What I have found that works best for me is… Getting a good inventory of the bucks running the property via trail cams. Long distance scouting during late summer to find out where the bucks I have gotten on camera are feeding. Once I find these trails entering the AG fields I follow them to find core safety zones that the bucks hang out in. I will make a note in my log book of where these spots are, and what the best setup would be for different winds. Next I find several entry points into the area that allows me to get to the spot without busting any deer on a given wind. Once these spots are logged I never go back into them until it time to hunt. I like to zero in on trails leading to the dinner table for early season hunts. I figure once the rut kicks in big bucks could be anywhere and it’s time to hunt doe groups. I've never been good at patterning bucks in November! What works for you?
Pre & mid-season scouting Trailcams Time More time Then some more time. It's impossible to glass and there's no AG here. Patience is a virtue for the big woods hunter.
I do most of my scouting in spring before green up. I look for both buck bedding and last year's rut sign. When I find bedding I will stop and take time to figure out why bucks bed there and what wind directions would give a buck an advantage in that spot. Then I find a tree that I can set-up in and prep it if I need to. With rut sign, I'll just make mental notes and have and get an idea of where I can set-up during next year's rut on different wind directions. Once I scout an area, I don't come back until it's time to hunt. In summer I will just glass fields from the road to get an idea of what bucks are in the area. I use trail cams but haven't had much luck killing bucks that I get on cam. I put them in low impact spots and only check them once a month. This year I am going to hang a few closer to bedding and leave them out all season. After the season I will pull them and use any intel for next season. How do you guys use trail cams in your hunting?
I tend to stay away from bedding areas... Early season I set up on mineral sites just outside of bedding areas and during the summer focus my attention on the food.
water water water water water...........yep I like hunting around water. Deer will always need water and it is harder to find the food.
I keep does around and hunt the rut hard. I'm pretty new at this but it has worked for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Fre
I like to use past sightings and trail cam pics if possible. If a buck is more than a couple seasons old and you have history with him then use it to your advantage. I constantly go back to old trail cam pics to see if I can pick out any habits and check dates and conditions so I can be ready if the conditions come up again. I think a lot of people would be surprised how consistent some bucks are from year to year. Also know how the deer use certain pieces of the property for certain winds. Bucks are very good at this.
Print off the best picture of each deer you have on camera and put them in a binder. On the back of the picture, write down all the times you see that deer on camera and make a deer log. I sit in stand before season and film so that's another good way if you don't mind being in your hunting spot before season.
