Scouting Help

[Schneeder]

I'm glad I was able to come across this site. I browse AT regularly but have never seen as much information pertaining to scouting there as I have here. I've been trying to take everything in and better my scouting for next year. There is definitely a lot to learn and boots on the ground is the best thing. But I was wondering if you guys could lend me a little helping hand with this property. It does get hunted by like 1 or 2 other guys but how hard they hunt I'm not really sure. The owners I've known for a long time and say there are deer but no one ever takes anything off their property. I'd like to change that but I'd also like to figure out why and I think that is due to not scouting properly but instead watching the field edges, etc.

It would be awesome if you guys could just give me some ideas of where to check first and maybe a little reason why so I understand what you are looking for when you selected that spot. Especially with the topo as I am definitely trying to learn to read them better and use them to my advantage. Also the fields are all hay/grass.


Thanks!

[dan]

I can see why no one shoots anything there... The deer have you pegged when you enter the property. Bucks are going to be bedding on the points. I marked the bedding spots in yellow. They will bed there with wind to back, watching below... During daylight they have thermals rising up the hills from the valley and can smell both behind and in front of them by bedding in these positions.

The best way for you to kill one of these bucks is to scout these spots marked in yellow after the season, find where they are bedding, think about the thermals and the wind, and try to find a spot along the trails leaving the bedding where you can hunt without being seen or smelt... It ain't going to be easy.

During rut, I would set up at the blue dots with wind from above. The spot on the left would need a north/west wind, the spot on the right a north or N.E. wind.

[Schneeder]

Thank you for that information Dan! After doing some reading on some of the other posts here and looking at that current property I had started to think some of those spots you marked on a couple points could be possible beds. I didn't expect there to be so many though. Can I ask why those two spots for the rut or at least what you see in those areas? Are you just thinking because of the way the land lays that those two spots should see a lot of usage?

Learning how the lay of the land plays into deer movement is probably going to be my biggest hurdle to learn. It also makes me wonder just how hard it will be to hunt this property then.

[dan]

Both the spots I marked will work as funnels in the rut with a leeward wind, probably even without one, but it would be better with one, and Im all for hunting the best day, rather than burning out a spot on a lesser day...

Bucks are going to do to things when they cruise that terrain looking for does... They are going to travel in timber from wood lot to wood lot making you want to find narrow spots in the timber, and they are going to attempt to do this traveling when possible at the top 1/4 elevation, both of which make those two blue dots excellent rut spots.

[EthanHogan1]

^^^^ wow!! Some awesome information!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[cameron]

Definitely some good info, it looks like a great property to learn on! Good luck with it!

[ Post made via Android ]

[checkerfred]

Dan would that corner in the northwest stand be considered an inside corner too?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

Dan would that corner in the northwest stand be considered an inside corner too?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Yea, possibly, but You have to hunt high there because the bend in the terrain in the valley is going to shift and swirl like crazy...

[checkerfred]

Dan would that corner in the northwest stand be considered an inside corner too?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Yea, possibly, but You have to hunt high there because the bend in the terrain in the valley is going to shift and swirl like crazy...

The wind has been killing me this year so this is interesting to me. So if he setup toward the red line more on top, say 20 foot high do you think that would work? I've been debating on a hand climber to get up really high.

[Schneeder]

Dan would that corner in the northwest stand be considered an inside corner too?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Yea, possibly, but You have to hunt high there because the bend in the terrain in the valley is going to shift and swirl like crazy...

The wind has been killing me this year so this is interesting to me. So if he setup toward the red line more on top, say 20 foot high do you think that would work? I've been debating on a hand climber to get up really high.

This has me interested as well because I did try to play the wind more than usual this year. Most of my hunting has been on farm land that is relatively flat overall. So other then just wind direction itself I hadn't given much thought as to beds, etc mostly due to them bedding on other properties. I'm biting at the bullet to be able to get out there this coming week and check out the spots Dan has pointed out.


I do know the area in green here which unfortunately has a stand in it is a small marsh. It is grown up with what looks like green bamboo to me even though it isn't. Not sure what it is exactly off the top my head. But there are serious trails through there.

[dan]

Dan would that corner in the northwest stand be considered an inside corner too?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Yea, possibly, but You have to hunt high there because the bend in the terrain in the valley is going to shift and swirl like crazy...

The wind has been killing me this year so this is interesting to me. So if he setup toward the red line more on top, say 20 foot high do you think that would work? I've been debating on a hand climber to get up really high.

Yep... Thats what I would do, its not full proof... wind is tricky in these areas and I find that some things in the terrain will cause wind shifts you don't expect, so over time you might find the exact area you need to be.... I have a similar spot on some public in Western Wisconsin I have been hunting for about 8 years and I think I finally got it dialed down to the exact tree I need to be in thru 1 or 2 hunts a hear...