What would you do?

[TN Whitetail Freak]

So yesterday I decided to scout a piece of public land I had been eyeballing for 2 years. I finally put boots on the ground and mapped out a 5 mile route hitting all the spots that looked good on map. The scouting mission was disappointment as far as sign I found during the 5 hour walk. I never really found that fresh hot sign or cluster of sign I would set up on or have found in previous years of winter scouting. I found one large bed on a south facing slope toward the end of my route and I found one section that "looks" good but there wasnt any great sign besides one lone rub next to a beaten trail. Initially I told myself when I got back to the truck "this spot ground aint worth any of my time" however I'm torn about making judgement on the first walk through and the fact the county record of 192" was killed less than a mile from this ground. "What if". So. Should I burn it and move on or throw a few sits at the better spots come fall?

[thepennsylvanian]

Well take another hard look at the topo. Eliminate all the areas you have been and looked for the next best areas.
I mean, it's all about options, I don't know the size of the property you are looking at but a 5 hour walk on a property would mean it pretty substantial. Try to plot out where the pressure would be coming from. Remember that you may not have to go "deep" to find that overlooked spot that could hold a good buck!

[Noreast10pt]

I'd probably go back and scout in mid October and verify if there is or isn't any good sign.

[NYBackcountry]

These are the types of areas where i'll utilize cameras in season and leave them alone. I'll set one or two cameras up in the areas i consider to be the most "bucky" and come back after the season.

Lack of buck sign doesnt always mean theres no bucks. I can think of a few areas that look to good not to hold bucks, they have all of the features, particularly heavy cover. They all have 0 buck sign, and I mean 0. Cameras revealed two of the biggest bucks in my area using the inside corner of the cover to move.

[TN Whitetail Freak]

I found my last sign 1.71 miles from my parking where I ran into the public land boundary. I had trumped as far as the state would let me. All public pressure will come from one direction with surrounding private pressure covering the other directions. I found one climber up by the truck and believe it someone hauled a double man ladder stand at 1.5 miles. Appears to have been set in 2018. My thing is should I write it off based on lack of sign

[thepennsylvanian]

I found my last sign 1.71 miles from my parking where I ran into the public land boundary. I had trumped as far as the state would let me. All public pressure will come from one direction with surrounding private pressure covering the other directions. I found one climber up by the truck and believe it someone hauled a double man ladder stand at 1.5 miles. Appears to have been set in 2018. My thing is should I write it off based on lack of sign

I wouldn't write the spot off just yet, one scout can't possibly provide you everything you need to know about the area. I would continue scouting, think outside of the box with it. I wouldn't through sits at it blindly without sign but use what you just found and go back through. You may be missing sign by a couple of yards or they could be bedding right under your nose. I found a bed just after archery season that was behind a ladder stand by about 75 yrds, but when I got in the bed he could see the entry route the guy had, and the buck had cover to get away long before the hunter could have saw him.

[Twenty Up]

Keep looking.

If hunting mature bucks has taught me anything, it’s that Persistence is a virtue and I seriously lack it

[JWandling]

the spot I killed my buck last season I would have never went to had I looked at it on a map. The only reason I walked in there was I knew he was crossing the road after dark. I saw a small finger ridge with oaks 1/4 mile from the road and figured he would hit them. I walked in and found a giant bed and set up. 45 minutes later I shot him. There wasn’t a single rub or scrape anywhere. All the sign was across the road where he was going after dark. The big tracks is what led me to the area.

[Evanszach7]

One of my best spots I found post season scouting 2017, and hunted it for the first time this past season. Very little sign. So little I didn’t go in there until 11/15, and only did then because I was trying to put my brother on his first archery deer. It’s got a double pinch between 2 doe bedding areas with really rough access and no pressure. Post season scouting showed tons of doe tracks and a few lack luster rubs. In-season scouting showed a scrape line I couldn’t see during post season. And 2 nicks more than rubs, but they were chest high.

5 sits between 3 guys resulted in 3 mature buck encounters, and 10 bucks total. Maybe 12 total hours on stand. Bucks between 140-180.

Buck bedding is on surrounding private. Big boys come over after breeding their nearest does.

Dan’s right. Sometimes you’ve just got to throw a sit at it. If you can’t bed hunt it, you might try scouting it for a rut set.

[Weaver.b]

So yesterday I decided to scout a piece of public land I had been eyeballing for 2 years. I finally put boots on the ground and mapped out a 5 mile route hitting all the spots that looked good on map. The scouting mission was disappointment as far as sign I found during the 5 hour walk. I never really found that fresh hot sign or cluster of sign I would set up on or have found in previous years of winter scouting. I found one large bed on a south facing slope toward the end of my route and I found one section that "looks" good but there wasnt any great sign besides one lone rub next to a beaten trail. Initially I told myself when I got back to the truck "this spot ground aint worth any of my time" however I'm torn about making judgement on the first walk through and the fact the county record of 192" was killed less than a mile from this ground. "What if". So. Should I burn it and move on or throw a few sits at the better spots come fall?

Idk how much pressure you are dealing with but I know in my area I have tailored my own game plan.

This time of year in my area I go into scouting knowing it is highly unlikely that I am going to find any fresh mature buck sign. By this time of year any place left to hide has been pressured between the duck hunters rabbit hunters trappers and deer hunters. I more go out and look for areas where I just have to trust the layout is going to produce high odds for early season the next season.

Then once I have those spots I will make sure to be the first one in there for the kill next season. Most people around here dont hit it hard till middle to end of october so that gives me a few weeks to be aggressive and be the first one puttimg the pressure on. Once I burn out my high pressure spots I will move on to stuff that is less pressure

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Idk how much pressure you are dealing with but I know in my area I have tailored my own game plan.

That's the the thing, neither do I. The only thing I have to go on are the stands I found on the scout in. If that's the case, Im only competing with one other guy and the friend's he's told about the spot, and those friends mentioning it to others that more than likely will shrug it off. Evanszach7 you are right, sometimes you just got to throw a few sits at it, hence the reason I'm even on the ropes about even hunting it or not. I struggle hunting new spots not knowing if there are even "worthy" deer in and around the place. My mindset i have to get photo proof of "shooters" to give a spot a "worthy" status, or see a photo of a deer killed in and around the area. It is my kryptonite for sure with that mindset and I have fought that personal flaw for 4 years. I just fear wasting hunts on a spot that hasnt "proven itself". I guess more or less its a personal battle that im continuing to go back and forth with. However, I've already made my mind up that Im definitely going to throw a few sits at the one area I deemed "most probable to see a mature buck".

[may21581]

I agree with the others. Take another long hard look and walk that place real good. Maybe there is a thicket or a hidden area that is overlooked. Also every property sets up differently. Some set up as an early season spot, some are a rut spot, and some are late season spot. Figure out how this property works, use you resources and skills to figure this out. Alot of spots I have are rut spots, come december and january their hugging tight to food and my farms lack this. However I go up to public where the state plants corn and come december and january it's a hot spot because most guys hung their bow up and are done for the season. Also the lack of big sign such as rubs may be due to lack of competiton from other bucks. If you truly believe in this spot then you need to throw a couple hunts at it. One last thing, oak trees go through cycles, maybe there wasnt much food there this year but next year could be different.