Post-Season Scouting TO-DOs

[funderburk]

Wanted to start this thread to help us all check the appropriate boxes. So, what does your post-season scouting consist of?

[Tufrthnails]

Wanted to start this thread to help us all check the appropriate boxes. So, what does your post-season scouting consist of?

That doesn't start until the middle of Feb for me, but I have already dropped some cams in some new places that I don't plan to hunt this season to start grabbing data on what they are doing this time of year for next season.

[live2hunt]

Most of my post season scouting is during shed season when I’m not afraid to bump deer around. Boots on the ground confirming or disproving my stand sites were in he best locations is where I start. During the season sometimes I have to just take a guess on what’s ahead so I don’t blow everything out. Now I confirm if I pushed too far or not far enough. Most time is spent shed hunting while mentally noting and mapping everything I see and I mean everything! That includes wind direction and how terrain affects wind direction for certain areas. I try to cover every square foot of my hunting areas just to be overly familiar with the terrain. I’m also looking for future areas to set up so if a buck or sign shows up in an area I will have a game plan.

[JAK]

First thing I'll scout areas I may have seen a big buck through out the season and didn't know bedding. Then cyber scout some new stuff and put boots on the ground. Then I'll go in to my know bedding and try to fine tune my setups. That's all winter and spring.


Then summer starts glassing and shineing. And maybe run some cameras.

[Drenalin]

In no particular order:

1. Scout before green up. This was a problem for me this past year and made scouting with (new to me) Beast tactics in mind pretty difficult. Hoping to be at a point by green up where I’m mostly trout fishing and driving around glassing deer.

2. Take a fresh look at the two small private parcels I currently hunt, as well as some of the public areas I hunted this past season.

3. Knock on doors and pick up a couple more private spots between work and home for quick evening hunts during early season.

4. Boots on the ground scouting in all the areas I’ve been studying on maps the past few months.

5. More shooting, especially with the bow. I used to wear out a string every year, I’d like to get back to that.

6. Take my daughter, who’s 3, both scouting and fishing with me at least a few times.

7. Tons of DIY projects on my hunting gear.

[tgreeno]

The day after my season ends. I scout every day I possibly can, until green-up. Then I throw out a few cameras, and scout, shine & glass some more until my season starts again! Rinse & Repeat.

[matt1336]

Slow down and use what you’ve learned here. I try to look at a property with an open mind, thinking that anything is possible when trying to find buck bedding and understand buck behavior.

[Hoosier-13]

Mostly all stated above is my routine as well. This was first season since knowing the beast ways so I have a lot to confirm, find, and prep. My main thing on the private I can hunt, is get more preset trees for my saddle that are in locations I had good encounters near bedding. Nothing beats walking in on a preset tree and getting setup super quiet instead of taking the chance of noise with a mobile.

[Dewey]

As soon as the season ends I immediately dive into the beds I have been hunting all season but afraid to get too close to and check them out for fresh sign and make sure they are still being used. If I can bump a buck and get a visual even better. Most primary beds are used year after year by multiple bucks but every season I have a few that go dead for whatever reason. I try to figure out why this happened and then decide if I want to move the spot down my list for next season or just monitor it to see if it’s really not a primary bed and only used for a short time each season. Things change and I like to figure out why.

I’m constantly in search of new beds and exploring areas I am not familiar with. To me there is no better time to do this than post season when there is snow on the ground. Let deer show you where other deer are by following their tracks in the snow. Following them around is a great way to get a really good feel for how deer use the landscape. Pay attention and ask yourself why they are using those travel areas and it will really open your mind and help you think like a deer. Most of my mature buck primary beds have been found in the snow during January/February.

I could go on and on about post-season scouting but these are my favorite tactics. The biggest thing is just get out there and do it. Walk until you can’t anymore and then walk some more learning every square inch of your hunting lands. After sitting in trees and hauling stands in and out all season I love the freedom of just walking and covering miles while scouting. To me is just as much fun or maybe even more fun than actually hunting.

[EllieTheChubb]

#1 on the list is snow tracking. I've gotten one day in so far and found a bunch of doe beds and kicked up a crotch horn along with a dozen does (not all at once). I'm taking dans advice and getting down in the beds to see why they are using them.

Havent had very good snow yet so cutting tracks is tough but I'm optimistic for the new year! I'm saving my hottest buck spot for a real snow day.

[HoosierBowman2425]

I like to do boots on the ground. I'll walk about every inch of our farms and check them out. I'll also try to go to spots where I hunted and if they failed, figure out why they failed. I have two spots in particular that I have to do some limb cutting in this year where limbs cost me. I started mobile hunting this year and I cant tell you how much I wish I would have done that this year.

[Ack]

Walk until you can’t anymore and then walk some more

Took the words right out of my mouth

[megavites]

Here's a question...when your scouting and looking for new or known buck bedding, are you walking at a normal pace or are you still kinda in huntmode where you may walk in slow, alternating with stops and observing ahead?

[BorealBushMN]

Always in huntmode when I'm in the woods, unless I'm on an established trail going to or from, or am in a hurry to look at a specific thing/spot. Maybe not creeping slow, but I still try and move slow to take a look at everything.

[BradC36]

Throughout the summer/fall I mark a lot of additional spots on my OnX while I'm up just studying maps. I'll try to hit as many of those as I can in areas I haven't been, or on completely new pieces of public. My wife, father in law and I have a farm we hunt so besides scouting public pieces I am doing a little detailed post season scouting and habitat work as well with the intent to be out and done with that stuff very early in the spring.

We're at a huge advantage right now with very little snow on the ground which is unusual for this time of year. I'm in an area with very heavy lake effect so scouting usually isn't fruitful with as much snow as we will have at times. I'm sure I just jinxed it.