Post-season scouting

[dramsey25]

Anyone looking to have this conversation?

I would really like to get into off season scouting this year (going to try to hunt a large public piece for the first time next year)… what things are you looking for? At what time of year? Where are we looking? What sign do we ignore? How do you know when to hunt the sign you find?

 

[Blacksmith]

I've been tagged out in Ohio for some time now but can't stay out of the woods. I walked my sections and marked all the rub lines and scrapes on On X for the fall. All the trails are easy to find if you have snow and ,mark them for fall.

 

[raisins]

Great topic. And there is a lot of areas to cover.

First, if you don't have an app that shows you both aerial photos and topos both on your phone and computer (and they are synched up) then get that. Second, I always start with digital scouting and putting pins, etc on the computer and then bringing those up on the phone. Then when scouting in the field, I do a combo of putting icons/lines/shapes on the phone app and writing notes in a small notepad.

There isn't much agriculture or concentrated food sources where I hunt. So, I look for bedding areas, diverse habitat and habitat edges/soft transitions, and vegetation and topography that will funnel deer movement. How to do all of that is a book length ordeal that hopefully this thread will help you get started on.

 

[KYHunter]

Primary scrapes and bedding areas!

 

[raisins]

I've been tagged out in Ohio for some time now but can't stay out of the woods. I walked my sections and marked all the rub lines and scrapes on On X for the fall. All the trails are easy to find if you have snow and ,mark them for fall.

yep, even if you don't plan on hunting them, marking all rubs and scrapes allows me to zoom out and see more of what is happening

i also grade rubs by age (fresh, year old, very old, etc) and also size (small, medium, large) and if there is a cluster I'll put the number...i put all that info in the waypoint title

if i see an area with a ton of rubs of many age classes, then i know that area or one near by is the type of spot to hold bucks or at least get a lot of visits....i then try to figure out why that is, where the bucks are, and how to hunt them

 

[raisins]

Great topic. And there is a lot of areas to cover.

First, if you don't have an app that shows you both aerial photos and topos both on your phone and computer (and they are synched up) then get that. Second, I always start with digital scouting and putting pins, etc on the computer and then bringing those up on the phone. Then when scouting in the field, I do a combo of putting icons/lines/shapes on the phone app and writing notes in a small notepad.

There isn't much agriculture or concentrated food sources where I hunt. So, I look for bedding areas, diverse habitat and habitat edges/soft transitions, and vegetation and topography that will funnel deer movement. How to do all of that is a book length ordeal that hopefully this thread will help you get started on.

also, if you find a great spot you want to hunt, don't forget while you are there to look for trees you can hunt from that you can get in without deer seeing you in the tree and that have shooting lanes....i've been guilty of this and returned to a spot only to discover i hadn't noticed that it was basically unhuntable (like bunch of trees as big around as your arm covered by grape and poison ivy vines or something)

 

[dramsey25]

Primary scrapes and bedding areas!

how are you identifying these areas? Bumping physical deer from beds while scouting? What defines a “primary scrape” to you?

 

[GeoFish]

I like to scout no later then March. Want to see all the old sign.
Two things I look for.
Thick. When you find thick, buck sign will be their.
Places other hunters don't go. These places can be a good distance from roads, or so close to a road, you can read car license plates from your stand.

 

[raisins]

I like to scout no later then March. Want to see all the old sign.
Two things I look for.
Thick. When you find thick, buck sign will be their.
Places other hunters don't go. These places can be a good distance from roads, or so close to a road, you can read car license plates from your stand.

yep, right after it warms up a bit and there's no snow on the ground is the best time to scout, i think

you can see the sign for a longer distance

also, the ticks aren't out quite as much

 

[Anobody]

Tips for post season
Don’t fall in love with what u see. Just cause sign is there this year doesn’t mean it be next year…. With that said mark it and check in season if it’s hot u hunt if it’s not u move on

If the area is thick in January it’s thick in Oct Mark these areas and check for how the deer use these areas and navigate around them with the tracking tool and find good stand setups along the entry and exit trails

In a previous thread I mentioned rubs and noticing which direction they face can help u figure out if the deer use it in the AM headed into bedding or PM leaving bedding

Dont be scared to kick deer up and to tromp through bedding areas. It’s January they will be fine.

