Getting Ready For 2020

[funderburk]

Our season here in SC officially ended yesterday. That means TODAY is the first day of post-season prep for 2020. This time of year my favorite thing to do is dive right in the middle of everything and find out all that I may have missed: where they're bedding, how they're traveling, where they're scraping...I just love it!! My ultimate post-season goal is to find as many primary scrape areas as I can. I only knew of five going into this past season. I ended up not having a solid plan of attack on any of them. I have a ton of other smaller goals, but finding those primary scrapes areas will drive the majority of my scouting, obviously with bedding and travel routes in mind.

So, what is your biggest goal for 2020?

[psearchery89]

Scout more and to just have fun. Some times I take it too seriously and need to just slow down a bit and enjoy it

[jkelley1487]

Scout more and to just have fun. Some times I take it too seriously and need to just slow down a bit and enjoy it

Same here. I’ll scout a good amount and already have since tagging out in Nov, but I don’t want to make it into a second job. If I don’t get to check out all the spots I want to, no big deal.

[Marshbuster89]

I spent about 11 hours between yesterday and today scouting for 2020 here in Wisconsin. My main goal for this year is to shoot a mature public buck in a new property I’ve never hunted, or catch up to one that has been kicking my but that last few years.

Excited for September!

[mauser06]

For me, I want to keep at it. I want to add atleast a few more early season setups.


I want to continue picking apart the big woods...


I want to focus my hunting on the swamps and marshes the first few weeks and move to the big woods and hills when they start getting froggy.


I'd like to knock on some doors close to the house and get some private permission. I have some public nearby...but a lot of stuff is 30-75mins away. That eats up some time I could be in a tree...or days I wanna hunt before/after work, I'd be more prone to do so if it was a couple minutes and easier access. I THINK I can get permission from the 2 land owners in my back yard and literally have access to a couple hundred acres. A couple great looking funnels...one absolutely nasty looking piece of old strip mine stuff that was clear cut 10 years or so ago... between the strip mine pits and the nasty thick, I think it aughta hold a couple slobs...

The driving just eats up a lot of time and having some real close properties would help. And I can monitor the properties for pressure and keep eyes on the deer...shining, cameras, quick scouting in season etc.

If I drive an hour or so, and have another hour or so into the set, I loose a lot of valuable time.

[Lockdown]

My goal has always been a 3.5+ on public, but what I really want to kill in 2020 is a 4.5 or older. A truly mature buck.

I’m branching out to some new areas this year. I’m looking forward to seeing some fresh ground!

[Swedishbowhunter]

I am already pouring over maps of public making plans to scout it in the next few weeks. I also need to find some new private to take my kids on, gonna start knocking on some doors this week.

[BJ99Robinson]

I found a great spot for the rut next year on private ground. I need to get in there while the ground if frozen and trim out a tree.

[SplitG2]

Force myself to hunt more in October. I don’t hunt much in October because I absolutely hate hot weather, when I’m hunting I like for it to feel like hunting season and I just have a hard time feeling like I’m hunting when it’s hot out. That’s a completely stupid reason for not taking advantage of the early season, I know so I’ve got to get over that cause I know I’m missing opportunities.

[Twenty Up]

To find the deadhead of the fat boy I shot on Nov 3

7 cameras out looking and all his rublines have dried up since, I’m afraid the strain was more than he could bear

[Boogieman1]

My biggest goals as far as scouting goes. Is to figure out if maybe travel patterns changed/doe bedding , or there just wasn’t no studs in a few of the areas I hunted this year. Depending on what that shows I would like to figure out why. After going through a scorcher of a December, I need to add a dozen high odd locations for Southernly winds to my options. Would like to travel a bit and scout 1 or 2 places I’ve never been. I always try to take a step back and figure out what I can do to make my best spots better. Pretty sure I will lose access to Atleast one small piece of private so I would like to add a couple for options. Other than that learn all I can b4 mid Feb when the crappie start calling my name.

[treeroot]

My goal is to take my kids out "scouting" and or shed hunting more this year. At 4 and 6 it can be mentally straining if I'm trying to cover ground quickly. So I hope I settle down mentally and enjoy more father and sons time.

Goal wise I'm sticking to the same plan. Find and kill a good/ decent buck for the area. As a weekend only hunter after stepping back from chasing only the biggest (pre kids years) to 110"+ I'm enjoying it more. Setting realistic goals for the very limited time I have. Plus if I tag out early it gives me time to venture back to pa again for a few Saturdays.

My real hope is to take the kids to pa and backpack on the mountain for a back country picnic in early spring. They're always asking to go where I hunt in PA, and i should take them.

[OldMtnMan]

My only goal is to stay healthy and strong enough to keep hunting. If I can do that the rest falls in place.

[NorthStar]

Scout more and to just have fun. Some times I take it too seriously and need to just slow down a bit and enjoy it

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