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sort of new to hunting in general and could us some advice.

Schemeecho

Schemeecho

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2020
Messages
313
Location
Gaston, SC.
Good morning fellow hunters. I have been hunting for the past 4 years and have not had a successful hunt yet. This past season was the closest I have gotten to even seeing Deer. i have jumped several Doe on my way In and could not find them after that. I am hunting public land close to my house but I will lose that this year. the property is due to be clear cut in a few months. So, i will have to relocate my hunting spot. I know the preseason scouting is a must now more than ever. I have chosen some forest WMA land and the section I'm looking at is around 2800 acres I have that narrowed down to 3 100 acre plots that i plan on scouting. The issue is this, I really dont know what to look for. I was never taught how to hunt so I'm learning as I go. Making plenty of mistakes along the way. The 3 areas that I have chosen have major things in common. They have what looks like good transition lines changing from Pine to Hardwoods. They have small creeks running through them. 2 of them border fields on private land that is either planted with corn or soy bean and the third is in swampy land. The swamp land is more toward the center of the tract I have chosen and the other two have some easy access. The good news is i dont think I have to worry about too many other hunter in that spot because the total forest is about 300,000 acres. My plan is to scout those areas and look for as much sign as I can hope to find. If i come across any game trails
I plan on following them to see if the lead to food and water or any bedding. I know to also look for rubs and scraps and even licking branches. However this is all I know. Is there anything else I can do or look for? My hunting strategy is to find spots for morning and evening hunts. Hoping to set up where the Deer are either coming from food to bedding or bedding to food. Im hoping to find multiple spots to allow me to play the wind in my favor but also have some back up locations based on the wind. Am I even on the right track with all this? Like i said I have been trying to get as much info as I can and learn as i go. If you can help me with this it would be appreciated. Thanks in advance
 
It sounds like you are well on your way. Very good plans. Transition lines and pinch points are vital to assess. Identifying bedding areas too. Use maps to your advantage. I use HuntStand for my detailed planning. It will allow you to mark and store information that will benefit you in your hunt.
 
Following. I need all the help I can get too. The only other thing I could add (also being a novice) is to look at and consider terrain features. I’m trying to do this more than ever now. It’s mostly flat where I live and usually hunt, but I do find there tends to be more activity around what terrain features we do have around here. Even just a foot or two difference in elevation I can usually find sign, especially if there’s good cover in or around it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I’d read as many books on whitetail biology and habits as you can - non hunting focused.

I’d call the biologist responsible for deer management in the area you’re hunting and tell him you’re new, and are interested in learning about the deer’s feeding amd bedding habits in that area, and what time of year they rut.

I’d then pay whatever amount onX costs, and install the app on your phone.

I’d buy a compass.

Id go to the property without a weapon, in comfortable boots, and I’d walk every inch of it. If you encounter deer trails, turn the tracker on, and drop pins on droppings, rubs, scrapes, beds, deer you jump, other people’s hunting setups, etc. if you walk more than 2-3 miles on a property and don’t jump a deer, move on to next area. If you can walk without kneeling, crawling, ducking, or stepping over crap, you’re in too open of woods.

go find deer. Learn the lay of the land. When you jump deer, note forecasted wind direction, time of day, and the direction the wind is actually blowing where the deer are. Put it in the notes of the pin you drop.

Don’t get in a tree. Don’t get in a tree. Don’t get in a tree.

walk all over. Find Deer. You’ll know when you’ve found enough to make sense to start hunting them.
 
You are right to identify edges - whitetail are creatures of edge. Those are the places to start waking. Find trails that follow edges and intersect them. Map them with onX. Take every trail you find. It will be slow and annoying. Trust me - if you become successful in an area it wil be because you’ve done this type of work over multiple seasons anyway. Do it now.
 
I’d say you are on the right track.
There is a lot of good advice in here, I would add that listening to podcasts can be helpful. Truth from the stand, wired to hunt, the hunting public, just to name a few... take them with a grain of salt obviously but there is good general knowledge to be learned.
 
fbwguy said:
It sounds like you are well on your way. Very good plans. Transition lines and pinch points are vital to assess. Identifying bedding areas too. Use maps to your advantage. I use HuntStand for my detailed planning. It will allow you to mark and store information that will benefit you in your hunt.
Click to expand...

