Where to start?

[FloridaWild]

New to the forum, so forgive me if this has been covered. I'm an inexperienced hunter and looking to start scouting a couple areas over the summer. I'm also a hiker, so these areas, I'm kind of familiar with. They will be public land, which probably is going to add to the difficulty. However, one area, in particular, is muzzleoading and archery only, in my state. This may be an advantage, as a lot of areas here are pressured by dog hunters. This one area, also has recorded some of the largest bucks in the state. I'm assuming this is also due to the fact that it's archery/muzzleloading only. You have to get pretty close to kill an animal with those two weapons, so a lot of these bucks are probably surviving every year. My question is, when starting to scout aerial views on Google Earth, what kind of areas should I key in on? I know most of you here are probably northern states, but I would assume deer would behave similarly, no matter the state. Any advise you can give, would be much appreciated.

[JoeRE]

Welcome! Get Dan's DVDs and watch all of them several times. That's about as good a place to start as any.

I have never hunted within 1000 miles of you but I would bet money that the rule still applies - the oldest deer are going to be in the most secure areas. Meaning they spend daylight where they will be rarely disturbed and if they do get bumped they have good escape routes.

And don't forget to keep it fun, that's another good place to start

[Jonny]

If the area is known for producing big deer, that might bring in a lot of people. It does up in Wisconsin.

As far as what to look for, if it's a big piece of public, look for two things. Either an area where you need to cross water or serious hills and cover a long distance, or an overlooked spot. If you are newer to it, finding overlooked spots is tough. Takes a lot of experience to find those spots consistently.

If you can get to secluded areas using a kayak or canoe or waders, you might be in luck. Now I personally prefer wader areas cause now it seems like guys don't mind taking a kayak or canoe if they can launch it from the road. If you have to walk half a mile then cross some water, that will seperate you from the pack. Or have to drag your kayak a couple hundred yards. Something that will keep out a lot of people.

[Twenty Up]

He's in Florida, there's bound to be some water obstacles

I'd keen in on some islands in swamps first then go from there. I've scouted a good bit of swamp land in S. GA and it's difficult, you really have to focus in on those topo transition lines and even subtle elevation changes that aren't shown on a GPS/Topo map. Also pay attention to the foliage, thickets to openings in timber or a clear cut could produce a bedding area.

Personally I've had more success finding beds in hill country but struggled when it came to swamps, it takes longer in my opinion to find buck beds in swamps. Slow & steady, focus on those transitions and you'll be good

[FloridaWild]

Yes, here in Florida, there is no shortage of swamps and water! It looks like from Google Earth, I can see where there is a transition from dry area to wet. i have only hiked this area once and it was a lot of sugar sand and the place was tore up in a lot of areas by hogs. It's a couple hours away, but I'd like to get back over there soon and check it out.

[Buckshot20]

I would start with any of the ponds up on the hill and the swamp/hill transitions. Especially if they come to a point or bowl. Also, clumps of pine trees or oaks amongst a cypress dome will probably hold a bed. Pressure should dictate the most productive spots. The big swamps seem to be the hardest for me but usually hold some big deer. Remember beds are probably one of the biggest pieces to find but don't forget food sources. You need to know where they are going when they leave.

[Jonny]

He's in Florida, there's bound to be some water obstacles

I'd keen in on some islands in swamps first then go from there. I've scouted a good bit of swamp land in S. GA and it's difficult, you really have to focus in on those topo transition lines and even subtle elevation changes that aren't shown on a GPS/Topo map. Also pay attention to the foliage, thickets to openings in timber or a clear cut could produce a bedding area.

Personally I've had more success finding beds in hill country but struggled when it came to swamps, it takes longer in my opinion to find buck beds in swamps. Slow & steady, focus on those transitions and you'll be good

Maybe they are between hurricanes?

Yep, walk the transitions and if you see deer trails coming out of the swamp, follow them back to their beds. Hopefully you don't need swim trunks and a floatie

[<DK>]

WELCOME!
Be sure to get the DVDs, check out the youtube channel, and Best Tactical Threads are at the top of Deer Hunting forum.

I hunt mainly Hills but for cyber scouting suggestions:
Use Caltopo and map the property lines and mark access / parking areas.
Then i would concentrate on obvious transition lines, points, fingers, pinch points,... ect
Find the wet stuff then find high ground
Use the measurement tool on your mapping site and measure away from access points a 1 mile or more. Then look around for possible bedding, i have found many good beds doing this.

I spoke to a guy on here about how he is successful in FL (forgive me, i forgot his user name), bc i used to hunt there before i became a beast. He told me Bobbo1686 mapping site helped him specifically find his buck this year. The site breaks down our normal maps into 1ft contour lines, so we are able to see every elevation change. He said his buck was bedded alot like a hill country buck but low elevations. If its a spot you are serious about, maybe its worth paying him for his services and see if he is able to map your area? Here is Bobbo1686 map example:

[FloridaWild]

WELCOME!
Be sure to get the DVDs, check out the youtube channel, and Best Tactical Threads are at the top of Deer Hunting forum.

