Bumping deer while preseason scouting

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jwangle13
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Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby jwangle13 » Tue May 28, 2019 3:05 am

So I have been doing more pre season scouting than I even have before. Our bow season opens early September so still a ways away. Everything have I looked as this far is public land. My question is, are you worried about being quiet while scouting. When I was done my wife asked me if I saw anything and I said no deer but lots of beds and other sign. My thought was to not be extremely quiet in order to cover more ground. Also I would think that it's better to bump deer from far off as opposed to getting right up on them. So what are your thoughts?


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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby Bowhuntercoop » Tue May 28, 2019 3:42 am

This time of year it don’t matter. I have days when I bump em like crazy and other times they don’t seem to mind.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby jwangle13 » Tue May 28, 2019 3:46 am

That was my train of thought as well. Plus I was walking brush with my walking stick due to the amount of snakes in the area. I prefer to give them a bit of a warning. I would honestly rather that the deer dont see me and just get bumped off by the noise.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby JAK » Tue May 28, 2019 6:52 am

Never gave it much thought when its early. But ill speed scout to cover ground just make sure your really paying attention not to miss anything. Then when i find what im looking for ill slow down. So i think the deer have a good warning something is comeing before hand. ;)
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thepennsylvanian
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby thepennsylvanian » Tue May 28, 2019 7:09 am

Honestly, bumping deer right can give you some valuable information. If you are able to see the deer leave or hear it leave you can identify that as an exit route for that bed. The deer may not be utilizing that bed come season but you can apply that knowledge when finding other beds and having an understanding of exit routes! This time of year, is the tail end of the best time to do your scouting, as they'll have months to recover from intrusions. Agressiveness now, can lead to understanding approaches, setups etc.. Summer bedding may not translate to in season or rut bedding but it can translate to early and late season bedding. As many have said around the HB, its takes alot to push a buck from a property. I have really attempted to stick to that theory as I learn to scout more effectively, and I'm only going in areas once or a second if necessary only.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby jwangle13 » Tue May 28, 2019 7:44 am

thepennsylvanian wrote:Honestly, bumping deer right can give you some valuable information. If you are able to see the deer leave or hear it leave you can identify that as an exit route for that bed. The deer may not be utilizing that bed come season but you can apply that knowledge when finding other beds and having an understanding of exit routes! This time of year, is the tail end of the best time to do your scouting, as they'll have months to recover from intrusions. Agressiveness now, can lead to understanding approaches, setups etc.. Summer bedding may not translate to in season or rut bedding but it can translate to early and late season bedding. As many have said around the HB, its takes alot to push a buck from a property. I have really attempted to stick to that theory as I learn to scout more effectively, and I'm only going in areas once or a second if necessary only.


thepennsylvanian, I would like to point out an important point that I think you made among several. As I have been scouting a public land area I am trying to cover ground and take my time at the same time because I only plan to go in that area once. I keep getting tempted to go back to some of these areas to see if I missed something but I convince myself that the situation is better served by doing an observation hunt during early season as opposed to spreading my scent in the bedding areas too frequently.
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thepennsylvanian
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby thepennsylvanian » Tue May 28, 2019 10:51 am

I want to clarify something, as well I said exit routes but what I should have said was escape routes. In certain areas that are pressured you can play off of escape routes!
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby Scratchman » Tue May 28, 2019 2:31 pm

I like to be loud. Act like I'm not hunting. If I do bump them I usually don't see them, but keep an eye out for fresh tracks running from a bed. Just don't keep going back to an area. From here till season I only scout a spot once.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby funderburk » Tue May 28, 2019 9:12 pm

Scratchman wrote:I like to be loud. Act like I'm not hunting. If I do bump them I usually don't see them, but keep an eye out for fresh tracks running from a bed. Just don't keep going back to an area. From here till season I only scout a spot once.


