I wanted to update my findings after finally getting to scout the NW area. I scouted it Friday after work so it was more like speed scouting. It is overall thick and not easy to walk through. Southern hunting seems to be based on the thickest, nastiest cover and transitions. The most promising thing that I found on this quick scouting trip was walking through thick cover and then running into an absolute wall of cover (An old clear cut). It was so thick that it got dark around it/inside of it and I thought the sun had gone down and there was no chance that I was going to get down on my knees and crawl through it. I can’t imagine how a mature buck with a decent set of antlers can walk through it, but I know that they do. I did see a trail or two leading into the thicket, but I didn’t get to walk the transition as I was trying to get to a couple more areas. I attached 2 pictures to show the thicket/old clear cut that I’m referring to. Now that I can tell what these clear cuts look like on the map, I can see that there are a few more spread across the property that I can target.
On opening day, would I be better off targeting a transition into a food source since there shouldn’t be pressure yet? Or is a mature buck still going to be spending the majority of his day in the thicket?
Critique my map scouting
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Re: Critique my map scouting
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Re: Critique my map scouting
I do agree with others about the little knobs off ridgesides not being on topo. Course I marked only what the topo could show me. Clearcut edge can be hit or miss depending on pressure that gets back their.
With only 4 south bedding spots on that west side one of them should've held buckbedding. 2 were on the property lines.
It's hard to go by maps due to not knowing how heavily the landowners nearby hunt it. Hopefully you found some good bedding where the clearcut met more open woods.Any movement in that line near the right bedding elevation could be great.
Happy to hear you had a good scout.
If you can find a area with clearcut edge, water and oaks near cover should get onto deer. Depending on if they neighbors food source is current the bucks might be heading North torward food.
I like some of the transitions and movement in these lines. You might find transition bedding on one of these. Several deep cuts in here.
You will probably find trails cutting across that transition like this. The bucks are not going to want to walk around the entire clearcut all the time. Probably will find a rub line.
I'd bet on a scrape being near that south symbol on map during rut.
With only 4 south bedding spots on that west side one of them should've held buckbedding. 2 were on the property lines.
It's hard to go by maps due to not knowing how heavily the landowners nearby hunt it. Hopefully you found some good bedding where the clearcut met more open woods.Any movement in that line near the right bedding elevation could be great.
Happy to hear you had a good scout.
If you can find a area with clearcut edge, water and oaks near cover should get onto deer. Depending on if they neighbors food source is current the bucks might be heading North torward food.
I like some of the transitions and movement in these lines. You might find transition bedding on one of these. Several deep cuts in here.
You will probably find trails cutting across that transition like this. The bucks are not going to want to walk around the entire clearcut all the time. Probably will find a rub line.
I'd bet on a scrape being near that south symbol on map during rut.
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Re: Critique my map scouting
If theres a big rut scrape in that spot with the thermal rise the 2 red circles would be my setup areas provide the scrape is their. And theres no bedding your busting getting too the red circles.
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Rising thermal I'd sit northern red
Falling thermal southern red.
Wind coming from the Northwest to Southeast cold front.
The buck can get up early afternoon and cruise that blue line and smell everything going on the southern part of that clearcut including a scrape.
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Rising thermal I'd sit northern red
Falling thermal southern red.
Wind coming from the Northwest to Southeast cold front.
The buck can get up early afternoon and cruise that blue line and smell everything going on the southern part of that clearcut including a scrape.
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Re: Critique my map scouting
Tennhunter3 wrote:If theres a big rut scrape in that spot with the thermal rise the 2 red circles would be my setup areas provide the scrape is their. And theres no bedding your busting getting too the red circles.
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Rising thermal I'd sit northern red
Falling thermal southern red.
Wind coming from the Northwest to Southeast cold front.
The buck can get up early afternoon and cruise that blue line and smell everything going on the southern part of that clearcut including a scrape.
Screenshot_20200705-162735_Painter.jpg
Great advice. I would check to the right of where his big arrow is. On that backside. I see what appears to be a great saddle in the first images shared. Almost in the center of the image itself. To the right of where it says Army Corp of Engineers.
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Re: Critique my map scouting
Hopefully you scouted itsome on foot.
All the drawn up plans can change quick if others are pressuring it.
Not every transition is good.
I'm not the best at maps but this is how I usually break down my maps. On foot I find alot of things I didn't think I would. Such as point splits or ravines, trees down ect. Maps are only one piece of the puzzle.
