This is an article I wrote for the site a while back... I thought it would apply well to the time of year we are in now. Hope it may help someone with some new strategies Slowly scanning the timber before me, my eyes became fixated on the large yellow-colored spot worn raw on the stout pine tree ahead; there was no missing the giant rub nestled into the heart of this tight bottleneck. I could certainly tell this was the handiwork of a big, mature public-land buck. I followed the faint deer trail with the large tracks past the rub and on through the bottleneck into a tangle of greenbriar searching for a high point overlooking the hollow. The vantage point I stumbled upon was covered in buck sign: big tracks and rubs were everywhere. It was a perfect bedding site for a mature buck, offering consistent winds and an excellent vantage point. This rub was located on the vantage point. It dropped off on three sides. Talk about a bird’s eye view! Ten months later found me hunting that very location for the first time on a rainy Halloween night. Just before dusk, movement caught my eye as a blocky body ghosted through the bottleneck leading from the high bedding vantage point. I could plainly see tall tines coming my way; my heart raced as the buck closed the distance to 30 yards and a well-placed arrow ended a very successful public-land hunt. I wish I could say all of my best stand sites were so easy to locate, but most hot stand sites are not just stumbled onto, but instead take a lot work to find and a well-laid out plan to execute. I am going to discuss some of the strategies that I use to scout and ultimately pick my stand locations for pre-rut and rut setups. The public land 9 point whose bedding location I unraveled during winter scouting. First and foremost, it starts with studying aerial and topographical maps to learn the lay of the land and property boundaries. I search for points, saddles, likely locations for beaver dams any other terrain feature that could force the deer through an constricted area. I set out for my maiden scouting voyage in the winter months, as it’s easier to see the past season's buck sign the best at this time. The lack of foliage means you can see rubs, scrapes and licking branches from a distance as well as the runways and deer trails. Another benefit of winter scouting is the absence of insects such as mosquitos, ticks and deer flies. They can really put a damper on a great day in the outdoors. I consider a mostly sunny day in the mid 30's to mid 50's perfect scouting weather; you can walk all day with minimal layers on and stay very comfortable without overheating. While winter scouting, I go slow and try to take in as much as I can in the areas of interest that I locate. When I find an area that was hot with deer sign, I will circle the area on foot so I can look at it from different angles; you would be surprised what you see that you missed by only looking at it from one vantage point. I take an aerial map of the area with me on new properties and draw points of interest on it with a sharpie marker. I will also take notes along my way in an attempt to not overlook anything when I later form my plan of attack. Once I have the area covered, I will use the information from my map and notes to determine whether this is an area I want to hunt or not. This tactic may help relate some things I didn't first notice once I have every thing plotted out on my aerial map. I can then see the big picture so to speak This is what an aerial map will look like after I mark it with my “points of interest”. Large rubs are one of my f
Very nice write up Scott, I am taking my post-season scouting to a new level this year and am planning on basing more of my stand locations based off of this information rather than what I gather during the summer. P.S. I gotta say that I love that buck more everytime I see a picture of him.... those G-3's are crazy and kinda remind me of the "Big 10" that you had photos of last year!
Jason, you should see the buck in person...even more impressive. But anyways, if I could just shake these dang cold and sinus & ear issues I'm having I might be able to get out and hike around the woods a time or 2. I've been sick maybe twice in the last 8 years, and this year I just can shake it.
You can just call me Uncle Rico.... Just picture me in the middle of a field.... Next to my van.... Videoing myself tossing the ole' pig skin around :d BTW... Let's see what you got killer.... Post a good write up, up.
I'll take that challenge, let me think about the content... maybe I'll write one on pigs. BTW... Is it scary to you how easy it would be to replace Uncle Rico with Mobow?
Wow, this is a classic case of :hijack: Now lets get back to the important stuff, ligers, they are pretty much my favorite animal..they are like a lion and a tiger mixed!
I'm planning to strap on the snowshoes later this week and get my post season scouting started. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for sheds as well. I'm just now starting to get a good feel for the lay of the land up here.
Good write-up, Scott. I've turned my attention to terrain features even more this year. I've been out scouting a bit twice, and it doesn't take long to cover 90 acres, but there's still a few pieces left.
How much you wanna bet I can throw a football over dem mounains? Nice write up! I enjoyed reading it. A longer, updated version with more story telling would be nice.
