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Summertime scouting.

Lukeraw7

Lukeraw7

New Member
Joined
May 27, 2020
Messages
32
Was wondering if anyone ever climbs a tree in the summer time to watch deer in cuts or big fields. Where I hunt you aren’t supposed to run cameras and trying to stay by the book I’m thinking this is the only way to get inventory around where I want to hunt.


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Never actually climbed a tree but definitely will walk out to a field at dusk just to glass. That's pretty fun. All the deer just come out of the woodworks in the summer cuz there's no pressure. Is it state or public land that won't allow cams? I'd call the warden and just be straight up with him and ask permission to run some. Usually they are really cool if you take the time to call. They will usually give you some good info on where deer like to hang out too.
 
philsanchez76 said:
Never actually climbed a tree but definitely will walk out to a field at dusk just to glass. That's pretty fun. All the deer just come out of the woodworks in the summer cuz there's no pressure. Is it state or public land that won't allow cams? I'd call the warden and just be straight up with him and ask permission to run some. Usually they are really cool if you take the time to call. They will usually give you some good info on where deer like to hang out too.
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The game warden was actually the one to tell me. There’s a lot of rules about leaving stands and marking trails. It’s a really good place to hunt after rifle season starts. Usually the first week or 2 it gets hammered but 95% of the people hunt the bit timber stands. No ever gets off in the small pines and swamps and that’s what I’m looking to scout.


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Lukeraw7 said:
The game warden was actually the one to tell me. There’s a lot of rules about leaving stands and marking trails. It’s a really good place to hunt after rifle season starts. Usually the first week or 2 it gets hammered but 95% of the people hunt the bit timber stands. No ever gets off in the small pines and swamps and that’s what I’m looking to scout.


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Gotcha. That's a bummer you can't use cams. Then yeah I'd say your observations sits would be very valuable. I think you could probably learn more about what deer are in an area and especially how they are using it with an observation sit. Just make sure to bring your thermocell!!
 
No doubt I was really just curious to see if anyone else did anything like that or if I’m the only one who would enjoy watching deer in summer. It’s just really flat ground with no topography at all. So really my only option is to climb way up to get a good vantage point


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I go out and sit with a spotting scope in the summer when they are feeding quite often to take inventory. I will also do this in season as well especially on some of the smaller parcels I hunt. I will do this from observation stands or the truck to get intel before I go in for the kill (as these pieces are are super easy to over pressure). I'd say go for it. Trail cams are awesome tools but unless you have unlimited funds you won't catch everything and I have found boots on the ground intel to be at least as or even more actionable to help my hunting than trail cam intel.
 
I usually scout hard in the spring but spend very little time in the woods after green up before opening day.
 
Why not, get your climbing practice in and scouting all at one time. Observation sits. Kind of early I wait until the end of July or so to start to see what their head gear looks like.
 
woodsdog2 said:
Why not, get your climbing practice in and scouting all at one time. Observation sits. Kind of early I wait until the end of July or so to start to see what their head gear looks like.
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I agree, end of July through August. Its fun to watch them in bachelor groups if you can find them. It can tell you if there is a good one in the area, but things change fast once season gets closer and its pretty hard to translate their patterns etc
 
You might burn up or burn out 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico scouting in the summer. I scouted up here in the north Alabama last sunmer and it sucked eggs.
 
I work for myself, and have almost zero time to scout in the spring or summer, on the flip side I refuse to work a single day of deer season hence why being 100% mobile is crucial to how I hunt which is mostly public, I think anytime you can scout is a plus, in my situation I scout as I hunt and cover a lot of country in the search of big fresh buck sign, the more spots like this the better. The only drawback to spring scouting is if your new target animal is dead from the previous season, it does happen, just something to keep in mind. If I do any scouting at all before season it’s usually from my truck, glassing before dark or locating new access points and parking spots.
 
I try to get out and climb a tree and sit for a few hours at least once a month during the off season. It's a great time to check out new spots without the hunting pressure of others or the pressure we put on ourselves to pick the "right" spot. It's a great way to keep tabs on doe populations and simply enjoy nature.
 
Lukeraw7 said:
Was wondering if anyone ever climbs a tree in the summer time to watch deer in cuts or big fields. Where I hunt you aren’t supposed to run cameras and trying to stay by the book I’m thinking this is the only way to get inventory around where I want to hunt.


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I set my preseason paracord loops for trees that I plan to hunt, during July or early august about a month before bow season down here. When I set my loops I usually go ahead and climb the tree to figure out my best height, blind spots, shooting lanes, and any branches that might be in the way. I don’t do it to find bucks necessarily the way a trail camera would, but it never hurts to climb the tree and get familiar with your shooting options and wildlife sign in that area
 
gcr0003 said:
You might burn up or burn out 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico scouting in the summer. I scouted up here in the north Alabama last sunmer and it sucked eggs.
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I’m in Florida. The heat sucks and the bugs will carry you away but I still prefer to preseason scout since we usually still have hot weather and green leaves for all bow season and most of general gun season
 
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