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Need some scouting advice

Any book recommendations?
Food preferences are often mentioned in books, but it just ain't that simple. Certain things grow in certain areas, and are only available at certain times and may (or may not) be preferred by the local herd. 2 examples are brassica and pokeweed. Some herds love brassica and others won't touch it. My deer hammer pokeweed. It's naturally occurs and I promote it's growth when I see it. There are dozens of examples of different herds preferring different foods.
Learning observation skills are better than just reading in a book that deer like to eat "X". Learn to recognize what deer browsing looks like as opposed to some other critters. Deer have no upper front teeth, therefore when they bite off a bud, the end of the twig will have a rough, ragged end. Rabbits, groundhogs, etc leave a clean bite on the twig almost like it was cut with pruners.
Also learn to see browse lines. A browse line is a visible change in growth that starts at around 5 to 6 feet off the ground. Everything below that line gets eaten and everything above it is out of the deer's reach and so the vegetation remains. BTW, a well defined browse line is often a sign of too many deer for the available food supply.
Examine deer poop. Poop from deer that are eating woody browse tends to be loose pellets and poop from deer eating more palatable vegetation tends to be softer and stickier.
These are some very basic things to look for, there is no secret to that stuff. But for a novice, these things may not be so obvious.

My point...Books are great, read, absorb and apply everything you read. But if you don't learn observation which can take years to learn, all the books in the world aren't gonna help you roll with the things you encounter.
 
Food preferences are often mentioned in books, but it just ain't that simple. Certain things grow in certain areas, and are only available at certain times and may (or may not) be preferred by the local herd. 2 examples are brassica and pokeweed. Some herds love brassica and others won't touch it. My deer hammer pokeweed. It's naturally occurs and I promote it's growth when I see it. There are dozens of examples of different herds preferring different foods.
Learning observation skills are better than just reading in a book that deer like to eat "X". Learn to recognize what deer browsing looks like as opposed to some other critters. Deer have no upper front teeth, therefore when they bite off a bud, the end of the twig will have a rough, ragged end. Rabbits, groundhogs, etc leave a clean bite on the twig almost like it was cut with pruners.
Also learn to see browse lines. A browse line is a visible change in growth that starts at around 5 to 6 feet off the ground. Everything below that line gets eaten and everything above it is out of the deer's reach and so the vegetation remains. BTW, a well defined browse line is often a sign of too many deer for the available food supply.
Examine deer poop. Poop from deer that are eating woody browse tends to be loose pellets and poop from deer eating more palatable vegetation tends to be softer and stickier.
These are some very basic things to look for, there is no secret to that stuff. But for a novice, these things may not be so obvious.

My point...Books are great, read, absorb and apply everything you read. But if you don't learn observation which can take years to learn, all the books in the world aren't gonna help you roll with the things you encounter.

Great feedback - thanks. And what on earth is CRP?
 
Great feedback - thanks. And what on earth is CRP?
Conservation Reserve Program. It was 1st started back in the 1930s (?) after the dust bowl days to preserve top soil from erosion.
It's a contract with the feds to not farm every acre and plant it in a variety of grasses. After the contract expires, the ground is then rotated into crops.
Deer love CRP for bedding and cover. I've seen deer movement occurring more in the CRP than what is happening in the "woods".
 
Food preferences are often mentioned in books, but it just ain't that simple. Certain things grow in certain areas, and are only available at certain times and may (or may not) be preferred by the local herd. 2 examples are brassica and pokeweed. Some herds love brassica and others won't touch it. My deer hammer pokeweed. It's naturally occurs and I promote it's growth when I see it. There are dozens of examples of different herds preferring different foods.
Learning observation skills are better than just reading in a book that deer like to eat "X". Learn to recognize what deer browsing looks like as opposed to some other critters. Deer have no upper front teeth, therefore when they bite off a bud, the end of the twig will have a rough, ragged end. Rabbits, groundhogs, etc leave a clean bite on the twig almost like it was cut with pruners.
Also learn to see browse lines. A browse line is a visible change in growth that starts at around 5 to 6 feet off the ground. Everything below that line gets eaten and everything above it is out of the deer's reach and so the vegetation remains. BTW, a well defined browse line is often a sign of too many deer for the available food supply.
Examine deer poop. Poop from deer that are eating woody browse tends to be loose pellets and poop from deer eating more palatable vegetation tends to be softer and stickier.
These are some very basic things to look for, there is no secret to that stuff. But for a novice, these things may not be so obvious.

My point...Books are great, read, absorb and apply everything you read. But if you don't learn observation which can take years to learn, all the books in the world aren't gonna help you roll with the things you encounter.
This is great advice. Books will help you know what they like to eat, generally. Field guides will help you identify the plants, but scouting will help you find what they are eating at the time your scouting. If it's summer and their on summer browse go find and ID the plants you found that were browsed. Summer is a good time for field guides because a lot of identification can require bud formation, leaf types, and flower structure. Winter tree finder guides focus more on bark and overwintering structure, twig pith, and overall tree shape. It's definitely easier in the summer.
 
I got mapping whitetails it seems like it could help folks learning

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If you really want to be a good deer hunter, you'll need to learn how to pay attention to stuff that doesn't even apply to deer. Being observant is a mindset. Its a skill in of itself.
Once you start to see things that you've never noticed before, the things that have been right there right in front of you that you never noticed, then you are on the right track.
Learning plant identification is an important piece of the puzzle, but there is so much more to it than being able to tell the difference between a red oak and a white oak.
In my opinion, these little details are what makes whitetail hunting really interesting.

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I agree with Tom, being an effective hunter is so much more than tree and bush ID. I have guys who went through the same Natural Resources classes and can identify almost anything in the woods but they suck at killing stuff. I notice for myself that in the beginning of the season I need to knock off some of the off season rust as it pertains to awareness in the woods. Once I get some sits in I feel like I become a much more dangerous a predator. Hunting is a mindset/awareness, and an accumulation of experience. Some of the things I have the ability to "see" , or things I know in the woods I wouldn't even know how to explain, at this point it just is. I am talking about 40 years of hunting and killing whitetails. My best advise for someone new would be to learn as much as possible about everything and hunt as much as possible. There is no failure in the deer woods, just additions to the library.
 
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A lot of learning in someone's initial hunting endeavors comes from just getting out and trying things. Trail cams are a tool but they aren't your primary tool. When you actually hunt near one of your cameras you can see how often deer can pass near your camera without showing up in a picture. Also, if you were to hunt near that cam, you may see that the primary travel corridor is just a few dozen yards away. I would consider doing an 'observation sit' or two before fully giving up on an area if you think it looks good.
 
You have already gotten a lot of good advice. As someone who hunts public in the same state you do, just keep grinding. There's always going to be a new spot to go if something gets messed up where you are. Spook them, or kill them. That's my motto. Who cares if you see a deer at 80 yards? I care about deer in my truck. The hunting beast DVD's are worth far more than they cost in my opinion. And the cameras aren't really my thing. If I was looking for a buck of a specific score then I would use them, otherwise, I'm not too interested.
 
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