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Scouting question..

Old 08-28-2009, 12:17 PM
  #1  
Nontypical Buck
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Location: New Hampshire
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Default Scouting question..

For those who hunt areas with high deer numbers and see deer every day, how would you scout/hunt places with low deer numbers (less than 10 deer/sq mile)? Places where you can go days without seeing a deer.

Specifically, if you hunt the midwest or down south in agricultural areas, how would you hunt up north with no farmland or fields, just deep woods? Saying you would find the bedding area and feeding aea and hunt in between, may be easier said than done. In some big woods, the food source may be nearby limiting the amount of travel.

There are no wrong answers here, I am just interested if you would adjust to the new areas or scout/hunt like you always have.
Thanks in advance.
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Old 08-28-2009, 01:31 PM
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Jimmy S: Most of my hunting up until the mid '70's concentrated on the Southern Tier/ Western NY farmlands. Lots of deer. I still do quite a bit of bowhunting here/there, but majority of my gun hunting is done in the Adirondacks, High peaks region.

My first two years hunting the mountains, I used the same methods as the other regions, sitting. It only took me two seasons to realize, you could sit for a week in the Mtns. and not see a deer, let alone a mature buck. THAT is when I started to learn how to still hunt effectively. Up there, you have to go find them on any given day.

Just as in New Hampshire, for the most part, there's not an overt amount of sign, but they're there. Very few actual deer trails leading from bedding/feeding areas. Amazing how you can hunt all day, not see a deer, snows that night, and a day later, looks like the Rawhide cattle drive came through.

One thing about the Mtns., extremely difficult to pattern deer. They pretty much go where they want, when they want. There are some rules of thumb to follow regarding THOSE deer, but bottom line, you have to find them each day. Might be 2 miles from the tent, might be 1/4 mile. You never know.

So, yes, styles need to be adjusted, if you want to be successful on a consistent basis. W hen I discovered hunting in the Adirondacks, I discovered HUNTING.
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Old 08-28-2009, 04:49 PM
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Well put Crokit!

I've held more respect for terrain the last few years and will pick out my spots on a topo like the next guy (saddles, benches, ect..). However, the swamps are still my favorite places as the greens tend to be alive longer, along with a nice ridge above to tantelize any type of deer seems to be a good mix...

Not much farm land to key off of for food sources, so meandering through the forrest and munching as they go along is hard to pattern. The longer you hunt a piece of land the more history you build. Using late fall and winter for scouting with snow helps to reinvent where the deer "disappear".

AND Yes, this is hunting!
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