Community
Whitetail Deer Hunting Gain a better understanding of the World's most popular big game animal and the techniques that will help you become a better deer hunter.

off season scouting

Thread Tools
 
Old 02-09-2014, 02:37 AM
  #1  
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 272
Default off season scouting

when does everybody start there off season scouting? do u scout now or do u wait til march? when do u think deer go back to normal activities? meaning hunting season ended here in mass december 31. so they are no longer pressured. obviously with snow on ground u cant find old scrapes. also deer are probably grouped up now.
bigmster127 is offline  
Old 02-09-2014, 04:45 AM
  #2  
Nontypical Buck
 
alleyyooper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MICHIGAN
Posts: 2,568
Talking

Day after the season ends is when I start. At that time you will discover many of the escape routes they use and in my case being farm fields all around I find the trails they take to the fields to feed in after dark. Back tracking will get you in bedding areas.

Al
alleyyooper is offline  
Old 02-09-2014, 05:09 AM
  #3  
Giant Nontypical
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
Default

As soon as the season ends.
flags is offline  
Old 02-09-2014, 08:28 AM
  #4  
Nontypical Buck
 
Lunkerdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Northern Minnesota
Posts: 2,533
Default

Yup, Al and Flags are absolutely right... One of the best times to scout is immediately after the season ends. It will show what the deer are doing when pressured.
Lunkerdog is offline  
Old 02-09-2014, 10:37 AM
  #5  
MZS
Typical Buck
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Northern WI
Posts: 853
Default

End of season is best, provided you don't have knee deep snow and subzero temps as we did and still have this year. Right now, any messing around I might do in a yarding area will just stress out the deer even more than they already are being stressed. And much of the other sign besides rubs is buried. This year I will wait til spring.
MZS is offline  
Old 02-09-2014, 06:17 PM
  #6  
Typical Buck
 
buckman11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: SW, missouri
Posts: 822
Default

i scout every month of the year but november.
buckman11 is offline  
Old 02-09-2014, 06:17 PM
  #7  
Fork Horn
 
cammogunner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: missouri
Posts: 195
Default

right after the season ends i like to scout with snow on the ground you can find traveling routes and feeding areas
cammogunner is offline  
Old 02-09-2014, 06:44 PM
  #8  
Spike
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Fayette County, PA
Posts: 44
Default

I start with shed hunting and go every chance I get
ShedHound53 is offline  
Old 02-10-2014, 09:39 AM
  #9  
Nontypical Buck
 
Lunkerdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Northern Minnesota
Posts: 2,533
Default

Originally Posted by MZS
End of season is best, provided you don't have knee deep snow and subzero temps as we did and still have this year. Right now, any messing around I might do in a yarding area will just stress out the deer even more than they already are being stressed. And much of the other sign besides rubs is buried. This year I will wait til spring.
Yup, we can get beat like that in our region... My favorite years are when we get the clippers blowing threw every two or three days... On a typical year the deer in my area don't go to yard until around the first of the year. I never mess with them when their in the yards either.
Lunkerdog is offline  
Old 02-20-2014, 05:32 PM
  #10  
Spike
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 98
Default

Scouting at the end will let you see their pressured routes. Than just looking at what they are up to frequently to see were their trails are and their patterns but for true scouting, like all day looking and watching. Than about two weeks before the season.
bsums is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.