What does spot checking mean to you?

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
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kenn1320
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What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby kenn1320 » Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:49 pm

I hear this a lot and would like some clarification. After 30yrs of hunting, I'm not familiar with this term. Of course I'm sure it means you have an area you expect buck sign every year and you take a quick look to confirm activity and then hunt. But what are you looking for and where? Is it big tracks leaving a bed? Is it a rub line early season? Maybe a known community scrape? I really don't have any spots like this, other than a cedar tree that gets ripped up every yr. I also find when I go somewhere new I ALWAYS end up tramping around and going back to the best sign. This seems counter productive and based on my record it is. I've left scent everywhere and disturbed the whole area. Help me understand this spot checking.

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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby PLB » Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:58 pm

Spot checking for me is just quickly checking areas I had extensively scouted in spring.. April is the month you have to wear out boot leather imo round here.. As far as tramping around and stinking up an area during season. If its worth a sit hunt it that evening. Dont wait. If you didnt find enough to warrant a sit tramping all over the place, it probably isnt worth it. Dont wait for it to cool down. Hunt it immediately before he smells you were there. Also looking at a map before going in blind and stinking up an area can make it a lot more efficient and productive.. Have a plan before you step into the area.

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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby PLB » Thu Sep 25, 2014 2:08 pm

Also yes Im looking for big tracks going in and out of bedding areas. Fresh early rub lines, early scrapes. Basically though if I liked the area in April when the previous fall sign was still visible, Im confirming that the buck is still using that bedding area. Also if he is Im relating this to the food source and vice versa. Food sources change season to season and I am spot checking to make sure Im in the game and its worthy of a sit.

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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby Zap » Thu Sep 25, 2014 2:31 pm

If you know the exact bedding you check with a weapon and a plan to hunt..... :lol:

Spot check, to me is checking for very fresh sign in an area that has buck activity and that I do not know where the bedding is exactly.
Go in, check and decide if its worth a hunt and where I should set up.

This is before and after rut.
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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby Bucky » Thu Sep 25, 2014 2:33 pm

I checked a farm today... corn timber edge for tracks... 3 cameras on the fringes... slid in briefly to check for a tree in area I plan to hunt during rut. Move on to the next spot because #1 I don't have a buck tag and #2 no BIG tracks.. no pics... and way too much corn. I hope the price of corn falls off a cliff....

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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby PLB » Thu Sep 25, 2014 2:37 pm

Bucky wrote:I checked a farm today... corn timber edge for tracks... 3 cameras on the fringes... slid in briefly to check for a tree in area I plan to hunt during rut. Move on to the next spot because #1 I don't have a buck tag and #2 no BIG tracks.. no pics... and way too much corn. I hope the price of corn falls off a cliff....

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Ya the private I hunt has lots of corn in the area!!

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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby headgear » Thu Sep 25, 2014 2:40 pm

To me spot checking is looking for sign in the general area of where I might expect a buck to bed but not necessarily close enough to blow the spot for future hunts. I basically want to see if a buck is in the area and if the odds are good he will be using the bedding area I have scouted.

My major issue with spots checking some of my spots is they are a mile+ back so by the time you hike back and don't see sign there isn't always time to move to the next spot so I end up hunting it anyway. Other beds of mine that don't require long distances hikes or a paddle I can easily check and then make a quick decision to hunt or move on. Ideally a guy could spot check all morning and hunt the evening but I don't have that kind of free time right now. Sometimes I hunt areas where I can check a few spots on the way in, if I find something hot I hunt it, if not a keep going further back until I find sign or end up hunting the last bed on the list because I'm running out of time.
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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby Stanley » Thu Sep 25, 2014 3:33 pm

I have not heard of the term.
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: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby whitetail_addict » Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:04 pm

To add to what has already been said by others, spot checking can include something as simple as checking a specific tree for acorns or apples early in the season. I have a little patch of apples trees on the edge of a known big buck bedding area on one of the properties I hunt. Experience on that property has shown me that the bucks will regularly come to those trees in the evenings during early season as long as there is a good number of apples that year. Knowing that, I stayed out of the area entirely this summer and didn't go in until a few days prior to season on a rainy day with my only intent being to check the trees for apples. I was in and out quickly and got the confirmation I needed; the apple trees were loaded. That was all I needed to know to feel confident in hunting that spot as soon as the wind allowed. Sure enough, my first time in this season I had two shooter bucks come out an hour before dark heading straight for the apples. They ended up bedding down out of range until dark, probably because they got a bit of my scent due to some swirling winds currents. Nonetheless, the point is I had a close encounter with two nice bucks the first time into that stand this year all based on a quick spot check of nothing more than the apple trees. I didn't need to see rubs, scrapes, tracks, nothing; I knew a good apple crop would mean the bucks would be there.

Sorry for the long post. :D
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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby headgear » Fri Sep 26, 2014 1:08 am

Stanley wrote:I have not heard of the term.


I think it was used in Marsh Bucks.
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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby Swampbuck » Fri Sep 26, 2014 1:15 am

I take it to mean checking the edges of an area you know has buck bedding to determine if its getting activity and time to hunt.

I dont think you can really spot check an area you are unfamiliar with since you dont really know whats going on, which as you stated you wind up trampling the area, which i have done many times as well.

I could also see picking suspected bedding from the map and then when checking if thier is active sign setting up right there
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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Fri Sep 26, 2014 1:18 am

Visually checking frindges of known deer areas you may have hunted or intend to hunt or even scouted from prior experiences.

Basically double checking w/minimal intrusion prior to hunting to quantify deer usage.

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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby Bigburner » Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:02 am

Edcyclopedia wrote:Visually checking frindges of known deer areas you may have hunted or intend to hunt or even scouted from prior experiences.

Basically double checking w/minimal intrusion prior to hunting to quantify deer usage.

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What he said
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Re: What does spot checking mean to you?

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:38 am

headgear wrote:
Stanley wrote:I have not heard of the term.


I think it was used in Marsh Bucks.

That explains it, has been a few years since I watched the DVD. I have heard of it then just forgot. Man I'm getting old. ;) :lol:
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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