Scouting with stand on back and hunting hot sign

[mheichelbech]

Hoping Dan and guys could provide some more detail on how they approach the idea of scouting with the stand on your back and hunting hot sign...

- What do you consider hot sign or what is enough to make you decide to set up over it? Does it need to be something that is totally obvious or can it be something that others might see and pass on? A set of fresh tracks, fresh tracks going in and out? Fresh scrape or rubs? If so, just one/few or does it need to be a cluster of several in a small area?

-Will you only hunt it once normally? Do you set up on it right then or walk out and come back in (assuming you found it scouting after a morning hunt).

-If you see a buck but he is out of range, would you move to where he went through, stay where you found the tracks or just not even hunt it again because you left scent all around?

-Do you ever just go in looking for hot sign without a preset destination and then hunt?

Ironically, this is how I killed one my bucks years ago (many), I didn't really realize that is what I was doing but found a pear tree surrounded by totally fresh scrapes after a morning hunt, came back, setup that evening and killed him at 14 yards. Problem is, I have never found a spot that hot since. That one was pretty obvious.

[HoosierG5]

I can't speak for others here, but I will give you my opinion.

The best chance to kill a buck is the first time in a stand. If that means being mobile and going in "freelance" style every time you hunt I think you are better than hunting the same old spots. Dan's videos and posts on here have opened my eyes to a whole new tier of knowledge I never even thought about...or was worried about because I simply didn't know. I know from my own experience, I hunt "bottoms" way too much where all the "hot" sign is located and my results are not great. I see deer, but I don't see mature deer that I'm trying to kill regularly. I'm hoping to change that this upcoming fall with new tactics and a more "mobile" mindset utilizing what I've learned this spring in scouting and info from here.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[brkissl82]

Ive kind of always wondered this as well. Seems when i go in "blind" with stand on back a make a lot more noise and comotion because of not knowing the area

[ Post made via Android ]

[mheichelbech]

I can't speak for others here, but I will give you my opinion.

The best chance to kill a buck is the first time in a stand. If that means being mobile and going in "freelance" style every time you hunt I think you are better than hunting the same old spots. Dan's videos and posts on here have opened my eyes to a whole new tier of knowledge I never even thought about...or was worried about because I simply didn't know. I know from my own experience, I hunt "bottoms" way too much where all the "hot" sign is located and my results are not great. I see deer, but I don't see mature deer that I'm trying to kill regularly. I'm hoping to change that this upcoming fall with new tactics and a more "mobile" mindset utilizing what I've learned this spring in scouting and info from here.

[ Post made via iPad ]

Interesting point about the bottoms HG! Was scouting an area this weekend and the best sign was in the bottoms....I felt so compelled to make a set down there and what kept running through my mind is what is preached on this site and Dan's videos....don't do it, don't do it...Btw, I will say, I have seen in the past 2 years, evidence to support the statement that shouldn't be hunting bottoms. During the rut, 2 seasons in a row, as I hunted the bottoms in one particular area, a great spot for seeing deer, just not mature bucks, I had 2 mature bucks about 75 yards behind me UP the hill....there wasn't near as good as sign as in the bottoms which looked like cattle going through...it was clear they were not coming down there until after dark....it is very tempting but I have now learned it's a "deal with the devil" so to speak.

[PK_]

Hoping Dan and guys could provide some more detail on how they approach the idea of scouting with the stand on your back and hunting hot sign...

- What do you consider hot sign or what is enough to make you decide to set up over it? Does it need to be something that is totally obvious or can it be something that others might see and pass on? A set of fresh tracks, fresh tracks going in and out? Fresh scrape or rubs? If so, just one/few or does it need to be a cluster of several in a small area?

-Will you only hunt it once normally? Do you set up on it right then or walk out and come back in (assuming you found it scouting after a morning hunt).

-If you see a buck but he is out of range, would you move to where he went through, stay where you found the tracks or just not even hunt it again because you left scent all around?

-Do you ever just go in looking for hot sign without a preset destination and then hunt?

Ironically, this is how I killed one my bucks years ago (many), I didn't really realize that is what I was doing but found a pear tree surrounded by totally fresh scrapes after a morning hunt, came back, setup that evening and killed him at 14 yards. Problem is, I have never found a spot that hot since. That one was pretty obvious.

Going in blind gets a lot easier if you choose to hunt predictable terrain and then hunt it enough and study it enough to be able to predict it with pretty high accuracy. Dan talks about this quite a bit. Stay away from the ambiguous terrain, you can spend years trying to figure it out while you could be on shooters every season if you drive to the piece a few miles or a county away.

As far as how much sign is enough, you really have to go with your gut. You have to know your area and your deer. I hunt super low deer densities so any sign is good sign. There is little competition for does and beds, I just very RARELY find areas that are torn up with rubs and you could walk for miles without finding a scrape.