FbwGuy, I have Huntstand and OnX hunt both on my phone. I am in the middle of looking at where I plan on scouting in the next few weeks on bing maps now so I can further narrow down where I want to start first
 
CooterBrown said:
Don't overlook clear cuts they can be great areas to hunt.
Click to expand...

Cooter, I figured as much. when I drove by another WMA that was clear cut at the beginning of 2020 I saw a few hunters parked there. It's a very small tract of land only about 200 acres and thought that there was too many hunting it at the time. but I will be watching it for this coming season
 
When listening to other people’s advice, take what applies, leave what doesn’t. Most people think their deer are just like everybody else’s so what works in their locality will also work for yours. It does not. I wasted years trying to learn how to hunt giant Midwest ag country whitetails in southwest Alabama pine forrests.
 
Tr33_n1nj@ said:
When listening to other people’s advice, take what applies, leave what doesn’t. Most people think their deer are just like everybody else’s so what works in their locality will also work for yours. It does not. I wasted years trying to learn how to hunt giant Midwest ag country whitetails in southwest Alabama pine forrests.
Click to expand...
Excellent Point! Demographics play an important part of preparation and execution
 
Westdesign03 said:
Following. I need all the help I can get too. The only other thing I could add (also being a novice) is to look at and consider terrain features. I’m trying to do this more than ever now. It’s mostly flat where I live and usually hunt, but I do find there tends to be more activity around what terrain features we do have around here. Even just a foot or two difference in elevation I can usually find sign, especially if there’s good cover in or around it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

West, feel free to follow and learn with me as well. you're right, from what I can tell terrain features make a big difference. Especially when it comes to bedding and traveling.
 
Do you know anyone near you that could help mentor you? Sounds like your doing a lot of things right, but some hands on can pay big dividends from someone who has already had success.
 
kyler1945 said:
I’d read as many books on whitetail biology and habits as you can - non hunting focused.

I’d call the biologist responsible for deer management in the area you’re hunting and tell him you’re new, and are interested in learning about the deer’s feeding amd bedding habits in that area, and what time of year they rut.

I’d then pay whatever amount onX costs, and install the app on your phone.

I’d buy a compass.

Id go to the property without a weapon, in comfortable boots, and I’d walk every inch of it. If you encounter deer trails, turn the tracker on, and drop pins on droppings, rubs, scrapes, beds, deer you jump, other people’s hunting setups, etc. if you walk more than 2-3 miles on a property and don’t jump a deer, move on to next area. If you can walk without kneeling, crawling, ducking, or stepping over crap, you’re in too open of woods.

go find deer. Learn the lay of the land. When you jump deer, note forecasted wind direction, time of day, and the direction the wind is actually blowing where the deer are. Put it in the notes of the pin you drop.

Don’t get in a tree. Don’t get in a tree. Don’t get in a tree.

walk all over. Find Deer. You’ll know when you’ve found enough to make sense to start hunting them.
Click to expand...

Kyler, I agree and I am reading everything I can find. I'm even on our DNR website. They have info about Deer habits for our area on there. They even have Deer density info foe each game zone and county. I have both Hunt stand and On x hunt on my phone so what you suggested is exactly the plan of action i have chosen. that way i can find and mark. that way i can study it at home in detail and make a plan of action
 
Chimney7 said:
I’d say you are on the right track.
There is a lot of good advice in here, I would add that listening to podcasts can be helpful. Truth from the stand, wired to hunt, the hunting public, just to name a few... take them with a grain of salt obviously but there is good general knowledge to be learned.
Click to expand...

Chimmey, I keep up with the hunting public a lot. the others i will be sure to check out
 
Schemeecho said:
Im in South Carolina
Click to expand...
There are peeps on this forum in your area, maybe closer than u may think, and I'm sure they may be able to help u out.... Swamp and creeks are where id start my scouting trips....use the water to help walk quiet through the woods and keep ground scent to a minimum and crossing points are easy to find
 
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