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Look for sheds—food sources such as acorns, fruit, or nut bearing trees; look for rubbed trees that indicate a buck was there; and look for rub lines that suggest it could be a buck’s core area. If you see a deer in the woods, make note, because it was there for a reason.
What is the best way to scout for deer?
Find Good Bedding Areas One of the first things you should do to locate big deer is to find the most used bedding areas. Follow any trails from the food sources, and they should eventually lead you to some bedding areas. You will know when you find a good bedding area because it should have signs of bucks such as: Beds.
How do you scout for deer season?
The best way to find bucks is to go looking for the clues they leave behind. All of the usual suspects are worth checking out, whether you are a rub hunter, like to sit scrapes, or simply need to find one over-sized, fresh track to put you on the right path.
What to look for when scouting for whitetails?
Whitetail Hot Spots to Scout for Deer Season Bedding Areas. Bucks — especially mature ones — like to bed on leeward (downwind-side) ridges. Water Sources. Bucks frequently cruise along river banks in hopes of picking up the scent of an estrus doe. Food Sources.
How do you scout deer on public land?
Identifying potential hunting sites with online maps is just the first step in scouting public lands. To consistently find deer, you must craft a scouting plan, and visit sites you identified by e-scouting. Look for rubs, scrapes and deer trails that connect bedding areas to feeding areas.
Why do Bucks make rub lines?
Mature bucks become increasingly more daylight active at this time, and haven’t yet abandoned their core areas to seek out hot does. Again, whitetail bucks establish their rub-lines along routes they feel the most comfortable.
What to look for when scouting hunting spots?
When scouting, look for likely edges (transition lines), food sources, water sources, bedding areas, variations in terrain, and any key geographical locations that have the potential to attract deer.
What should I look for in e scouting deer?
The best free cyber scouting resources. Researching the primary wind direction for a given area during the hunting season. Identifying key terrain and vegetation features using online maps. Finding primary access points used by other hunters.
Do Bucks cruise ridges?
Ridges are used as travel ways and sometimes barriers by deer. Deer will generally not walk down the top of a ridge but will instead travel along the ridge a third or quarter of the way down, usually on the downwind side.
How often will a buck visit a rub?
Larry Marchinton and Karl Miller of the University of Georgia, John Ozoga of Michigan DNR, and others show rubbing remains high throughout the breeding season. Bucks often select highly aromatic trees like pines and eastern red cedar to rub on, and amazingly, one buck can make an average of 300 to 400 rubs each fall!Sep 26, 2018.
How often do deer check scrapes?
During the two weeks leading up to peak breeding mature bucks can be expected to make between 6 and 12 scrapes every hour they are on their feet.
How do deer scrapes work?
A scrape is a bare patch of ground shaped like an oval or triangle with an overhanging branch. To make scrapes, deer paw away leaves and debris exposing the soil, which acts as a host for scent they leave behind. They mouth and rub their foreheads on the overhanging branch which also holds scent.
Should you walk on deer trails?
If you know where the deer trails and beds are in your hunting area, then move so you can observe them from the side and do not walk in trails. During the fall, and especially during the rut, deer will bed off a game trail but stay in a position where they can observe other deer possibly moving through the area.
Do Bucks use same trails?
Determine Time of Use Oftentimes, mature bucks will use two separate trails to enter and exit their bedding areas. Therefore, if you find a trail, usually (most of) the tracks will point in the same direction. If these tracks lead away from a bedding area, they’re being laid down of an afternoon.
How do you know when a deer is close?
1. Hearing the signs. An angry squirrel barking or a blue jay sounding the alarm can often alert the hunter to an approaching deer. An experienced woodsman is always listening for changes in the sounds of the woods as other animals will often sound off when startled or angered by the presence of deer.
How do I find hunting locations?
Start with your state wildlife agency website, which will usually have a page for public lands. Narrow your search down to your area of interest. Also try national forests, county lands, or regional parks. If nothing else, pick up the phone and reach out to your nearest agency office to get some feedback.
Should you hunt scrapes or rubs?
Although scrapes can attract deer and influence their behavior, rubs are a much more effective signpost for deer. As noted by such experts as John J. Ozoga, bucks make rubs to show dominance. That’s why mature bucks usually make the most and biggest rubs each season.
How far do Bucks travel during pre rut?
Mature Buck Travels 200 Miles, 8 1/2 Miles Per Day During Rut.
Why do deer scratch their antlers on trees?
Bucks make “rubs” by rubbing their antlers on the base of the trees (1). They do this to mark their territory, show their dominance and intimidate other bucks. When bucks rub their antlers against a tree, it scrapes the surface of the xylem and removes the cambium at the base of the tree trunk.
