Off Season Scouting
01-14-2007, 08:24 AM
#61
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location:
Posts: 89
RE: Off Season Scouting
ORIGINAL: txmarshmonkey
For those of us who are illiterate about scouting terminology, will you veterans give us a little glossary for clarification purposes? Please add to this list and define in detail:
1. inside corner--
2. saddles-- I kinda have an idea, but I’d like clarification.
3. funnels—Again, clarification.
4. bedding areas—I know what a BA is and what it is for, but how do you identify them? Is it only by seeing matted down grass/weeds?
5. What does a scrape mean to you? What does it tell you? Until this season, I always thought that A buck would make a scrape to mark HIS territory and the HE ALONE would reuse this scrape until the rut was over. I learned that I was completely wrong.
For those of us who are illiterate about scouting terminology, will you veterans give us a little glossary for clarification purposes? Please add to this list and define in detail:
1. inside corner--
2. saddles-- I kinda have an idea, but I’d like clarification.
3. funnels—Again, clarification.
4. bedding areas—I know what a BA is and what it is for, but how do you identify them? Is it only by seeing matted down grass/weeds?
5. What does a scrape mean to you? What does it tell you? Until this season, I always thought that A buck would make a scrape to mark HIS territory and the HE ALONE would reuse this scrape until the rut was over. I learned that I was completely wrong.
6. Draw - Heard the term many times but still unclear. I was watching a hunting video and a guy was 100 yards out in a fieldwatching deer come out of the woods and refered to that as "deer coming out of a draw". So what is and where is the "draw" if deer are just coming out of a featureless and straight forest edge into a field? At the same time I've also seen guys here on the forums say things like "at the top of a draw". See why I'm confused as to what a draw is now? Please explain this as well as clarify what your idea of the stuff in quotes aboveis. Thanks.
01-14-2007, 09:10 PM
#62
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 4,487
RE: Off Season Scouting
I refer to a ditch or a valley as a draw, maybe even a small depression.Something the deer may follow into a field or have to walk around if it is too steep to cross. In that case set up your stand at the top or bottom to catch the deer doing the end around.
01-15-2007, 07:31 AM
#63
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Off Season Scouting
ORIGINAL: atlasman
Couple nice trails that run all through the small thick brush north of the pond. I am gonna try and get a stand in there this spring........LOTTA trimming to do
Couple nice trails that run all through the small thick brush north of the pond. I am gonna try and get a stand in there this spring........LOTTA trimming to do
EDIT
BTW there appear to be a few deer using these trails
01-15-2007, 01:31 PM
#64
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Off Season Scouting
ORIGINAL: txmarshmonkey
Atlas, Scott, and others, this is a great idea!
After reading through this thread and the other linked threads to this point, I’m in mobow’s boat, I have a million questions.
For nearly all of my life I’ve considered myself a hunter, I’ll be 33 soon. In Feb. 2003, I bought my bow and fell passionately in love with it. WAKE UP CALL!!!!!!!! I’ve never really hunted in my life until I bought this crazy thing! What happened to me?
Scouting is hunting. I did not realize this until I bought my bow. Until these “scouting threads” popped up, I thought I was a decent scout,………I SUCK at scouting. Oh sure, I can find sign, trails, and sheds, but I don’t know how to read the language I’m seeing. Thanks to you fellas, I’m learning little by little. Since Oct. 2005, I have not seen a deer while bow hunting. I think I setup in prime areas, but it just hasn’t happened for me. Obviously my thinking is wrong. Around April 06, I started a new lease, so everything was new. This past season I tried to take things I’ve read on this board and put them to use. I started scouting where I thought would be good areas, the hardwoods that bordered really thick stuff. I found all kinds of sign, trails, white oaks, water. I didn’t mess around much, I just picked out where I wanted to sit, hung my stands and left it alone. Come season, no deer! Trails dried up, no new sign, but I had found a killer squirrel spot. whoopee[&:] All season I’ve been wondering where I went wrong, I’m still wondering.
For those of us who are illiterate about scouting terminology, will you veterans give us a little glossary for clarification purposes? Please add to this list and define in detail:
1. inside corner--
2. saddles-- I kinda have an idea, but I’d like clarification.
3. funnels—Again, clarification.
4. bedding areas—I know what a BA is and what it is for, but how do you identify them? Is it only by seeing matted down grass/weeds?
5. What does a scrape mean to you? What does it tell you? Until this season, I always thought that A buck would make a scrape to mark HIS territory and the HE ALONE would reuse this scrape until the rut was over. I learned that I was completely wrong.
I’ve noticed on my hunting land that there are tons of deer on the property. There are tracks literally everywhere! I think that they stay in the thick stuff and don’t really move much until dark. It gives them cover and food (browse), so why should they come out? This thick stuff is nearly impenetrable by a human, but there are deer trails all through it. I’m trying to think of a way to hunt this stuff. It’s basically young pines from 8-20 feet tall with mostly super-thick briars and yaupons with a few other various shrubs in between. Any ideas??
I have many more questions, but I’ll stop here for now.
Thanks in advance,
TXMM
Atlas, Scott, and others, this is a great idea!
After reading through this thread and the other linked threads to this point, I’m in mobow’s boat, I have a million questions.
For nearly all of my life I’ve considered myself a hunter, I’ll be 33 soon. In Feb. 2003, I bought my bow and fell passionately in love with it. WAKE UP CALL!!!!!!!! I’ve never really hunted in my life until I bought this crazy thing! What happened to me?
