R&S 
OWNER/PRESIDENT
Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Jul 7, 2005 9:33:39 GMT -5
What I normally do when going into the deer woods for the first time of the season while scouting is find a corner of a feeding feild. Normally I'll get right into some immediate sign. I look for tracks, droppings and rubs (if they were from last year or not depending on what phase of the breeding cycle they are in at the time I'm scouting) all along the edges of the field. I find trails along the edges of the fields and note which direction they are coming from. Normally I'll try to follow a few big main runs off to the side and look for where they taper off into smaller less frequently used trails. At that point I figure that it would be a good spot to set up a preliminary stand to observe movement from.
My method is to move further back into the woods with every noted sighting of deer. I'll usually get an idea of where the deer are coming from and where they normally like to travel within the woods. I figure there should be some not so distant flanking trails that run parallel to the main trails in which I have been set up over and figure those to be the "lurking buck" runs. I find rubs and scrape lines usually around these areas and I try to figure out "the line". Most times you can tell what direction a buck is heading in the morning and at night by the direction that the rub is facing in direct relation to bedding and feeding areas. This gives me a starting point for a permanent stand location both for the morning and evening hunts.
Staging areas are key for the bowseason and usually I can find that scrape lines and rubs will lead me in the right direction regarding staging area stands. These "lurking buck" trails usually go straight to a good staging area and I normally find lots of good sign there.
So when I scout I look for these things:
1) Main runs
2) Tapering runs
3) Parallel buck trails
4) Rubs
5) Scrape lines
6) Staging areas
7) Morning and evening travel routes
Once I've spent enough hands on time in the woods I should have at least 2-3 stand locations picked out and depending on the right wind and time of day I should stand a good chance for at least seeing a buck.... whether or not I get him is an entirely different matter lol.
What's your scouting tactic?
My method is to move further back into the woods with every noted sighting of deer. I'll usually get an idea of where the deer are coming from and where they normally like to travel within the woods. I figure there should be some not so distant flanking trails that run parallel to the main trails in which I have been set up over and figure those to be the "lurking buck" runs. I find rubs and scrape lines usually around these areas and I try to figure out "the line". Most times you can tell what direction a buck is heading in the morning and at night by the direction that the rub is facing in direct relation to bedding and feeding areas. This gives me a starting point for a permanent stand location both for the morning and evening hunts.
Staging areas are key for the bowseason and usually I can find that scrape lines and rubs will lead me in the right direction regarding staging area stands. These "lurking buck" trails usually go straight to a good staging area and I normally find lots of good sign there.
So when I scout I look for these things:
1) Main runs
2) Tapering runs
3) Parallel buck trails
4) Rubs
5) Scrape lines
6) Staging areas
7) Morning and evening travel routes
Once I've spent enough hands on time in the woods I should have at least 2-3 stand locations picked out and depending on the right wind and time of day I should stand a good chance for at least seeing a buck.... whether or not I get him is an entirely different matter lol.
What's your scouting tactic?
