Friday, December 7, 2012

Scout Now for Next Seasn's Buck

I am often asked, “when is the best time to scout?”


The answer is “immediately after you harvest your buck.”

The biggest advantage is you will be scouting exactly where the deer will be come hunting season next fall. I like to do my scouting a couple of days after a fresh snowfall. This allows the deer enough movement to show travel routes, feeding preferences, and bedding sites. I’m not worried about spooking deer now as there’s nearly 12 months before I’ll be hunting them again. That’s ample time to let the herd settled now.

If you hunt in areas that don’t receive much if any snowfall, wait a couple days after a hard rain to do your scouting. The old tracks will either be washed away are rounded out by the rain. Look for tracks with crisp edges. Also, keep track of any rubbed trees are scrapes you my find.

If an area has the cover, security, and feed to hold large deer one year, the odds are that it will hold that deer or another large deer the next season.

Missing sign all together or misreading sign is one of the most common mistakes made in hunting. Most hunters tend to block out apparent sign and focus only on the sign that they are comfortable with. They use scouting to support some preconceived conclusion of what the outcome should be instead of letting the sign speak for itself. People tend not to believe what they see, but see what they believe.

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If you scout immediately after your hunting season, you’ll be well on your way to harvesting another great buck next fall.

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
Jim
http://jimcollyer.com/

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