dr. bullseye

Neither my brother or I have ever been deer hunting, but we've been planning one for this fall. His in-laws have a cabin up in northern California and so we were planning on hunting in the national forest around the cabin. Aside from talking with the fish and game folks in the area, what are some of the things we should be looking for when we go to scout the area? Never done this before, and so we could sure use some advice on the scouting aspect of the hunt. Thanks.

tschaef

Tracks and droppings to ensure that deer are in the area. Scrapes (the ground tore up beneath a low hanging branch) are hot spots, but not nessesarily(sp?) during daylight hours. Rubs (tree bark removed by a buck rubbing his antlers) are a sure sign of a buck in the area. Beds are in the thick stuff with alot of cover, usually they look almost round, 2-3' diameter where vegetation is flattened.
The above are all signs of deer in the area. If gun hunting you can pretty much confirm there are deer than than either walk around slowly or find a spot to sit where you can see a long way. If archery hunting it is much more important to place yourself where the deer will come to you. Look for food sources and place your self between thick cover and the food. Also look for funnels in the vegetation and topography that will concentrate deer movement.
If you find a heavily used trail, wether gun or bow hunting you want to be at your spot before 1st light, deer move the most at dawn and dusk, middle of the day they are usually in bed and much harder to hunt.

Good luck, hopefully sombody from Cali will respond because I really have no idea what kind of conditions you will be hunting down there.

dr. bullseye

Thanks for the reply. We will be gun hunting, and the info you gave was pretty much what I was looking for. I'd love to hear from anyone, but especially those who have hunted the Sierras and Cascades.

Partikle

Check out John Eberharts website. Click on the "Articles" link on the left and then he has a link to "Are You Scouting Smart or Just Scouting".

http://www.deerjohn.net

wis_bow_huntr

Some off it would depend on when you plan on scouting the area. Deer patterns change with the seasons, so If you start scouting now, in 3-4 months their patterns will change. Also its best advised if you do any pre season scouting say a week or two before season starts, to scout from afar. Getting too close too late in the season could blow your chance at a trophy. Also If you begin scouting now, make sure you are still scent free, wear your rubber boots. Locate areas for hanging stands or setting up blinds. Clear any brush or branches if legal on the property you will be hunting. If you arent sure, check with your local game and fish dept. If youre hunting public land, remember its ona first come first serve basis. If you snooze, you lose, and if you do find a hot spot, dont tell anyone about it.

peakrut

Will this also be blacktail deer?

TROPHYHUNTER25

try and findthem traveling from bedding to food or water

CamoCop

first and foremost, obtain a copy of the state's laws and regulations regaurding hunting. then look for the basics, trails, scrapes, rubs, bedding area's, etc.