I hunt mainly Hills but for cyber scouting suggestions:
Use Caltopo and map the property lines and mark access / parking areas.
Then i would concentrate on obvious transition lines, points, fingers, pinch points,... ect
Find the wet stuff then find high ground
Use the measurement tool on your mapping site and measure away from access points a 1 mile or more. Then look around for possible bedding, i have found many good beds doing this.

I spoke to a guy on here about how he is successful in FL (forgive me, i forgot his user name), bc i used to hunt there before i became a beast. He told me Bobbo1686 mapping site helped him specifically find his buck this year. The site breaks down our normal maps into 1ft contour lines, so we are able to see every elevation change. He said his buck was bedded alot like a hill country buck but low elevations. If its a spot you are serious about, maybe its worth paying him for his services and see if he is able to map your area? Here is Bobbo1686 map example:

I have heard of Caltopo I have also used mytopo, where you can make your own map of a particular area. I have been watching The Hunting Beast Youtube channel also. Lots of good info there. This next hunting season may not produce anything, but I'm hoping to learn a lot from it.

[Bogle]

Personally, I think hunting individual beds in Fl is tough. In addition, the further south you go the harder it gets in my opinion. I think there are simply too many options for them when it comes to bedding. Not to mention, everything stays green year round so browse is pretty much always available.

With that said; I do believe Dans principals apply to Florida. Deer still bed in areas where they have the greatest safety advantage. Just about every bed I have found that I know is used regularly by a buck has some type of sight component even if it's a small one. They aren't going to bed in the water so look for those tiny remote islands that are dry and have a visual component. Water is a deers friend here in Florida since visual advantages are limited due to everything being flat. The home run spot for me would be a secluded bedding area, with a good visual (the farther the better) with a lot of water around it. Lastly, look for that crazy spot that no deer would ever go. That lone pine tree in the saw grass. My .02.

Buy all of dans DVD's including Hill Country as it will change how you view your hunting area.

[checkerfred]

The south seems harder in general. Lots of green year round, so lots of available food and cover. More obstacles like gators, poisonous snakes, and mosquitoes and ticks even in late season. I got tore up by mosquitoes in feb with temps in the low 50s! Also our rut is less defined. I can literally hunt rut about all season depending on what area I go to. Then you have the hardcore hunters that aren't scared of water and use boats, waders, kayaks etc.

That said Dans techniques work. It can be harder to find beds as some aren't as well defined but jump in and start learning and you'll have several aha moments. This is my 3rd year at it and while I don't have it all figured out yet, I made some significant strides this year. I'm starting to see a few patterns and then again I'm still baffled by some types of areas. It all comes down to putting in time scouting and hunting. Learning where people go and don't go. Some areas may get hammered or may have access you didn't know about. I've found that here, people have boats and use them. Also overlooked areas by the road are hard to find because people hunt like that. Just gotta stick with it and try to not hunt like everyone else.

[<DK>]

This next hunting season may not produce anything, but I'm hoping to learn a lot from it.

It's good to stay humble about it and thats a great mindset but if you put in the hard work you will be rewarded! Seemed like most of the oak trees there are climb able by hand, great spots for observation sits overlooking palmetto fields. Keep us posted on your findings

Queston for Florida guys - Do deer eat fruit there? Sorry if it's dumb question, but I always wondered if they liked grapefruit that grew wild.

[Buckshot20]

This next hunting season may not produce anything, but I'm hoping to learn a lot from it.

It's good to stay humble about it and thats a great mindset but if you put in the hard work you will be rewarded! Seemed like most of the oak trees there are climb able by hand, great spots for observation sits overlooking palmetto fields. Keep us posted on your findings

Queston for Florida guys - Do deer eat fruit there? Sorry if it's dumb question, but I always wondered if they liked grapefruit that grew wild.

Yes they do. Persimmons, blackberry among others. I've never hunted a Grove but I'm sure they will eat oranges as well. A lot of the wild citrus in North Central Florida are sour from cold snaps.

[<DK>]

Great stuff thanks Buck shot! I always found deer tracks and turkeys roosting in a grove, but I was young and dumb so never figured it out.

[PK_]

Idk about fruit up in north FL but there used to be lots of orange groves next to public in south FL and the bucks stomachs would be full or oranges, whole oranges. Not sure how they digest them but it sure looked strange to cut open a stomach and have a sack of produce in there.

As for the OP I am pretty certain of where you are referring.

If it is where I am thinking, there is a lot of elevation and topography and I would pay exactly 0 attention to it as far as bedding. All the human traffic is from up too and the deer react accordingly. You are right in looking for the wet areas. Look along those swamp transitions there are several areas with white oaks. They dropped a good crop this year.

Even if it isn't the same place the info is pretty universal. The best starting point is where the human intrusion ends(or drastically decreases).

I will echo what others have said. Hunting individual 'beds' can be a fruitless endeavor down here. Yes the bedding area principals absolutely transcend but things are just more ambiguous and fluid down here from what I have found. Plus Florida has crazy rut dates all over so you can hunt a buck that is heavily nocturnal and somewhat nomadic or drive an hour or two and hunt bucks that are in full rut and daywalking...

It's takes a lot of digging and a ton of work but there is some decent public hunting to be had in different parts of the state.

Good luck and welcome.