Often the bedding is not super obvious but tiny knobs or on a edge of transition. So much you can only learn on foot.
I had a area I scouted last week and the mature bedding wasn't where I expected it. The young bedding was where I thought mature bedding would be. I did eventually find the mature bedding by the parking area lol. Took a entire day to find and was the last place I looked. I'm not always right.
I do think that alot of times bucks like to cruise transition lines if a scrape is upwind or downwind as I explained above. Their may not be a scrape in that spot but it makes since to be one their pre rut.
So many beast are scared to comment on maps due to it being public they hunt or just don't have the time.i do wish more would comment on these type of threads to help new beast.
The best thing you can do is just get out and walk it. You may find nothing or something great. Not all properties hold a shooter.
I do think if 30 or so beast all sit down and draw out how bucks use a property it would greatly help new beast study what we look for. I wish we had more learning threads.
All the drawn up plans can change quick if others are pressuring it.
Not every transition is good.
I'm not the best at maps but this is how I usually break down my maps. On foot I find alot of things I didn't think I would. Such as point splits or ravines, trees down ect. Maps are only one piece of the puzzle.
Often the bedding is not super obvious but tiny knobs or on a edge of transition. So much you can only learn on foot.
I had a area I scouted last week and the mature bedding wasn't where I expected it. The young bedding was where I thought mature bedding would be. I did eventually find the mature bedding by the parking area lol. Took a entire day to find and was the last place I looked. I'm not always right.
I do think that alot of times bucks like to cruise transition lines if a scrape is upwind or downwind as I explained above. Their may not be a scrape in that spot but it makes since to be one their pre rut.
So many beast are scared to comment on maps due to it being public they hunt or just don't have the time.i do wish more would comment on these type of threads to help new beast.
The best thing you can do is just get out and walk it. You may find nothing or something great. Not all properties hold a shooter.
I do think if 30 or so beast all sit down and draw out how bucks use a property it would greatly help new beast study what we look for. I wish we had more learning threads.
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Re: Critique my map scouting
I think in cases like this where a couple of people have provided great input, people think it was answered well already.
A tip I learned also that helps with this kind of mapping is using the IR layer feature in Caltopo online maps. Really helps pick out the foliage transitions that are hard to see with just regular satellite. Of course boots on the ground to see how exactly it is being used.
A tip I learned also that helps with this kind of mapping is using the IR layer feature in Caltopo online maps. Really helps pick out the foliage transitions that are hard to see with just regular satellite. Of course boots on the ground to see how exactly it is being used.
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Re: Critique my map scouting
I had a chance to scout the northern area this past saturday after work. I used google maps and went back a couple of years and noticed what I thought was a logging deck or walking trail cutting through the thicket that we have been focusing on. Sure enough, there is a nice trail (open enough to drive a ATV through) cutting through the thicket all the way up and through the private land. So I moved to the east to the next thicket. As soon as I get to the edge of the thicket, theres another vehicle trail headed north to the private land. Looking at the next thicket to the east on the map, it looks like that one has a vehicle trail headed to the private also. It sucks, but I think I will find another area to try.
This has been a great learning experience. Thanks guys
This has been a great learning experience. Thanks guys
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Re: Critique my map scouting
Randtheman wrote:I had a chance to scout the northern area this past saturday after work. I used google maps and went back a couple of years and noticed what I thought was a logging deck or walking trail cutting through the thicket that we have been focusing on. Sure enough, there is a nice trail (open enough to drive a ATV through) cutting through the thicket all the way up and through the private land. So I moved to the east to the next thicket. As soon as I get to the edge of the thicket, theres another vehicle trail headed north to the private land. Looking at the next thicket to the east on the map, it looks like that one has a vehicle trail headed to the private also. It sucks, but I think I will find another area to try.
This has been a great learning experience. Thanks guys
Hate to hear that.
Yeah private land hunters ruin a lot of good spots when they make atv trails onto public. I've seen some fantastic spots ruined by human pressure.
And cams no longer get pics I once got in areas.
Any huge change to a area logging ,atv etc can make bucks use different areas quickly.
It was once probably a good area to hunt.
At least you have that part of the public now crossed out.
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Re: Critique my map scouting
Just wanting to put this out there, you guys have blown my freaking mind after reading this thread. The level of knowledge is impressive. Understanding thermals, buck activity, tendencies, etc. This is the reason I'm here fellas. Think I may have just found the gold mine of knowledge that I've been looking for to get to the next level.
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