Let's talk summer scouting!

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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elk yinzer
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby elk yinzer » Sat Jul 13, 2019 1:32 am

I drink beer and fish until September.

Not many fields around where I hunt that would make glassing or shining productive.

In the woods scouting should be taken care of by green up. Come September I'll start assessing mast and looking for confirmation of good bucks in areas I anticipate targeting from prior year and winter scouting.


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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby jkelley1487 » Sat Jul 13, 2019 1:47 am

elk yinzer wrote:I drink beer and fish until September.

Not many fields around where I hunt that would make glassing or shining productive.

In the woods scouting should be taken care of by green up. Come September I'll start assessing mast and looking for confirmation of good bucks in areas I anticipate targeting from prior year and winter scouting.



This.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby Dewey » Sat Jul 13, 2019 3:00 am

I do a lot of low impact observing and glassing in areas I have easier access to. Best way I have found to do this is use my mountain bike to go where vehicles can’t. Great way to cover a lot of ground fairly quickly not to mention it keeps you in great shape for the season. Heading into August I do a bit more shining late at night to locate bucks that do not make themselves very visible any other time. Come September it’s important to pattern certain food sources. White oaks tend to drop early and these are a great option for the first few weeks of the season.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby vermonthunter16 » Sat Jul 13, 2019 8:38 am

Heres a question that I would like to pose about summer scouting. I moved recently so I didnt get in any spring scouting and havent ever hunted here. Is it burning bridges to go out and scout for bedding? Or is there enough time that the bucks will still use those beds? Assuming they are beds used in season.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby Evanszach7 » Sat Jul 13, 2019 9:27 am

vermonthunter16 wrote:Heres a question that I would like to pose about summer scouting. I moved recently so I didnt get in any spring scouting and havent ever hunted here. Is it burning bridges to go out and scout for bedding? Or is there enough time that the bucks will still use those beds? Assuming they are beds used in season.


It's not ideal but if you dont have the info you're better off getting it now. I typically only summer scout areas I dont have a history with, and dont go in after August 1st. Areas like this I'm looking for rut sets and relying on known spots for early season and prerut. When I go into the new rut set, I'm scouting my way in and aging sign to decide if I want to spring scout it and setup some early season and prerut spots for the following year. Ill typically soak a couple cameras for the season and not check or hunt near them too. Also, usually use this tactic for big woods, example Shawnee State Forest, OH.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby elk yinzer » Sat Jul 13, 2019 1:04 pm

vermonthunter16 wrote:Heres a question that I would like to pose about summer scouting. I moved recently so I didnt get in any spring scouting and havent ever hunted here. Is it burning bridges to go out and scout for bedding? Or is there enough time that the bucks will still use those beds? Assuming they are beds used in season.


I don't think it's super valuable intel now, it's still so green and thick the bedding now just doesn't translate into our October start. I would macro scout broad areas, get to know the lay of the land, scout access, etc and wait until September to really dive in and scout bedding. In doing that you may stumble on some good stuff now, and if you do certainly take note, but summer patterns are just way too different to really plan a solid approach for a season's worth of hunting spots.
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vermonthunter16
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby vermonthunter16 » Sat Jul 13, 2019 1:31 pm

That all makes sense to me guys. Thanks for the input
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby UofLbowhunter » Sat Jul 13, 2019 4:09 pm

DhD wrote:A better way to put it would be "describe your summer hunting preparations". Mine involves shooting, running, lifting weights, and glassing. When I think scouting I guess I would more think about getting in there and looking around. Tips on how you decide where to glass would be most appreciated.


Dog days of summer can make alot of deer hold of till dark to enter crop fields after the day time heat drops. I herd a few guys on here say, and i have seen myself, when a drop in temp from a rain or a mild front happens, it will have the deer and often big bucks moving late in the mornings. I have had lots and lots of luck using that method, and plan for anytime i can catch something like this. Matter of fact the buck i talked about in the earlier post was an am sighting. We just had small front move through the night before.

I do see a good amount of correlation with the moon this time of year as well!
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby DhD » Sat Jul 13, 2019 4:22 pm

Really most of my reason for summer glassing is to take inventory, I don't run many cameras.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby Net Guy » Sun Jul 14, 2019 12:29 am

Like most have said, I tend to focus on glassing and shinning Ag fields somewhat close to where I can hunt. However, in northern WI I really don’t have many options due to the lack of fields in general. For the bigwoods I will sparingly check a few cameras I don’t have close to any area I hunt, more or less to just get inventory of deer and people. Rarely get a person though. Sounds funny, but up there I try to pay attention to people’s front yard to get a sense of bucks in the area. Many people up there feed deer in their yard so you can get an idea of bucks in the area by tracking that.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Sun Jul 14, 2019 1:17 am

I love being outdoors, I'm pretty much out scouting new areas or running cameras every weekend. Understand not ruining an area, but being an outdoorsman is far more important to me to only pursue it 2 months out of the year. Loading my kayak up as I type this, Have some cameras to run. I'm out there every chance I get.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby sdonx » Sun Jul 14, 2019 2:03 am

I was checking out an small piece of a larger swamp today...basically found nothing, where I though I would find sign. Tough go at it.
Summer scouting my areas is double the struggle of winter scouting...I still love the intense workout I get, and of course being in the woods.
Not finding sign is a positive as I can cross it off my list.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby Randyflash » Sun Jul 14, 2019 7:02 am

DaveT1963 wrote:I love being outdoors, I'm pretty much out scouting new areas or running cameras every weekend. Understand not ruining an area, but being an outdoorsman is far more important to me to only pursue it 2 months out of the year. Loading my kayak up as I type this, Have some cameras to run. I'm out there every chance I get.


I agree with this

Best time to scout is obviously as soon as the snow is off but the second best time is whenever you can.
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby kcole1987 » Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:00 am

im hitting the areas that i couldn't in the winter/spring, running some cams on field edges for inventory purposes. We can spotlight till 11pm here, usually if the bucks are in the fields by then i know they are bedding close, im going to utilize this a lot more this year than years past especially in areas with state land. im defiantly utilizing the binoculars and spotting scope more this year too. basically doing anything i can to get ready and feel confident, i hate the feeling of being un prepared or not having a plan
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Re: Let's talk summer scouting!

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Jul 17, 2019 5:16 am

I observe when I can during the summer. All I have to say is get out of the truck. Pretty flat country around here and the big ones typically hang in the low spots not visible from the road. Some spots I observe with the spotter on a tripod, other times I use the LW with spotter on a camera arm with fluid head. Works awesome.

Get a Thermacell, and bring bug spray with you. Spray lasts an hour before you sweat it off, and Thermacell doesn’t work when you’re walking. I had a couple “near death” experiences spraying down then leaving the can in the truck. Not fun.


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