2 bowhnt

How many of you long time hunters that have been hunting in the same area for along time think scouting is crucial to your success? If I am hunting in my favorite area I don't see a reason to scout it out. I will only go out maybe two or three times and make sure the stand area is ok and the deer are pretty much still using the same travel routes. My entire family hunts and everyone has taken deer out of that spot several times including several nice bucks.

rybohunter

I've hunted the same land for 15-20 years now. I know every inch of the place. I don't need to go tromping around before the season. Enough can be determined from spotting the fields and picking up in season knowledge of the hot areas. All the generalities are in place, sometimes its just a matter of finding where a particular buck may be spending most of his time.

Hunter06FlKy

i'm not a "long time" hunter but i have been hunting and roaming around my fav. hunting ground in kentucky for as long as i can remember but i still like to go back and check over the summer and see if they're using the same areas and moving the same ways and everything. also i like to check for new stacnd areas and ground setups and clean them out. so that's my two cents.

snowman69

I go out and watch from a distance just to see how many deer are in the area and I like to see how the bucks are turning out and if their is one in paticular that I want to concentrate on. As far as trying to pattern them I try to wait just before hunting season because in past I have noticed that once the crops in my neck of the woods come down they change their travel routes. I have enough land to hunt on that I can hunt a different piece of land every year for about six years before I would start the cycle over again if I wanted to so it is almost impossible to know the way every deer is moving year to year.

huntnmuleys

admittedly, it may be a lot differnet because its open country mule deer but...........

i scout a ton every year . ususlly that means starting early july, as soon as i can tell by antlers what is what, im out there once or twice weekly, sometimes more glassing. i like to know just how big the biggest i can find every year are, and if there is anything noticible that they are doing often.
brad

IL-Cornfed

For ground that I'm already familar with I won't go in and tromp around a bunch, there really is no point in that. I find myself relying on my trail cams set along certain food sources and other areas that I can access with minimal disturbance. I also glass alot of the bean and alfafa fields all summer long to just try to keep tabs on the areas bucks.

G2 Shooter

I have two private areas that I hunt. I usually go out about 6-10 times between June and September. Bow season opens Sept. 15th in Md. I like to check on my ladder stands and look for a couple of new sites. I also have to make sure that no trees have fallen and changed the travel routes of the deer. That happens quiet a lot around here. I will either cut up the tree or move my stand. I always wear rubber boots and gloves to keep my scent out of the woods.
On the public areas I hunt, I will scout more often because other hunters always keep the deer moving. It's aggrevating to have another hunter ruin your stand site but there's nothing you can do about it.

adams

I have a couple of small pieces I hunt that I've hunted for years and I still get out and walk it to ensure nothing has changed. A new house (often a problem where I hunt) or a fallen tree can force deer to abondon a prefered travel route.

Last year I expanded into some more "big woods" properties and although I didn't score I was set up in the right place (confirmed by tracks in the snow). Most of the scouting I did there was this time of year. I found some good rubs on a "shelf" of a ridge that was constricted on both sides by a fairly steep drop and a steeper incline on the up hill side (classic funnel). My point is scouting is important. It's imperative on a new property and even still important on smaler properties you've hunted before or even know like the back of you hand. Things can change in the woods and IMO is best to be aware of any such changes.

GRIZZLYMAN

Since the land that I hunt is mainly leased timber land, the loggers are cutting in the spring, summer, and fall sometimes. Even adjacent land being cut will change the way the deer move through the area. I am usually working on my lease through September preparing for bow season in October. The deer are mostly used to it. I check for changes in the way they are moving through the area mostly by their tracks. I don't need to see the deer, just their tracks.

hoyt3

I've hunted the same area now for about two seasons, and altho I do go and scout, I know where I am going to go and pretty much which trees to hunt from. the patterns of the deer don't change too drastically. altho I do like to scout, I pretty much know where I am going. the only real reason to go into my area is for a tack trail and just general curiousity...