Scouting is hunting. I did not realize this until I bought my bow. Until these “scouting threads” popped up, I thought I was a decent scout,………I SUCK at scouting. Oh sure, I can find sign, trails, and sheds, but I don’t know how to read the language I’m seeing. Thanks to you fellas, I’m learning little by little. Since Oct. 2005, I have not seen a deer while bow hunting. I think I setup in prime areas, but it just hasn’t happened for me. Obviously my thinking is wrong. Around April 06, I started a new lease, so everything was new. This past season I tried to take things I’ve read on this board and put them to use. I started scouting where I thought would be good areas, the hardwoods that bordered really thick stuff. I found all kinds of sign, trails, white oaks, water. I didn’t mess around much, I just picked out where I wanted to sit, hung my stands and left it alone. Come season, no deer! Trails dried up, no new sign, but I had found a killer squirrel spot. whoopee[&:] All season I’ve been wondering where I went wrong, I’m still wondering.
For those of us who are illiterate about scouting terminology, will you veterans give us a little glossary for clarification purposes? Please add to this list and define in detail:
1. inside corner--
2. saddles-- I kinda have an idea, but I’d like clarification.
3. funnels—Again, clarification.
4. bedding areas—I know what a BA is and what it is for, but how do you identify them? Is it only by seeing matted down grass/weeds?
5. What does a scrape mean to you? What does it tell you? Until this season, I always thought that A buck would make a scrape to mark HIS territory and the HE ALONE would reuse this scrape until the rut was over. I learned that I was completely wrong.
I’ve noticed on my hunting land that there are tons of deer on the property. There are tracks literally everywhere! I think that they stay in the thick stuff and don’t really move much until dark. It gives them cover and food (browse), so why should they come out? This thick stuff is nearly impenetrable by a human, but there are deer trails all through it. I’m trying to think of a way to hunt this stuff. It’s basically young pines from 8-20 feet tall with mostly super-thick briars and yaupons with a few other various shrubs in between. Any ideas??
I have many more questions, but I’ll stop here for now.
Thanks in advance,
TXMM
2. A low area in the terrain that deer will choose as a travel route to avoid being skylined.
3. A travel route that funnels deer movement through a narrow feature in the terrain such as a brushy gully that connects two larger woodlots.
4. This refers to an area that deer use for sleep and resting for long periods of time during daylight hours. Doe bedding areas will have lots of deer beds, an abundance of tracks plus lots of droppings. A bucks bedding area will generally contain rubs and scrapes.
5. Scrapes mean nothing to me on field edges, the only scrapes I pay attention too are Primary scrapes-
A large scrape made in an area that does frequent or where several doe trails converge. A buck will often urinate in these scrapes and leave other glandular scents in the area.
I fond most of the definations here, some other good ones also
http://www.whitetailfanatic.com/html/rc_wdb_dictionary.shtml
01-15-2007, 07:49 PM
#65
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 4,668
RE: Off Season Scouting
ORIGINAL: Germ
Is there a seldom use trail near this setup?That cross one or both of these trails?
Is there a seldom use trail near this setup?That cross one or both of these trails?
BTW there appear to be a few deer using these trails
Any advice for entry and exits??
This pic looks more heavily traveled then it really is too........the snow was a light dust the night before..........with all the wet weather we have had the trails just melted instead of sticking. Obviously those trails were not made overnight.
01-15-2007, 08:11 PM
#66
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Off Season Scouting
We need to see the whole area, road, property around the place. The map is very hard to read.
Without it I really tough to even guess.
Yes I see the fence line, the reason I ask about the seldom use trail is a mature buck will use it to scent check the main trails. If you have a high trafic trail going in and out he is sure to give it a check. I have fond a mature buck to circle the bedding areachecking all the trails in and out of the bedding area. He knows where the good bedding area's are, and does not wan to waste time or energy running up and down each trail.
Without it I really tough to even guess.
Yes I see the fence line, the reason I ask about the seldom use trail is a mature buck will use it to scent check the main trails. If you have a high trafic trail going in and out he is sure to give it a check. I have fond a mature buck to circle the bedding areachecking all the trails in and out of the bedding area. He knows where the good bedding area's are, and does not wan to waste time or energy running up and down each trail.
01-15-2007, 08:42 PM
#67
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Off Season Scouting
Atlas go check out how Buckeye read my map, he is way better then me
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1931786&mpage=2
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1931786&mpage=2
01-16-2007, 08:27 PM
#68
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Southeast, TX
Posts: 818
RE: Off Season Scouting
Thanks Germ for the clarifications on the terms!
Another question on scrapes.
I found a very large scrape (at least larger than what I normally see) in an area near my wifes stand. I set up my trail cam watchin the scrape. It caught pics of bucks, does, fawns (bucks & does) and even a coon, ALL checking/using the scrape AND the licking branch.Severalwere bucks, mostly young ones but there was one very nice mature buck. Is it normal for all deer to use a scrape like a public restroom? I guess it is, I just never expected it.
Another question on scrapes.
I found a very large scrape (at least larger than what I normally see) in an area near my wifes stand. I set up my trail cam watchin the scrape. It caught pics of bucks, does, fawns (bucks & does) and even a coon, ALL checking/using the scrape AND the licking branch.Severalwere bucks, mostly young ones but there was one very nice mature buck. Is it normal for all deer to use a scrape like a public restroom? I guess it is, I just never expected it.
01-16-2007, 10:50 PM
#69
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,288
RE: Off Season Scouting
txmarshmonkey, Sounds like a community Scrape. Yes it's fairly common in some areas. If it is, the over hanging Branch will usually be thicker and the Scrape it's self will be dished some from being used year after year, and some actually stay active year long.