Andyhman

I am very new to hunting and I have very little knowledge in hunting whitetails. I have been reading about signs and I can now some what see the signs of game trails. I am not seeing any scrapes or rubs. Am I not looking hard enough or am I in the wrong places? I need all the help I can get.

Wingbone

Too early for scrapes and rubs. Except to rub the velvet off their antlers, bucks don't start doing that till mid to late October here. perhaps later if you are farther south.

d80hunter

I checked my deer cam last week and the bucks were still in velvet. Maybe things are farther along where you live.

My best advice, when the season starts, is finding the most used deer trail and sitting all day in a climbing treestand. That has been the number one venison on table thing I do. If you want big bucks it takes hard earned experience or blind luck.

bghunter777

In Pa we have been finding rubs for almost 2 weeks.

Psylocide

Not much for rubs around here yet... look for well-used trails, bedding areas, poo, etc.

Andyhman

That is my issue because I only have access to public land and the wma I hunt on is quality buck only with four points or more on each side.

Gunplummer

It is pretty early right now. If it is a big wooded area, the deer may be in the lowlands hitting the farm crops yet. If you have a good amount of oak trees the deer will move into the wooded areas soon to start feeding on acorns. It is hard to believe, but I have seen it happen. Deer will abandon planted crops and go to an area with a good acorn crop. If you are new at this, try to find where the doe are concentrating to feed. Once the buck start chasing does that is where they will be. You just have to spend as much time in the woods as you can and learn. Most of the instructional books and videos are nonsense written by guys chasing half-tame deer on private property. It is a whole different game on state owned land. That is all I hunt and I don't regret it. It will make you a better hunter and nobody will sell it out from under you. Good luck, and remember, you will have some rough times in the beginning but everybody does.

NjHunter85

^^ gunplummer^^ said it.

NjHunter85

focus on the does right now and wherever the heavy runs are at. each week or so you might be able to narrow it down to a certain area. when your rut is in full effect you wont miss it.

Andyhman

I did find a bedding area this past Saturday in a thicket. Should I try and hunt near that or avoid it as not to spook the deer and run them off? And thanks for the info. I am very new to the hunting world and this is the first year that I am trying to hunt I my own.