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And also keep in mind that Andrae says if you bump a deer and they escape unharmed, they often consider that a victory. I think this especially applies to early season before human pressure picks up.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Wed May 29, 2019 1:11 am

I don't take a lot of notes (except to conclude I am in one of his core areas) when I bump a buck this time of year. Unless they food source remains constant it is highly doubtful they will be bedding in the same location come Oct. Same with escape trails - there is a huge difference between May and Oct/Nov foliage and security cover, and food sources will more than likely also change. I much prefer to jump bedded bucks immediately post season or even during season, and i make a note of location and date as yearly patterns are pretty consistent in most areas I have hunted unless something significant changes the environment (flood, fire, pressure, etc.)
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby 218er » Wed May 29, 2019 2:26 pm

I’d rather cover more ground than trying to be quiet while scouting. I often don’t see them bolt because i’m
looking for rubs, scrapes, tracks etc. I have jumped two rather large bucks this scouting season, found their beds, and now have zero reason to go back in there until it’s time to hunt. Bumping them pointed me to directly where they were bedded but until it’s game on I’ll stay away.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby jwangle13 » Thu May 30, 2019 8:48 am

DaveT1963 wrote:I don't take a lot of notes (except to conclude I am in one of his core areas) when I bump a buck this time of year. Unless they food source remains constant it is highly doubtful they will be bedding in the same location come Oct. Same with escape trails - there is a huge difference between May and Oct/Nov foliage and security cover, and food sources will more than likely also change. I much prefer to jump bedded bucks immediately post season or even during season, and i make a note of location and date as yearly patterns are pretty consistent in most areas I have hunted unless something significant changes the environment (flood, fire, pressure, etc.)


DaveT1963, I will agree that they wont usually be in their fall bedding areas due to many factors but let me know if I am on the right track. While I am scouting right now I am not so much focused on where the deer are right now but I am looking for the thicker more remote spots that I am fairly sure are locations where they will be come the season. Our bow season opens up fairly early in the first couple weeks of September. I am also looking for older sign along the way. Is my time made more useful by looking for their soon to be bedding locations vs their current location. One example that sticks out clearly is I found several beds in tall grass on a plants ag field (public land) I know the fields get hunted hard around here so I know they wont be bedding in the field come the 1st day of season.
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DaveT1963
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu May 30, 2019 9:40 am

There is no cut and dry answer IMO. Most bucks have smaller home ranges than a lot of people think. In most areas I hunt the deer feed about 90% on natural browse so their bedding really depends on environmental factors and can be inconsistent.

I approach hunting deer as a 12 month process. I locate bucks to hunt Feb - Jul. I glass Aug -Sep to learn as much as I can on the bucks I found. I scout/hunt Oct-Dec. I use hunting season - Feb to find fall/pressured bedding areas and rut sign. I keep tab on does year round.
That's over simplified but it kind of outlines my "season" from year to year. I use a lot of cameras, spend 100s hours boots on ground, and I cover many WMAs in 3 states. Finding quality bucks ov public down this way is goal #1 as you cant kill what's not present.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby JoshuaD » Mon Jun 03, 2019 7:17 pm

I relay on my binos. Just so happens that I am a hunter. Not sure if I can call myself a professional but It is a lifetime hobby and I know what I am doing out there. Let me tell you a little bit about my binoculars. First of all, I had many before this that were- no other way to say it, like children toys. But now, however, my "apeman 10x50 HD binoculars" saved my hunting trips. There were others I was considering while reading the pros and cons at http://huntingfishingplus.com/best-hunting-binocular/ These binoculars came with a special phone adapter. Using this is really helpful, It is convenient to capture wonderful images and share with your friends. Extremely cheap too. 102m/1000m large field of view. for a price of 30+$ - take my money any day. I tried them out for these past few months. I can't say I have any serious complaints. Hang on, I'm lying. One thing that annoyed me was the fact that they are not waterproof. So much for hunting in the rain. Then again, the price is a good deal so I am happy with what I got.
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Re: Bumping deer while preseason scouting

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:19 am

There is a fine line between not bumping them too hard and still getting a glimspe. If you cant see their size, look for tracks.

JoshuaD wrote:I relay on my binos


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