Lockdown wrote:First time scouting this area this year. 56 miles traveled, 6 deer seen
Off night I guess! I did see a nice up and coming two year old buck.
You must be down by me, that would be a good night seeing that many deer....
Lockdown wrote:First time scouting this area this year. 56 miles traveled, 6 deer seen
Off night I guess! I did see a nice up and coming two year old buck.
lunger wrote:Hi,
I’ve been hunting for about five years. No prior experience. Bow hunting in suburbs of Massachusetts. I’ve been putting in a ton of time scouting this year in hopes of upping my game and getting a big buck. I wanted to know when I hear about hunting “hot sign” what does that mean? Does that mean your only setting up on sign you see from in season scouting? Are you scouting instead of hunting in season looking for the hot sign and then setting up on it? Are you looking primarily for scrapes, rubs, tracks, scat or all of the above. Just really wanted to know what hot sign means to you and how you’re using the information to hunt. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
greenhorndave wrote:lunger wrote:Hi,
I’ve been hunting for about five years. No prior experience. Bow hunting in suburbs of Massachusetts. I’ve been putting in a ton of time scouting this year in hopes of upping my game and getting a big buck. I wanted to know when I hear about hunting “hot sign” what does that mean? Does that mean your only setting up on sign you see from in season scouting? Are you scouting instead of hunting in season looking for the hot sign and then setting up on it? Are you looking primarily for scrapes, rubs, tracks, scat or all of the above. Just really wanted to know what hot sign means to you and how you’re using the information to hunt. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
Hey, and welcome to the Beast!
The short answer is yes. Your off-season scouting should serve as the foundation for your in-season scouting for hot sign, so those rubs and scrapes you found can be the basis for checking your spots. There’s obviously more to it than that, but doing some searches on nighttime scrapes and rubs might help because location of those things will dictate when they might be being used.. But the keys are “when was the sign made and how you can cue in on it?” You’ll know fresh tracks, poop, scrapes and rubs when you see them. That’s the start of your discovery and planning. Where do you hunt that day and why? Got to think about time of day, wind, expect travel,etc. But when you find it, set up on it. It might only wind up serving as an observation sit, but will provide intel no matter what. I ran into some incredibly fresh and good-sized buck turds in a place I’d never been before last season. Jet black, wet and shiny. I had my mind set on an opening just 30 yards away but the turd quantity and freshness should have tipped me off that I needed to chill and set up on the ground immediately. I didn’t and the buck and I surprised each other at 2 PM in September (we were both moving around slowly and in thick cover and pretty much bumped into each other without warning) and I didn’t get a shot. I was in his core area. That’s one example I can give of finding and being ready when you hit that hot sign. Same with an ag county scrape. It was in an overloaded spot and I put a camera up. I passed on an OK two-year old that I regretted a bit at the end of the season, but I knew there was a bigger buck in the neighborhood. Again, a cluster of scrapes so fresh that the hoof marks were so sharp and defined it looked like scalpels had cut the dirt and the dirt was wet.
lunger wrote:greenhorndave wrote:lunger wrote:Hi,
I’ve been hunting for about five years. No prior experience. Bow hunting in suburbs of Massachusetts. I’ve been putting in a ton of time scouting this year in hopes of upping my game and getting a big buck. I wanted to know when I hear about hunting “hot sign” what does that mean? Does that mean your only setting up on sign you see from in season scouting? Are you scouting instead of hunting in season looking for the hot sign and then setting up on it? Are you looking primarily for scrapes, rubs, tracks, scat or all of the above. Just really wanted to know what hot sign means to you and how you’re using the information to hunt. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
Hey, and welcome to the Beast!
The short answer is yes. Your off-season scouting should serve as the foundation for your in-season scouting for hot sign, so those rubs and scrapes you found can be the basis for checking your spots. There’s obviously more to it than that, but doing some searches on nighttime scrapes and rubs might help because location of those things will dictate when they might be being used.. But the keys are “when was the sign made and how you can cue in on it?” You’ll know fresh tracks, poop, scrapes and rubs when you see them. That’s the start of your discovery and planning. Where do you hunt that day and why? Got to think about time of day, wind, expect travel,etc. But when you find it, set up on it. It might only wind up serving as an observation sit, but will provide intel no matter what. I ran into some incredibly fresh and good-sized buck turds in a place I’d never been before last season. Jet black, wet and shiny. I had my mind set on an opening just 30 yards away but the turd quantity and freshness should have tipped me off that I needed to chill and set up on the ground immediately. I didn’t and the buck and I surprised each other at 2 PM in September (we were both moving around slowly and in thick cover and pretty much bumped into each other without warning) and I didn’t get a shot. I was in his core area. That’s one example I can give of finding and being ready when you hit that hot sign. Same with an ag county scrape. It was in an overloaded spot and I put a camera up. I passed on an OK two-year old that I regretted a bit at the end of the season, but I knew there was a bigger buck in the neighborhood. Again, a cluster of scrapes so fresh that the hoof marks were so sharp and defined it looked like scalpels had cut the dirt and the dirt was wet.
Great! Thanks a lot. That was very helpful. Will give me plenty to work on pre and in season. Thanks again.
austin1990 wrote:I made a hot 4.5 miles today here in south AR, but found lots of good stuff! This was a major creek crossing, coming from bedding area to a couple different food sources, and activity should only pick up once acorns start fallen20210801_080921.jpg
Found a bunch of persimmons dropping already and couple deer are starting to find them
20210801_084315.jpg
This was a great buck bed I found in a killer spot. Bed was on top of a pond levee, in the shadow of willow trees. Water to his back and he could see 200 yards across the open ground from the bed and slip out unseen. No idea how or if I even will try to hunt it. But still good to know. 20210801_092550.jpg
This was actually a killer trail I found, each trail went to either side of that point of hardwoods that ran out into the open bedding, trails coming from the bedding met right there. Several oaks and persimmons were around there, hopefully itll be a good early season spot
20210801_094835.jpg
Lots of hog sign found as well20210801_093842.jpg
And last but not least. Found some good gator tracks in a creek bed between a pond and one of the lakes in the area. This is a front right and left rear foot prints20210801_113704.jpg
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