always just looked around and stuff but i barely see deer during the hunting season. what do i look for? any advice is greatly appreciated
thanks

RE: Scouting help?
 

look for bedding areas, thicker areas low brush or tall grass. find your nearest water sources and food sources. once you have these places found. look for travle routes from one to the other. drainage ditches are really good places for bucks to pass through, along with crick bottoms and field edges. If your going shed hunting in the next couple of months look arround for these things. Then in the summer check them out only once really good. pick some spots to put up stands and do the clearing for shooting lanes all in the same day if you can then stay out till hunting season. you can scout all year arround but the more your in the wood the more deer your pushing out.

RE: Scouting help?
 

Good advice. Find (1) Where they bed, (2) Where they eat, and (3) How they they get from bedding to eating.This can be simple or hard depending on thegeography and it also can depend on the time of year. Have a plan for scouting rather than aimlessly wandering through the woods. Topo maps can be invaluable for looking for good areas.

Don't get too hung up on finding the "perfect" spot - but look forareas that have a variety of sign nearby - rubs, scrapes, cover, etc. Individual sign can be random, but a combination of different signs is usually a good indicator that an area is continually used.

I would do major scouting in the early spring when sign from the previous yearcan easily be seen. It also gives the deer time to recover from being spooked.

RE: Scouting help?
 

yes i will DEFIDENTALLY start scouting this spring