Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew
It?s that time of year again. The sun is hot, the days are long, and the start of hunting season is still a couple of months away. Now is the time that I like to start scouting and finding out where the deer are in my area. In some instances this can be a difficult task, but I do a few things to try to make this task easier.
One of the biggest problems I face is trying to find new stand locations for the fall. I know that some of my favorite spots will produce deer just as they have in previous seasons, but it seems that every time I am in the woods I often wonder what is going on in the next section of woods over from my stand. There are so many good places to hunt that I wish I could sit in all of them at the same time, but obviously that?s not possible! I choose the stand that I think gives me the best chance for action and I hope I make the right decision.
One of the best ways I have found to help with this problem is to scout in the off season and keep scouting into and through deer season. In my opinion, trail cameras are a must for anyone who is serious about killing the big ones. You can set them up in various areas and they help a lot with the questionable spots because you can quickly find out if deer are working that area. This information helps me decide if I should hunt in that area. Game cameras will also help me see exactly where the deer are moving when they change from their summer patterns to their fall patterns.
Another great way to scout deer is to put out some sort of bait in front of your trail cameras. This will give the deer a reason to go in front of your camera. Otherwise you would just have to be lucky to get a deer to walk in front of your camera. One of the best baits to use is corn. Mineral licks and other attractants are sure to work as well but I trust corn the most. In the game zone I live and hunt in corn can be used all the way through hunting season. If you do not have or cannot afford to use trail cameras the next best option for scouting is to get out and see firsthand where the deer are going. I still use this method even when I have the trail cameras up and running because it gets me out of the house and gets me fired up for the upcoming season. I try to be careful not to spook the deer though because it may cause them to change up their patterns if they feel that their old pattern has been compromised.
These are just some of the scouting techniques that I like to use. I hope that they will help you on your next scouting adventure and if you have any questions, want some advice, or have a different way of scouting feel free to comment on this blog. I appreciate any comments and will respond as soon as I can!
Evan