Ive kind of always wondered this as well. Seems when i go in "blind" with stand on back a make a lot more noise and comotion because of not knowing the area

[ Post made via Android ]

Many times when guys on here are scouting with stand on their back they are not going into unfamiliar spots. They are checking sign around or leading to specific beds where they already have a tree(s) prepped. They are just looking for the tracks, rubs etc. letting them know that a buck is in the area and is likely to be using one of the nearby beds they have pre-scouted. You correlate sign found with the best bed in the area for the wind direction (or predawn wind direction if it has changed) and go from there.

I have limited experience with this but have had it work.

[JoeRE]

In regard to the original question I personally am lousy at going in 100% blind somewhere I have never been before....it has to be a place I know from past years and/or spring scouted like others have said, then I like going in with a stand on back and sneaking into a few areas I think might be good to see if the hot sign is there. For me, that prior experience with the area is key to what you are asking, how do you know you are in the right spot and don't need to go 50 yards further or already went 50 yards too far. If I have never been there before I get things wrong most of the time unless I tromp all over the place to see with my eyes what the deer are doing. Some guys seem to be able to pull that blind approach off but I can't.

I can't speak for others here, but I will give you my opinion.

[glow=red]The best chance to kill a buck is the first time in a stand.[/glow]If that means being mobile and going in "freelance" style every time you hunt I think you are better than hunting the same old spots. Dan's videos and posts on here have opened my eyes to a whole new tier of knowledge I never even thought about...or was worried about because I simply didn't know. I know from my own experience, I hunt "bottoms" way too much where all the "hot" sign is located and my results are not great. I see deer, but I don't see mature deer that I'm trying to kill regularly. I'm hoping to change that this upcoming fall with new tactics and a more "mobile" mindset utilizing what I've learned this spring in scouting and info from here.

[ Post made via iPad ]

That is key! About 8-9 years ago I switched from being a traditional pre-hung stand hunter to a much more mobile approach and my encounters with mature bucks skyrocketed. I've shot half a dozen mature bucks and a couple of 3 year olds since then, in the same time period before that I killed only a couple big bucks hunting much of the same land. The mobile approach is key for killing the best deer in your area.

[Redman232]

If I'm going to scout with my stand on my back, I am usually walking a transition line, looking for big tracks, obvious browsing sign and poop. You've got to keep your head up and not just stare at the ground. In the marsh ground I hunt it's usually pretty obvious when you hit one of these "staging areas". I always have a plan with a few spots with suspected bedding nearby that I want to check. I honestly haven't had much kill success with this but my close encounters have increased and it's just a matter of time. Two years ago, I hit a spot on a transition line of mature timber, maybe 20 yards wide between a thicket and a swamp. As soon as I got to it, it was obvious, very heaving browsing and big tracks and poop everywhere. There is no doubt in my mind I would have killed that buck that night but a couple of Amish guys with a clanky portable ladder stand walked thru at primetime and I got to hear the buck bust out of his bed about 40 yards from where I was setup. I was ticked but it was encouraging because I proved to myself that I was starting to get it. Anytime I'm not seeing deer at previously scouted locations or the wind isn't right for my best setups, I like to do this, makes you feel like your going to make it happen rather than sit back and hope you get lucky.

[dan]

When your checking known spots with stand on back I call that "spot checking"... Scouting with the stand on back can be and has been very successful for me and others. As mentioned transition lines are great areas to do this, or suspected staging next to suspected bedding.
One example would be in marshes or swamps when there is a good acorn drop, I focus on the oaks cause there are not many in a swamp so it isolates the food sources. On the same note I avoid hill country when oaks are dropping cause they bed and feed in the same location.
I circle the high ground surrounding the oaks looking for sign set up and hunt once and don't come back unless it was somewhat successful or it really looked great. It don't take much sign, the deer might only bed there when there is acorns so you might only see tracks, or disturbance, but a big fresh rub can be a bonus.

[justdirtyfun]

My take on this approach is going in for the first time is not really blind. Almost any trip should have some planning even if just a few minutes cyberscouting. Or using topo lines to stay at a good elevation.
I agree with another post to focus on predictable areas but that might be a hard habit to break.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Ghost Hunter]

When I think of scouting with the stand on my back an checking hot sign. I am easing into a known area an checking for several things. Fresh droppings, rubs, big tracks on food sources close to a bedding area. If I find those no matter what time of the day it is, you have already walked into the area an may or may not have drawled a little attention. The best thing to do is get in a tree an settle in enjoy the hunt.

Back in my younger days I would hang the stand an go back to the camp an sit around an talk. Then about 3 o'clock or so go back down an get in the tree. Not any more.