Hey guys, I am in desperate need of some scouting tips and how one would be efficient at scouting and so that come opening day I might actually take a deer. Take note I do not have a lot of money for a lot of scouting equipment such as Trail cams, Etc. If anyone has any tips that would help me efficiently scout and find hot deer trails with out a lot of high tech gear that would be great.
Start at food, whether that is a crop field or acorns. Deer like White oak acorns the best. once you find the food, follow any trails away from it toward their bed. when you start getting into thick cover turn around and find a tree to hunt the trail with the best wind direction in mind. I do this or walk down dirt roads on the public land until I see tracks that cross the road. I mark down where these are and every time I go back after several weeks or a rain I find new tracks. If any tracks are in the same trail I know that deer use that trail more often and I find a tree down the trail that is easy to get to without deer knowing I'm there. Good luck.
So just look for the food source. Then look for game trails or a trail that leads out and follow it till you find something that could be a bed then look for signs then look for cover to hide in on the trail or a good tree then place your stand their and wallah???
food sources are huge, also look for sources of water (swamps, streams, ponds, lakes, etc.). Look for deer trails that intersect, or heavy highways with lots of deer tracks and droppings. understanding where they bed is also important (thick brush) but try to avoid spending time in those areas, your scent could bump them from that area. The key to good scouting, at least for the sake of bagging a buck, is to be efficient. spending time in the woods is a good thing, but don't spend too much time there. pick a spot about 10-20 yards off a trail, and dont come back until youre ready to hunt. if you're using a ladder stand or hang-on stand, get it up as soon as you've picked your tree. make sure you're quiet and leave the least amount of disturbance in the woods as possible
Agree, look for deer sign first.. Try to follow them until you see deer droppings.. I would rather find droppings than tracks.. Look for thick areas with trails running into them.. Food and water are a must for deer, so if you can find where there are tracks near food or water and cover near by, then you found a place to set up..
A heavy trail, looks like a cattle trail in a pasture, but in the woods and alot smaller.. I find many of them in the woods where doe's travel.. Watch them take the same path in and out of the woods... Look for deer tracks in the trails.. It will help you learn..
Best advice I ever got was from an old guy that I hunted with some 25 years ago now .... He said, "Walk slow--- look long--- and think like your prey!" when I asked what that meant he said... "Early season --- If you are a deer--- where would you want to take a nap that provided you the most saftey, and where is it in relation to the fridge when get up and are hungry? Rut-- where are the girls??? Thats where you want to be! Post Rut-- The fridge is the main interest again, and a bed that is close by that is safe." so --- Walk slow--- look long--- and think like your prey!"
Deer trail http://naturalsciences.org/sites/default/files/files/deer_trail.jpg Deer rub http://naturalsciences.org/sites/default/files/files/rub.jpg Deer track http://naturalsciences.org/sites/default/files/files/deer_track.jpg Deer Poop http://naturalsciences.org/sites/default/files/files/deer_scat.jpg Deer http://naturalsciences.org/sites/default/files/files/doe.jpg
Ohh I see the deer trail its like if you look straight into the woods in a brushed area and you see a worn path like while you look at the other stuff that is a trail then you follow along the trail and look for food sources and signs such as rubs scrapes deer poop or tracks then you determine whether its being used or not and if it is find a tree about 20 yards away from the trail leading to the food source and setup a treestand then get their early in the morning the day you hunt and wait for the deer??? By george I think I got it
That's the basics. You might want to look for the bedding area too. http://www.the-deer-hunting-guide.com/whitetails/trophy-deer-bedding-areas/
Okay I went on a walk about 2.6 miles into the woods and I couldnt see any signs of deer am I just missing something or????
How long did it take you to walk that 2.5 mile? As said above, take your time. Sometimes the trails aren't that obvious. For example, I was in my stand this morning that I set up yesterday. I saw 2 more trails directly in front and one around 40yd out. Look for ridges and saddles. I have started finding a lot I sign now that I have been looking in saddles.
The more you find, the better your eyes will see! Keep with it. I find new stuff every time i go out.
I'm glad you found it helpful. To the OP, I have been hunting 8 years...I walked 3 hrs the other day and found only two beds. Never even saw the trails until I found the beds. Then I walked a fence line. Eventually the deer will cross a fence, river, or ditch. You can see much more easily and follow the trail into the woods. I would see if you can find someone out there to go with you, sometimes just the conversation can help make it less frustrating.
I usually set up some stands on field edges and then as the season progresses I can move stands and learn how to get closer to where the action is
Look at a horse saddle from the side. Its pretty much a valley but, not as deep. It's in the bottom of 2 hills or ridges. Ridges are elevated areas. Edges are any change in area such as the edge of a pine thicket along the edge of an oak grove would be considered a soft edge. The edge of a field to a woodbine would be a hard edge.
