Last year's rubs and scrapes may provide you with intel for this year, it may not. That sign could have been left during the Rut from a buck that does not home range on the property you are hunting. It could have been left by a buck that is no longer alive. Crop rotations and acorn crops will change how bucks use the property on a yearly basis. It is best to note the sign from years past but start each season fresh. That is especilly true until you have history with particular bucks where you can make informed decisions based on observations of what they did in years past with what ever variables you are dealing with during that seasons crop rotations and acorn production.
That makes sense. So basically Im going to be doing a lot of observation sitting this year.. Would it be smart in your eyes to do some pre season observation sits in the stands i have put up already? just curious as i have been given this suggestion....
No. Not at all. Only way I would say this is ok is if you hung a stand by the field you want to watch as far away from the areas the deer are using as possible with the understanding that you cannot sit upwind from where the deer are bedding or feeding. Really it is best to stay as far away as possible.
Hunt beds if you want a big buck during daylight early season. If its a high pressure place like public (especially in Ohio) they don't move a lot during day light so forget field edges and scrapes along fields. If you get into pre rut, mornings are good because they will bed down then scent check for does going into heat that came by earlier a couple hours after day light.
Got it. Well my whole outlook on scouting this year has changed drastically. I've been trying to get into the woods as much as possible to pin point where I should be hunting this fall. I understood I should be done by mid august. But now I'm feeling like I could be pushing bucks away now and that could lead to them not even being around in the fall...
Definitely. Just was trying to figure out where's bedding... where the travel routes... but I guess I'll have to figure that out from looking at bing maps or something. And adjusting to where the deer are moving come season
