Scouting for Beds -When is a good time?

[rfickes87]

I couldn't think of a better subject title. So i have some random questions. The wind has been west here in PA for weeks straight. Im finding east leeward bedding all over. The times I've gone out, one day it was a rare east wind and another time it rained right after i scouted. I feel like this aids in not spooking deer. On an east wind they shouldn't be in there and also a thunderstorm with heavy rain helps wash my scent away, right? Does this stuff matter to you pro beast hunters? Do these types of conditions help boost your confidence? that in theory your less likely to spook deer?
I feel like I'm getting better and better at finding beds, i look at the weather all the time when hunting new beds. It goes hand and hand. But should i try and make my human interference also be based on weather? I once hung a camera in bedding on an east wind day and the very next day a west wind came and i had a 3 1/2 year old on camera and he kept coming back. These experiences make me think it helped that I went on on an east wind. Am i talking out of my rearend or is there something to this?

[tgreeno]

Are you are talking about off season scouting? If so, I wouldn't worry so much about the wind direction. In 6 months when your season starts again those deer aren't going to remember you walking thru the bedding area.

I scout as often as I can, as much as I can in the off-season!

[Wlog]

There are pros and cons.

If you scout an area when you expect the deer to be there you can learn from that. For instance, what was their escape route, what bedding area did they run to after they got jumped, what was the wind direction they were bedded there on, how could I get to these beds without being detected and so on.

But say it's an area you are already pretty familiar with and you're trying to fine tune your setups. In that case I might go in there like you're describing and trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. Especially if I know there is a specific buck I'm targeting and I want him to stay comfortable there. That being said, you really have no control over how the deer will react. You have to scout when you have the free time. I'd rather jump one buck that never comes back and completely learn what I need to than risk missing my opportunity to scout the spot and waste multiple hunts setup wrong off an assumption. If that rambling makes sense.

[rfickes87]

There are pros and cons.

If you scout an area when you expect the deer to be there you can learn from that. For instance, what was their escape route, what bedding area did they run to after they got jumped, what was the wind direction they were bedded there on, how could I get to these beds without being detected and so on.

But say it's an area you are already pretty familiar with and you're trying to fine tune your setups. In that case I might go in there like you're describing and trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. Especially if I know there is a specific buck I'm targeting and I want him to stay comfortable there. That being said, you really have no control over how the deer will react. You have to scout when you have the free time. I'd rather jump one buck that never comes back and completely learn what I need to than risk missing my opportunity to scout the spot and waste multiple hunts setup wrong off an assumption. If that rambling makes sense.

That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the response.

[rfickes87]

One question remains for me. In regards to rain in general... Do you guys think it washes scent away? What have you guys noticed?

[dan]

At this time of year I would scout it once, set it up, and get out and not worry about spooking deer. As far as rain, I believe it washes your scent away and have seen evidence of that, but it takes a good heavy rain, and in a forest with a canopy it can remain where the rain misses. Light rain sometimes don't cut it... Wind works well to dissipate scent too. But you can have the same issue of spots the wind doesn't hit.