late summer/early fall observation scouting?
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late summer/early fall observation scouting?
The concept seems simple and effective but has anyone found this method to not provide the desired results? For years myself and hunting buddies have sat far off the farms we hunt and glassed before dark or early morning with binos as a form of long range scouting but never could get tabs on mature deer. see a few does here and there. As most, the time went on and we started using trail cameras but since learning of the beast style/mobile hunting style Ive been wanting to go back to less intrusive long range glassing to target things such as food sources, potential bedding points, swales, secluded woodlots etc but is there a routine or set of ways that you have found to work?
thanks in advance
thanks in advance
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
It works but you need a secluded farm field that mature deer feel comfortable walking out in daylight (I focus soley on soybeans and alfalfa)
I should have slammed one opening weekend now almost 3 yrs in a row... it worked this year twice, the year prior I blew it, two years ago I almost shot a 160"er (55 yards) out of the gate that my buddy shot the same week
I should have slammed one opening weekend now almost 3 yrs in a row... it worked this year twice, the year prior I blew it, two years ago I almost shot a 160"er (55 yards) out of the gate that my buddy shot the same week
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
thanks bucky! anyone else have some input
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
hunter10 wrote:thanks bucky! anyone else have some input
Bucky is right on... Observation stands or positions need to observe where big bucks move in daylight...
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Not every property offers good glassing/observation stand options. I've wasted many hours glassing/scouting fields that the deer just never get to in daylight. They get close, but never there. What I've done the past few years is be sure to shine those areas shortly after dark. If the buck shows up within an hour of dark setting in, then I know he's probably killable from a pre-scouted bed nearby.
Trail cameras can come in really handy in some situations where glassing isn't working as well. Have to be smart with them, but they are great tools in some situations.
Trail cameras can come in really handy in some situations where glassing isn't working as well. Have to be smart with them, but they are great tools in some situations.
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Just a thought on this. Back where I grew up one of the neighboring farm families were known to be notorious poachers. Passing it down generation to generation. The generation at that time period did most of it while driving the back roads on summer evenings. Even though I had a license and a car I spent most of my summer evenings "looking for deer" while afoot. This allowed me to cut across and check areas away from roads but also made it easier to see tracks on the hard gravel roads. I found out that it gave me another advantage. Quietness. The first time I really noticed this was a hot early August evening. I was making my way down a gravel road that was paved up to a bridge crossing. The first plot of soybeans ever planted in the area was down about a mile from the bridge next to a small crop of corn. The first deer I saw was a large 10 pt. He had just come out of the corn into the soybeans. He was heading to a group of maybe 10 deer about 100 yards away. As he neared some of the deer seemed to be moving out of his way. That's when I noticed one of the deer was much taller than even the 10 pt. when he picked up his head I instantly thought "he's got a bushel basket on his head". Further observation showed 7 long tines per symmetrical side.
Now I finally get to the point of the story. All of a sudden they started to head into the corn. I checked the wind with a wet finger and it felt good yet. Then I heard it. A vehicle slowly coming down the rode. I also hid and just before the car cleared the corn field the last deer made it into the corn. The car had the 2 poaching brothers in it. One driving and one sitting in the middle of the back seat all windows rolled down. They drove on and within 5 minutes the deer started milling back out into the soybeans. This played out with 5 more different vehicles until I left when it got too dark to see. I've had this same scenario play out many times in different terrain and states.
So how does this apply to long range summer scouting? If the deer are using a field they might not show because of unusual noises like a vehicle coming down a road or pulling into a field and it's not something that happens on a consistent basis. Or like in my case they associate vehicles with danger because of poachers. Just like Dan points out that any strange bad noise can ruin a sit on a bed hunt. So can abnormal noises affect a long distance summer observation sit.
By the way the !4 pointer got killed 5 miles away during the bow season. He netted 177 and change. Here's a picture of the 10 pt. The neighbor kid got him during gun season. His first deer ever. He had started to try and follow me around that fall and shot him out of a tree he saw me use while bowhunting. [img][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah302/Charles_Stasko/Top_zpsevnacroa.png[/img][/img]
Now I finally get to the point of the story. All of a sudden they started to head into the corn. I checked the wind with a wet finger and it felt good yet. Then I heard it. A vehicle slowly coming down the rode. I also hid and just before the car cleared the corn field the last deer made it into the corn. The car had the 2 poaching brothers in it. One driving and one sitting in the middle of the back seat all windows rolled down. They drove on and within 5 minutes the deer started milling back out into the soybeans. This played out with 5 more different vehicles until I left when it got too dark to see. I've had this same scenario play out many times in different terrain and states.
So how does this apply to long range summer scouting? If the deer are using a field they might not show because of unusual noises like a vehicle coming down a road or pulling into a field and it's not something that happens on a consistent basis. Or like in my case they associate vehicles with danger because of poachers. Just like Dan points out that any strange bad noise can ruin a sit on a bed hunt. So can abnormal noises affect a long distance summer observation sit.
By the way the !4 pointer got killed 5 miles away during the bow season. He netted 177 and change. Here's a picture of the 10 pt. The neighbor kid got him during gun season. His first deer ever. He had started to try and follow me around that fall and shot him out of a tree he saw me use while bowhunting. [img][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah302/Charles_Stasko/Top_zpsevnacroa.png[/img][/img]
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Cool post Stash!
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Thanx KLEMZ. My last posts have been long drawn out stories. I was afraid they might turn members off. Oh and thanx Dewey for the advice on how to make a paragragh. I hope this one was easier to read because of it. It stinks being a self taught computer non-whizz.
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Great post Stash! That's exactly how I envisioned bucks near roads to react.
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Very true Stash. Most of my best sits in farm country during the early season are transitions going to spots not visible from the road even though the majority of the field is visible from the road.
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Stash - you got it... fields with no road edge are where your mature bucks will feed.
I watched same thing happen in Manitoba... giant 150-170" velvet deer in large ag fields would take off if a vehicle slowed down on the all gravel roads
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I watched same thing happen in Manitoba... giant 150-170" velvet deer in large ag fields would take off if a vehicle slowed down on the all gravel roads
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"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
Cool story and buck stash!
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- justdirtyfun
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Re: late summer/early fall observation scouting?
At one property I hope to set up a spotting scope above the river bottom crop fields. At long enough distance to see undisturbed activity.
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