Big scrapes get marked now especially if they are between bedding areas. Another in season check spot

Long story short. I use post Season just to give me areas to go back check once the appropriate season is on. Nothing replaces in season scouting

 

[Robert loper]

To be Short and sweet Im walking all outer and interior thick edges-or transitions
Im looking for good seasonal bedding with sense advantage for bucks.
Mostly being able to smell behind and see out front.
This will be my main focus for outside of the rut.

For Rut hunting times I will seek out sign near doe bedding which in my areas is or shouldn’t be not too far away. These spots should have a lot of scrapes and buck rubs of all sizes. This is usually a major sign of Doe bedding or travel corridors.
Remember though this all revolves around food and things change as the deer always adapt to different areas for food.
Mark trees for morning hunts and plan youre entry and exit routes.
if you read the sign right it will tell you what and when the deer are doing.
dont overthink things keep it basic , simple, snd mostly fun.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

On the small, private properties that I have to hunt, I like to wait until after the antlers are shed.
I want to scour every square acre that I can and I don't want to bump them out while they are still carrying antlers.
If its large public land, then scout early, scout late, scout often.

 

[katiesmom]

Great topic. And there is a lot of areas to cover.

First, if you don't have an app that shows you both aerial photos and topos both on your phone and computer (and they are synched up) then get that. Second, I always start with digital scouting and putting pins, etc on the computer and then bringing those up on the phone. Then when scouting in the field, I do a combo of putting icons/lines/shapes on the phone app and writing notes in a small notepad.

There isn't much agriculture or concentrated food sources where I hunt. So, I look for bedding areas, diverse habitat and habitat edges/soft transitions, and vegetation and topography that will funnel deer movement. How to do all of that is a book length ordeal that hopefully this thread will help you get started on.

Great advice.

 

[Plebe]

Tips for post season
Don’t fall in love with what u see. Just cause sign is there this year doesn’t mean it be next year…. With that said mark it and check in season if it’s hot u hunt if it’s not u move on

If the area is thick in January it’s thick in Oct Mark these areas and check for how the deer use these areas and navigate around them with the tracking tool and find good stand setups along the entry and exit trails

In a previous thread I mentioned rubs and noticing which direction they face can help u figure out if the deer use it in the AM headed into bedding or PM leaving bedding

Dont be scared to kick deer up and to tromp through bedding areas. It’s January they will be fine.

Big scrapes get marked now especially if they are between bedding areas. Another in season check spot

Long story short. I use post Season just to give me areas to go back check once the appropriate season is on. Nothing replaces in season scouting

Conversely, if it’s bare now doesn’t mean it won’t be thick in Oct/Nov. Just to round out your point.

 

[Anobody]

Conversely, if it’s bare now doesn’t mean it won’t be thick in Oct/Nov. Just to round out your point.

I agree. My point was just to emphasize constant thick areas. Those seem to hold deer in my area year round. Where I see occasionally thick areas matter is when bucks shift to rut bedding but all those are near real time finds and scout/hunting with setup on my back

 

[Jammintree]

As has been said by others: I really benefit from mapping out bedding, trails, sign, and I distinguish different kinds of food sources. I’ll do all of this with as much detail as possible, and as time passes I even note things such as storm bedding etc. As my maps start to fill out it helps me to seek out and find the more subtle details. For example, sometimes buck cruise trails and scent checking locations can be hard to distinguish. It’s that game of reading between the lines and then testing the theories. Sometimes during the hunting season I’ll make brief mid day investigations to see if my suspicions have merit. A little bit of snow can be a really valuable tool. In general I scout year round, though I try and be very gentle in the 2 months prior to the season starting.