What do you do when scouting?
 

I have never!!!never!!!scouted before in my life and I have a spot behind my house where I want to hunt and was wandering what to look for when scouting this early?:sign0016:

If you are first starting out, learn the lay of the land. Land itself will pinch deer in certain areas more than others(called funnels, pinch points). You will see this activity simply by seeing more deer tracks, trails and deer poop. Depending on what your searching out to shoot, start by finding trails that criss cross. The more trails coming into one area obviously the better. This is a perfect place to start. Hand a stand on the prevailing wind downside of this area and just hunt.

Take note of absolutely everything you see and when you see it. It's like a big puzzle. Things will start coming together as you get to understand deer and deer travel for your chunk of woods.

Once you have found this area put up a trail cam to see whats there.

Also, in addition to pinch points or funnels look for a change in timber, or basically timber edges. Deer love edges and it doesn't take much to have them use it. Also old fence lines will make good edge lines.

Also, look for small ditches as I have noticed that deer will walk along these slight depressions when moving thru open timber.

Well I find it hard to scout this early, thats why the trail camera is so great. Obiviously if you find a spot with pleanty of deer tracks, buck poop, and doe poop then its a great area. The best thing probably to do before deer season is walk the entire land if its not too many acers and really get to know it. I know every single inch of the land I hunt and I can remember every single rub and scrape areas from last season. So if I was scouting this early then I would be looking for a spot with pleanty of trails, deer poop, and maybe even some old rubs from last season. It won't mean hes still there but a buck will use the same area he used last season most of the time.

What to do when scouting?
 

I start out by looking at the lay of the land on google earth.Then I print a map out of the land if you dont already have one.Then after that I go to the peice of property and look for deer signs, mark them on the map and pick possible stand locations for the up coming seasons a map will always come in handy when you get lost to so keep it in you back pack.

Awsome guy's thank's!Now where do you figure deer will stay pinched in a spot with timber,a small rocky ride away,a small 10 yard strip of wood's on the other side of the ride away,and a big open field.I have been back their and seen a small hauler with a old creek bed in it I alway's think that look's like a good spot any opinion's on that?

Scouting
 

Get your trail cameras out ASAP. It will help you a bunch. I scout the Western states so I can't help you much. We get up on high points and glass out here. Good luck.

In general, I do not scout "known" areas this early. I go to the areas I have not been in at all or have not been into much at all. I tend to hunt the same 300-500 acres of the 3100 I have access to. This year I also plan to be hunting about 900 acres that I have been on only one time each, and not as a hunter. These areas I will visit as many times as I can work in. What I look for now are rubs from pervious year(s), what appear to be "traditional" trails, the lay of the topography (creeks, ridges, flats, etc.), ridge areas that have a good number of mature oak trees (especially those that have "old" caps under them), forbs areas esecially noting those that are being nipped now, and probable stand locations. I may set up a camera or two if the traffic seems to warrent a look see. I try to picture the route deer might be taking from what appears to me to be bedding areas to feeding areas. One of these is a 600 acre piece of a much larger swamp filled with cypress, tupelo gums , laarge acorn tree flats, etc. Scouting this area will be a challenge in central Alabama summer time heat!