I live in wisconsin going to do some scouting tomorrow. The stands i have been using are dead. i saw one deer all week. I know they are in rut. I just don't know where any of the scrape lines are. How should i persue scouting? Do i bring my bow.. do i just walk around? look for sign?

I always try to follow the deer trails and look for scrapes and rubs and if its in season I am armed cause as soon as you go empty handed there will be one of the biggest deer you ever seen. It just happens that way.

Still hunt while you scout! BRING THE BOW! Walk slow - stop and look alot! Hunt while you look and look while you hunt! When you find a promising spot set up your stand.

If the season is open, I am taking my bow or gun with me everytime I walk into the woods. As for scouting, rather than just walking around I would combine my efforts with still-hunting. For scouting purposes, you might want to move a little quicker than if you were just hunting, but I certainly wouldn't be just walking around the woods haphazardly. I tend to follow trails when I am scouting because that's where the deer go and I believe they are there for a reason; either coming from or leading to something.

I have read that the best time to scout an area is after the hunting season. You don't want to scare off what is in your area by scouting now but one thing that works in your favor is bucks are in the rut so they don't have a true area right now.

ok THnx guys