Another day of scouting for deer beds...

Well this was my fourth scouting trip within the last week and a half. I walked a good 4-5 miles today and found some awesome sign. I just told myself I would hit all the south facing slopes. I walked a good 500-600 yards before I found my first scrape. Then I found a deer bed about 200 yards from that scrape. I still doubted myself as to wether it was actually a bed. Then I followed the rustled up leaves out of the thicker cover and began to run into mega sign for the next 3-4 hours. I stayed on the top/top 1/3rd of the the hills as they ran down into a large creek. I must have found 5-6 large scrapes and tons of rubs, some of which were huge. Some of the scrapes had deer crap in them and it was still fresh, more than likely less than a day or two old.

I jumped some deer and turkey as well. After I download my gps I will label where I found the buck/deer sign. I will label it on a topo map. I am hoping you can guys can teach me some stuff, and also hoping you can learn from it as well. It is not like I am teaching you anything, the map will! I just supplied the legwork and knee pain.

BED (objects are larger than they appear--thats what she said)



HIS/HER VIEW FROM THE BED



RUBS





SCRAPES





SOME SCENERY

 

Looks like a great area of land...Looking forward to the map.

 

Am I alone....or do some of you wonder if maybe where a deer is bedding NOW....and where he (if indeed we're talking only bucks) beds during other times of the year...."could" be quite different?

I know for here......where a deer is bedding during the year is not so cut and dried. It changes with food source.

I've caught flack for it in the past. But, "bedding area" (to me) is a really broad "area". I'm talking 30-50 acres or more.

 

You are not alone Jeff. I am just happy to find a bed! But with all of the other factors involved I believe my "find" today in terms of buck sign is great. 3/4th's to over 1 1/2 miles away from any road. Rough/thick terrain making it tough to get into without making a good deal of noise unless one has scouted the area. Good things for me come Fall on public ground.

 

Good job VS. You don't seem to be as bad of bed hunter as you thought.

Great pics. The learning must be quite fun and exciting.

 

Looks like you are having a great time and locating some potential spots for next season

 

I just got back from doing the same thing myself, but due to the way the hills are on the land I hunt I had to stick to the North west slopes and walked around the same heights as you did. I was able to find at least 10 different beds, and close to fifteen or twenty rubs. I found one really good buck area with three beds and 6 scrapes, all at the base of little spruce trees in a area no bigger than 30sq yards. I can't wait to set up my trail cam in that area and keep a eye on it for next year.

Congrats on your findings, that looks like some really nice hunting land.

 

Brett, are you going to do any turkey hunting?

I got a red dot for the crossbow I got for my son, 03 April is the youth turkey day and he told me tonight he wants to hunt...

If you find some birds, maybe you can send me the lat/longs?

 

Sean, I jumped many turkey today. I marked down the lat/long coordinates and will send you them on PM. I found many hillsides where the turkey tore up the ground in search for acorns.

 

Now there you go Brett thats a GREAT start for some off season scouting. sometimes it does not come easy and takes alot of leg work before you start finding sign like that. That looks very promising!! Your already seeing this is the best time to scout bar none, as your seeing all the leftover semi fresh sign from the season. If anything, if those beds change the activity will liky continue in that area as for the rubs and scrapes next season. just try and figure if you need to stay out until maby Nov until it heats up there. The more you learn that land the smaller it will seem, and makes it easier to put those puzzle pieces together in figuring a game plan I hope you find the holy grail, and if you do, you put in the work and earned it ps: the scenery there is beautiful

 

Thanks Blood! My life is busy as heck all year. The more scouting I can get done prior to the season the better. I can't wait for the season to begin! After I analyze all the sign I will develop a game plan for each hunt based on the wind and time of the year. That is all I can do to tip the odds.

 

funny, looking at the roads and the terrain, I think I have an idea where you were today...might be on crack, but pretty sure

 

Sean, although I like to keep my spots a secret, I have NO problem if you know where I was today. I wish you and your son much success.

 

oh, no worries about that...and totally understand marking out the lat/long info!

I do want to get out scouting with you!

 

Hey, let's not forget another Stafford brother from another mother!

 

I also have been doing some scouting and have found several beds and scrapes on the South ends of ridges, where the ridge started to go down into a draw/valley. Standing by them I could completely understand why they were there. The deer coule see to the South, West and East and smell/hear anything coming from the North on the ridge. There was multiple escape routes. Now I don't know if the South side is any better during the rest of the year. I know that the South slopes are warmer, but the ends of ridges seems to be likely bedding areas no matter what direction they are facing.

 

do you turkey hunt?

gotta learn that this year also...hoping to do better then I did with deer my first year

at this rate, my son will kill a deer and a turkey before I do...which is awesome!

 

I do turkey hunt. I hunt everything legal at one time or another, when I can.
Turkey is tough with a bow but I try every year. I started using a blind last year.

 

Congrats on the find VS! Looks like you have found a spot that was/has been frequented quite a bit during the seaon.

Scouting is a Blast! Hopefully you will find some sheds too.

Dan

 

Good job man. The more trekking and finding you do the easier it will get to put all those pieces together. When you only go to the areas you hunt on a property and want to figure out the deer (especially mature bucks) it's like trying to put together a puzzle with most of the pieces missing. Once you see all the different areas, even the ones not being used by the deer, it all starts to make more sense.

It's like if you've ever been waiting for someone at their house. When you first get there everything seems random, but as you take it all in with time you start to learn things about that person without them even being with you.

Good call on the GPS too. I don't own one, but with what you said about marking waypoints and then adding them to your maps it looks like I'll be getting one soon.:D