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Pre-season Blues, Coming in to the Season with no confidence.

LarkHarrison243

LarkHarrison243

Active Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
142
I feel like I have no chance of even seeing a deer this year. I spent all summer preparing my gear that I neglected scouting. Is there any way to recover from this?
 
I scouted once in the spring and that was it. I think I will see deer to shoot but probably not a buck. That's OK, I can eat doe.
Do you have an area where you hunted last year and saw deer? That's where I'm going. In the thick stuff, at first.
 
I wouldn't worry....if u have truly been practicing all off season with ur gear then u should be quiet setting up....better to go in blind and be stealth then know where u going and making too much racket setting up....like the others said...saddlers got the leg up on the others because of our mobility. I strike out fresh on almost every hunt I go on. Strike out and find the action
 
In trapping we always say... "Set the sign!" Same principle here, "Set up on the sign!"
 
I’m going to hunt a piece of public that I set foot on twice last year while hunting pheasants. I’ve looked at google earth and picked a couple spots based on terrain (took 45 minutes). First time I go in will be with my saddle and bow. I’m really looking forward to seeing if I can be successful (or get close) just desktop scouting. As an added bonus it will leave my historically good spots free of pressure till late October. Enjoy the ride. It’s not too late and having the right gear you have the ability to adjust and succeed.
 
For public land, squeeze in as much e-scouting as you can, and find spots that look good, then go spend a hunt on them. Look for areas with multiple habitat types (marsh, hardwoods, pine thickets, CRP fields, crops, creek bottoms, etc.) coming together, and focus in on areas you can access stealthily while avoiding as much pressure from other hunters as you can.
For private land, spend an afternoon scouting instead of hunting (or even just still-hunt your way through a good area), and then identify good spots for future hunts. Or, go back to "old faithful" when the wind is right and see what comes of it.
Worst case scenario, you strike out this season and learn a lot about where NOT to hunt next year!
 
Don't sweat it. You putting time into getting your system together is just as important as scouting.

It's hard when all you hear from the experts is that you have to know the exact tree you want to hunt 9 month in advance. But the reality is the vast majority of us aren't doing this for a living, but as an escape from reality.

I've lost track of the amount of plans I ditched the second I walked into the woods. Just enjoy the hunt for what it is and find some sign. I'm sure as soon as you see the first hint of deer activity you're gonna forget all about the lack of time spent scouting.
 
LarkHarrison243 said:
at what point do you deem it huntable? If i see one fresh set of tracks would that be enough in your opinion?
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This time of year Im looking for travel routes from bedding to food. Fresh tracks are good but tough to tell if made during day or night. Bucks aren't traveling far this time of year. Don't be afraid to scoot in on potential bedding with fresh tracks. If you bump some deer that's ok. I've watched a doe snort because of a squirrel.

Don't get close minded with a saddle either. If you are on a good trail, hunkering down on the ground ain't a bad idea either. Just make sure you can shoot the last scent you left on that trail because the deer will stop to smell it.

Bumping deer isn't bad. Sure the hunt might be compromised (or it might not be) but you've learned something about that bedding area that you can use in the future.
 
Letemgrowitllshow said:
This time of year Im looking for travel routes from bedding to food. Fresh tracks are good but tough to tell if made during day or night. Bucks aren't traveling far this time of year. Don't be afraid to scoot in on potential bedding with fresh tracks. If you bump some deer that's ok. I've watched a doe snort because of a squirrel.

Don't get close minded with a saddle either. If you are on a good trail, hunkering down on the ground ain't a bad idea either. Just make sure you can shoot the last scent you left on that trail because the deer will stop to smell it.

Bumping deer isn't bad. Sure the hunt might be compromised (or it might not be) but you've learned something about that bedding area that you can use in the future.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm doing wrong. I am on a travel route but not a bedding area.
 
2 years ago my son and I spent the first month and a half of season going in completely blind. We had spots scouted but, we decided that just for fun we would Escout a new spot, pick out some good transitions/edges, hike in and set up. We had a blast and saw deer almost every sit, with the added benefit that we picked up a few new spots that we still hunt today.

So just go hunt. Set up on a spot that has good sign, a spot you pick out on an aerial, or even set up just because you've got a "feeling". When doing this the most important thing is to enjoy the time in the tree and take the opportunity to learn something new.
 
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