brunsc

how close is to close when scouting and is there any such thing as to much time spent scouting in your hunting area ?

IL-Cornfed

If you call scouting poking around the woods then absolutely yes, you can indeed do to much and rund mature bucks right out of the area. Keep your distance

Wingbone

If you want to explore your area, the best time is inthe winter. There'll be less chance of harrrassing the deer. I'll observe from a distance with binoc's at this time of year. I agree with IL... The deer will go elsewhere or nocturnal.

CamoCop

depends on where you hunt and how much "pressure" the deer see. here in Florida on public land, the deer see people year around because most of our public hunting lad is state/u.s. parks/forest. deer are use to seeing hikers, bikers, horseback riders, atv's, 4 wheelers, etc.

ropadop

Here are some tips:
-Stay out of bedding areas and other sanctuaries
- Scout travel corridors for stand sights near mid-day when deer are bedded
- Glass from a distance at dawn and dusk
- Identify stand sights early as possible and hang stands or install tree steps as early as possible and around mid-day

stikbow26

I agree with most of what is said on here, I do most my scouting while were shed hunting late winter early spring, it's a great time to see runs and scrapes. Butabout Aug. or sept. after I have been scouting from long distance's with camera's and bino's I will walk right through the bedding area hopeing to jump the big boy that I have been watching just to know right where he is bedding. If you do this only once you wont mess anything up because after the buck jumps and runs away he will come right back to that bed because he will think his plan worked perfectly. He either saw you smelt you or heard you and he didn't get shot at or hurt so his plan worked perfectly!! Walt