Get out there and scout thread

[Root]

Post up your scouting adventures.



I found a bunch more bedding, mostly does.

Finally at the end of the day found a 4 knuckle track coming out of a small pocket of brush, found two beds for different winds.


Finally found a secluded oak tree. Around my hunting grounds oaks are very rare. Hopefully the snow stays away and I get a chance to venture out more before the spring business rush.

 

[IkemanTX]

What is all that white stuff....?

I bet it helps some with scouting!

I was just lamenting the other day that we don’t stay cold enough for sign to accumulate through the winter. I would love for some snow or freezing weather to let droppings and hair accumulate in bedding areas before they just break down into nothing.

Our temps are so mild in the winter (and we are typically wet) droppings and hair don’t last much more than a week before breaking down to nothing. It makes bedding areas really subtle to find.

In fact, right now is a terrible time to find bedding down here. All the leaves just dropped on top of everything.

I’m just waiting on late January and February for scouting prime time!


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[denots]

What is all that white stuff....?

I bet it helps some with scouting!

I was just lamenting the other day that we don’t stay cold enough for sign to accumulate through the winter. I would love for some snow or freezing weather to let droppings and hair accumulate in bedding areas before they just break down into nothing.

Our temps are so mild in the winter (and we are typically wet) droppings and hair don’t last much more than a week before breaking down to nothing. It makes bedding areas really subtle to find.

In fact, right now is a terrible time to find bedding down here. All the leaves just dropped on top of everything.

I’m just waiting on late January and February for scouting prime time!


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We still have a few Oaks that haven't finished dropping in my area. And it has been one hell of a wet winter.

 

[Kurt]

I'm waiting for the muzzle loader to end, next week-end, before I go out and scout.

 

[Root]

A thin layer of snow is great for scouting. If it starts drifting or getting deep their use of the property can drastically change.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

The deer here move out of the hardwoods and into wintering yards once the snow starts accumulating. Post season scouting for me coincides with turkey season and mushroom hunting in the end of April. Right after the snow melts is the best time to scout here. The deer trails and travel routes are really visible after the snow collapses all the vegatation. I find myself spending as much time scouting for deer as I do actually turkey hunting.

 

[Root]

Went out with my 5 year old scouting around. He got on some fox tracks, which got us onto rabbit tracks. That led to him tracking himself so he could show me his "running tracks." We spent the rest of the time breaking sticks and watching them float down a stream.

 

[redsquirrel]

Went out with my 5 year old scouting around. He got on some fox tracks, which got us onto rabbit tracks. That led to him tracking himself so he could show me his "running tracks." We spent the rest of the time breaking sticks and watching them float down a stream.

I had my 3 year old out for her first trip off the trail last week. It was fun. She got to see a big buck rub and we found bear poop. She was looking for bears while I was looking for deer so I thought finding bear poop was a pretty good find. Its funny how quick she can be at times and then when we got off the trail her little legs really slowed us down lol.

 

[Chistavocat]

Went out for a scout/hunt on Saturday at a new to me spot. Left the parking area and walked down the road to the boundary. This kept me from having to cross the fast moving and deep creek. To my surprise the foot traffic/hunter sign petered out after only a short distance as the brush became hard to traverse. The property border went to the right leading down a hill to a huge open field (private land). I immediately spotted a buck a couple hundred yards away. I brought up the binos and realized he was a mega giant, super wide, tall and with a huge body. I sat and watched him for 20 min as he worked across the field, up a hill and disappeared into the pines I assume he beds in. I was fairly confident he came out of the public, I’m just not sure why he was there, does, the only open water in the creek, or was he bedded there and moved because the wind switched 180*. (The wind switch was another factor in me entering this side of the property first). I stayed inside the field edge looking for a set of big tracks to determine where he was coming from but never found a distinctive set I could call his. Scouted all day, slowly, and found some good spots and returned to the field edge for the last couple of hours. I may have bumped some does about 30 yds from the field edge as I found some fresh beds (it snowed lightly all day). The buck never entered the field before dark, but 19 other deer appeared an hour before dark. I almost got a shot at 2 that came off the field straight at me but it was just too thick on the ground.


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[drew13]

Great idea. Always good to have a reminder that post-season scouting helps make or break next years season!

Found a new public conservation property near my work. Been out to it 3 times now and found good trails, rubs, funnels, doe bedding and sign. Haven’t found the buck bedding yet but I’m still looking. Transition lines are subtle (hard to tell on aerial photos) and its pretty flat for this area so buck bed locations are not obvious to me (plus I am still not great at finding buck beds around here). Still looking! I love being out in the woods trying to figure it all out....

 

[Vthntr]

Went out today with my 5 year old. This is a new piece of public ground never been on it. He honestly walks in the woods better than most 15 year olds. We saw A ton of sign in this new area and covered about 2.5 -3 miles in really steep ground. Was pretty happy with the afternoon.

 

[Root]

I'm hopeful the weather holds out for the coming weekend. It's finally time to start scouting out some new to me public ground.

 

[OakFlats273]

One area I hunt, the bucks are already starting to shed from what I’ve heard three buddies saying. I haven’t seen that yet, but it is super early for my area. The other area I hunt, we still have a little time left before hey drop. Our season doesn’t end til Feb 28, but between now and end of Jan they will start to drop. So mid to late Jan I’ll begin taking care of some tree rats and doing some scouting.

 

[OakFlats273]

Great idea. Always good to have a reminder that post-season scouting helps make or break next years season!

Found a new public conservation property near my work. Been out to it 3 times now and found good trails, rubs, funnels, doe bedding and sign. Haven’t found the buck bedding yet but I’m still looking. Transition lines are subtle (hard to tell on aerial photos) and its pretty flat for this area so buck bed locations are not obvious to me (plus I am still not great at finding buck beds around here). Still looking! I love being out in the woods trying to figure it all out....

I got into aerial scouting this season! Super beneficial!

 

[Transition]

I have been out a few times this year scouting on public land. Going to try saddle hunting next season and just got a newer bow.
It's been many years since I've been serious about getting out in the woods. I'm finding a lot of great information out there and this forum has a ton. Thank you all!

 

[Vthntr]

Got out Friday after work and hung some cams. Hoping to see a buck still holding but honestly I’m leaving them until later this summer and I’ll check em when it’s 80 degrees and not -10.

 

[Bogle]

Scouted this past Sunday. You guys are scouting in snow and I was waste deep in water down here.

 

[kmleach]

Found a good one a few weekends ago, I’m 6’2” and wear a size 12 boot, the top of the vertical rub was at the top of my chest. The horizontal rub was one I found the last week of December during late season, the mature bucks seem to really like to bed against a blow downs in my favorite swamp here in Michigan. There were two of these about 30yards apart facing opposite directions.

 

[rakbowhunter]

Did some scouting of an area 600 yds south of were I hunted this past season. Found tons of rubs. This one being less than 50 yds from the shed i found. Have to say I'm excited for fall!