In season scouting

[Sweet Shot 7]

Hopefully someone can clear this up for me... We talk about the first time in rule and not putting pressure on a mature buck. Wouldnt scouting his core area and other areas u think he will move through durring the season put pressure on him. Leaving your scent while scouting. Wouldnt that tip him off that he's being hunted.

[headgear]

I would never scout a bucks core area during season. Just to clarify I think of his core area his bedroom and staging area. If I am in season scouting I staying back a bit looking for signs of a buck in the area or a buck coming or going from a specific bed. Lets say you do get too close, if you find sign you hunt him that evening and move on. If you don't find sign the buck is likely elseware and you really haven't done any damage.

[dan]

Scouting his "core" area would certainly do some damage... Andrea does it occasionally, like bump and dump, and some other tactics. but your definetly damaging the area. Especially on pressured bucks.
My in season scouting is usually from a distance, with a computor, a camera, bino's, spotlight, etc.
When I do scout the edges of a bucks so called core area, I do it with a stand on my back and set up and hunt that same day before the buck has a chance to smell I have been there.

[Dewey]

When I do scout the edges of a bucks so called core area, I do it with a stand on my back and set up and hunt that same day before the buck has a chance to smell I have been there.

This is the same thing I do as well and obviously you need to have a very good idea where the buck is bedded. I think it is very important to do some in season scouting to make sure you are setting up on fresh sign but you have to be very careful and don't push it too far while staying on the fringes of his core area. This is where your pre-season scouting will make a huge difference.

[Sweet Shot 7]

That is all pretty much the same scouting methods I use also. I dont dare intrude on his core area. Dan you answered a question of mine a while back about the wind not playing a huge roll in everyday travel from bedding to feeding. I see alot where guys are hunting where the wind is blowing from the field into the woods. Makes sense that the deer would want to scent check the field before they enter it. On many of my hunts that I have set up with the wind blowing from the woods to the field (to be down wind of the deer) its like the deer will not come to the fields with that wind direction.

[jlh42581]

That is all pretty much the same scouting methods I use also. I dont dare intrude on his core area. Dan you answered a question of mine a while back about the wind not playing a huge roll in everyday travel from bedding to feeding. I see alot where guys are hunting where the wind is blowing from the field into the woods. Makes sense that the deer would want to scent check the field before they enter it. On many of my hunts that I have set up with the wind blowing from the woods to the field (to be down wind of the deer) its like the deer will not come to the fields with that wind direction.

Youll see a lot on other forums where guys will talk about deer walking with the wind at their back. What they fail to realize happens most of the time is that deer circled that field first on the down wind side, scent checked the entire thing. He now feels safe to enter the field with the wind at his back. Thinking that pressured public land deer run willy nilly with the wind at their back is foolish. Dan talks about bucks bedding with the wind at their back or entering beds with the wind at their back to keep dibs on predators. This is not what most other people preach. A lot of people have no clue what "having the wind in your favor" means. They think that means you walk into the wind and setup so its blowing a direction you expect the deer to come from wont smell you. Problem being, they want that to work just like you observed, wind from the woods to the field. Having an advantage means, you dont blow your scent into his bedding area, you take the best spot you can get where you will almost get busted but not quite.

[dan]

That is all pretty much the same scouting methods I use also. I dont dare intrude on his core area. Dan you answered a question of mine a while back about the wind not playing a huge roll in everyday travel from bedding to feeding. I see alot where guys are hunting where the wind is blowing from the field into the woods. Makes sense that the deer would want to scent check the field before they enter it. On many of my hunts that I have set up with the wind blowing from the woods to the field (to be down wind of the deer) its like the deer will not come to the fields with that wind direction.

In all the years I have been hunting, glassing, and chasing whitetails I have not seen much evidence that deer scent check fields before entering "for predators"... I do see them scent check areas for hot does during the rut, and use parallel trails downwind of fields does feed in... I would not go as far as saying they don't do it, but I don't think they do it often.
If a bu8ck believes a field could have a person hunting in it, I believe he will wait till night before going there rather than scent checking for them. If the paranoia exists they will play it safe...
One thing that can lead to hunters thinking deer scent check fields is that they seem to move earlier when the wind is in there favor. So if they are hunting a field deer might make it to the field in daylight on days when the wind is in there favor giving them more confidence.