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Late winter scouting

Old 03-06-2014, 12:28 PM
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Fork Horn
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Default Late winter scouting

How many go out late winter scouting? I try to go to camp at least once before the thaw. Here at home, well I'm out daily. The deer trails this year have remained surprisingly consistent with the summer fall travel.There has been one exception, where I put up a new fence line that is not finished yet adding another 400ft this spring. That fence has moved travel from the end of the lane way to the end of the fence 600ft away it also caused them to make a new trail straight down the middle of a young wood lot parallel to the fence. Now I expected a change, that said ,not quite such a big change...makes me wonder what an additional 400ft will do. I have also found many new bedding areas and with a happy surprise many being buck beds.The cams will show this spring/summer whether they decide to summer or not.
What have you been finding in your areas?
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Old 03-07-2014, 03:50 AM
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I go out every day twice a day to walk the woods and vacant fields with my dog. Plus I have to work around them in my yard most of the day also or across the creek.

Al
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Old 03-07-2014, 04:25 AM
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So.. do they have a winter pattern and a summer , or do they stick to the basic places year around? I like to take a roll of surveyors tape with me and mark new trails . This way I can remember and put up spring/summer trail cams to properly get a travel idea...I dbl tape near bedding for this purpose. That way I can put in a long term cam to check a few months later
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Old 03-07-2014, 08:57 AM
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Originally Posted by LBADG
So.. do they have a winter pattern and a summer , or do they stick to the basic places year around? I like to take a roll of surveyors tape with me and mark new trails . This way I can remember and put up spring/summer trail cams to properly get a travel idea...I dbl tape near bedding for this purpose. That way I can put in a long term cam to check a few months later
The reason for the trail will determine whether they use it all year and/or every year.

That is the key IMO
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Old 03-07-2014, 09:28 AM
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The deer leave my area around the 1st of the year, and are currently in a Winter yard a little over a mile to our West. I don't don't like to mess with the yard at this time of year. I figure that they're stressed enough without me crashing in and moving them around.

Depending on the snow melt, it will be about 3 weeks before I bother putting the cams out.
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Old 03-07-2014, 09:45 AM
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Thus why I mark and monitor..Now I have one that I just pulled the cam from 469 pics in 4 days...It happens to be one of the long plot trails that lead to other plot trails that have small plots attached and along an oak flats were I hinge cut some trees last week...but the cam pull has shown it is being used by a 60/40 % buck to doe..This is a major change on this parcel. It has the usual squirrel and fox usage and in a month hoping for the turkey we'll see.
Attached Thumbnails Late winter scouting-pict0184.jpg   Late winter scouting-pict0197.jpg   Late winter scouting-pict0269.jpg  
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Old 03-07-2014, 10:12 AM
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Last summer for the turkeys it looked like this..I then mowed and over seeded the stubble with turnips and clover so they would browse those trails in between clover plots...Staying firmily in the middle of my land.
Attached Thumbnails Late winter scouting-img_1108.jpg   Late winter scouting-img_1098.jpg  
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Old 03-08-2014, 05:21 AM
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Where I live the deer travel pretty much the same all the time. It is ag land all around with bits of small wood lots and a creek runs thru my wooded place. So the deer travel around the house and along the creek daily to go to the corn and bean fields to feed. Right now I look out my living room window and count 5 does on the tractor trail along the creek chewing their cuds. Up the hill a bit farther there are 3 more doing the same thing laying and chewing.

At our deer camp they will be in deer yards for several more weeks. since the wolves have been reintroduced deer numbers have plummeted and we don't go there for the two week season any longer. We have discussed sell the property there and finding some thing in Jackson county now knowen for big bucks.

Al
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Old 03-08-2014, 05:47 AM
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That's too bad We had a yote problem a few years ago not only deer but live stock..then ppls pets...had my goat herd killed in one night by domestic dogs a couple of years ago...thought that it was yotes but another farmer told me to use the trail cams to see what came back...
Predators in the north will change travel patterns as well in the snowy North
Attached Thumbnails Late winter scouting-pict0091.jpg  
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Old 03-08-2014, 09:44 AM
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Our late winter scouting is called rabbit hunting We're rabbiting about 3 times/week & always look for & find new trails, bedding spots, & sheds.
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