2020 Scouting Reports

[Littleviking88]

I've been checking out a bunch of different WMAs around where I live. I've found some good sign from last year on some spots that show little human traffic. Have come across 2 deadheads and today found the highest rub I've ever seen. The tree is small on diameter but it's a long rub. I also found a nice track, granted it was in some soft snow but it appears to be pretty large regardless. It's been a different experience to actually implement woodsmanship skills and seek out bedding areas and trying to strategize as to how, depending on what is observed in the fall, to hunt the locations that I have been scouting.

[greenhorndave]

New place...

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[headgear]

Finding some nice tracks in some of my spots, still about 12 inches of snow on the ground but scouting is going to be ramping up soon! After ten years of mostly swamp hunting I am pushing myself to get a hill country buck this year.

[Motivated]

Scouted yesterday and found a dead head and another staging area with 9 rubs within 20 yards of each other. About a mile from the truck but an easy walk.

[stash59]

Went for my 1st walk in the woods since last fall. Not really scouting. My hips and the rest of my body, aren't ready for full bore scouting just yet! But do need to do more walking! I saw quite a few rubs near the walking trail I was on. Some from what could have been from 2.5YO's. 1 from maybe a 3YO. The corridor of rubs was heading for the wet area on this piece. So as I gain more strength and get back some endurance. Hopefully I can dive in and get some bedding figured out. I'd be thrilled to kill a 2.5YO this fall!

Drove around abit too again today. Found a flock of at least 35 turkeys. Not on public, but when they split up. A few should end up there. Saw a single long bearded tom in another spot, but not anywhere near public.

Much more fun than staying indoors and watching the Wuhan flu confirmed cases meter rise!!!!!

[Jackson Marsh]

I covered 17 miles this weekend in the hills, it felt great to get out. No sheds but did find one deadhead.

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Marked quite a few stand sites, pretty excited about a few of them.

[Dewey]

I covered 17 miles this weekend in the hills, it felt great to get out. No sheds but did find one deadhead.

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Marked quite a few stand sites, pretty excited about a few of them.

You did a 1/2 mile more than I did last weekend in the hills. I’m slowing down in my old age.

[greenhorndave]

It was wet.

This was old, but impressive nonetheless

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[JAK]

My buddy got me permison to accsess some land locked river bottom through his uncles land. So we went down today to give it a look. River bottoms were flooded out bad but was able to see sign of some good deer. His uncle also gave us the go ahead to walk his for sheds which my buddy has never shed hunted.

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we had a pretty good day shedin. To hear a 35 year old all high pitch with excitment over a shed is awsome.

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Also found numorous big rubs on his uncles property.
So im hopeing that public holds some big deer. Gunna have to go back when water goes back down

[greenhorndave]

That's some good stuff Jak!

[Jackson Marsh]

Very nice jak

[nsmith253]

Been away from the forum since season ended but I'm getting back into it with spring scouting.

Have put in quite a few miles over the last 3 or 4 weekends on public marshes. Found some pretty neat stuff and a few promising areas. I'm getting good at finding the beds now, thinking through the setups are where I'm still struggling but that will come with time.

Was out yesterday and found an overlooked bedding area with hair all in it less than 100 yards from the road. Ag fields across the road. His back is to the cattails and he's facing the woodlot where guys might walk in from the parking area/road. There's a bowl in the steep hillside that pools the thermals down to where he's laying in addition to normal swamp thermals, and when the leaves are down he can see all the way to the crest of the hill



Escape trail out the back



Also found my first dead head in another suspected bedding area, which I was excited about

[Lockdown]

Been away from the forum since season ended but I'm getting back into it with spring scouting.

Have put in quite a few miles over the last 3 or 4 weekends on public marshes. Found some pretty neat stuff and a few promising areas. I'm getting good at finding the beds now, thinking through the setups are where I'm still struggling but that will come with time.

Was out yesterday and found an overlooked bedding area with hair all in it less than 100 yards from the road. Ag fields across the road. His back is to the cattails and he's facing the woodlot where guys might walk in from the parking area/road. There's a bowl in the steep hillside that pools the thermals down to where he's laying in addition to normal swamp thermals, and when the leaves are down he can see all the way to the crest of the hill



Escape trail out the back



Also found my first dead head in another suspected bedding area, which I was excited about

That looks like an awesome spot!



Is anyone using post image? It says the site is down for maintenance the last two days?? Curious if anyone was experiencing the same.

[Marshbuster89]

Nsmith that looks like a killer spot!

[Marshbuster89]

Biggest rub I’ve found so far this year. 8” tree, center of rub was just above my belly button. Dove in to a suspected bedding area about 300 yds from this one rub out in the cattails/boggy stuff and found a small clump of brush and little trees littered with big beds and about 15 different rubs in it. There was also a large community scrape right by the main exit trail. This spot definitely has my attention for a ground pound hunt or 2 this fall

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