Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
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AB_Vinny
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Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby AB_Vinny » Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:25 am

I was just wondering if it is worth scouting in the winter after the season ends? The reason that I ask is that the snow gets so deep and the temperatures drop so much I don't see the deer bedding in the same places and almost switching to survival mode. They seem to completely abandoned North-facing slopes now and bed where it's convenient. Also the snow in the field is almost too much for them to jump through so they really stick to the woods. When the snow starts to melt to a tolerable depth in May then they seem to start moving/bedding normally again.

I am not sure if I am correct on this as this is based on my own limited obervations when I went scouting this last weekend.

Is there something different I should be looking for this time of year?


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hunter_mike
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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:54 am

I would say it depends on how well you know your hunting spots already. If you are scouting new areas like i am, i am getting a lot out of my winter scouting just because i'm getting to know the lay of the land. If you already know your areas fairly well then i would imagine you might not get as much out of it.

This time of year you could be scouting new areas to narrow down the locations to scout when the snow melts. I feel like i can learn something new everytime i go out.

The main question is, is it worth it to you? If youre not enjoying yourself then is it worth it? Myself, i like to get some ice fishing in too. When i try to decide if i want to go scout or not i usually ask myself this. (Not out loud though)

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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby dan » Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:20 am

In Alberta Canada? I would focus most of my effort after snow melt.
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hunter_mike
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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:29 am

Oh yeah canada? I would definitely be ice fishing instead ha!

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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:22 am

I bet the snow will preserve most of the sign from last fall. Once the snow melts, you should find good sign from last fall.
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AB_Vinny
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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby AB_Vinny » Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:19 am

dan wrote:In Alberta Canada? I would focus most of my effort after snow melt.


Ok that sounds like a better plan because I am too lazy to walk through deep snow. I almost had a heart attack walking through the snow last weekend lol. When it's up to your thighs you don't get very far very fast. Walking through the woods was alot easier than the fields.
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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby Craaaig » Fri Feb 15, 2013 6:27 am

Still subtle signs out there. Never a waste if you have to much land to cover in one year!

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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Feb 15, 2013 6:37 am

The better you know the property you hunt the more successful you will be.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Winter Scouting - Is it worth it?

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:49 am

If you have snow like this while hunting season is open, you can use scouting information from now to pinpoint deer movent under similar condtions for next season.


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