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tbsportsman
Posts: 348 Deckhand
I'm sick of the bickering... Let's talk scouting.
tbsportsman
Posts: 348 Deckhand
When you are checking out a new area where do you start? What do you look for?
I hunt an area that had a lot of pine flatwoods that is similar for thousands of acres. I plan to hit a couple areas that have a lot of hardwoods first. I plan to walk the transition lines and look for well used trails. Old rubs will be good, but I don't plan on ruling an area out if it doesn't have them. I also plan on looking for human sign and will nix an area if there is much of it. There is to much property out there to get cramped by other hunters. I am going to hang some cameras and see what I get. I am hoping to get a better idea of where the deer are bedding and I will be looking for some fall food destinations.
How about you guys?
I hunt an area that had a lot of pine flatwoods that is similar for thousands of acres. I plan to hit a couple areas that have a lot of hardwoods first. I plan to walk the transition lines and look for well used trails. Old rubs will be good, but I don't plan on ruling an area out if it doesn't have them. I also plan on looking for human sign and will nix an area if there is much of it. There is to much property out there to get cramped by other hunters. I am going to hang some cameras and see what I get. I am hoping to get a better idea of where the deer are bedding and I will be looking for some fall food destinations.
How about you guys?
Replies
The first thing I usually look for are pockets of hammock. Most of the areas I hunt on public or private are pine flatwoods. Therefore the occasional hammock here and there is an oddity worth checking out both as a blip in the habitat and a possible food source if acorns are being produced. I then let the sign I see dictate where I go from there.
I look for Funnels first , Bedding areas between the Funnels , Then Oaks last.
Oaks are a Great food source...sometimes. If all you do is hunt Oaks...you ain't shot much.
Only the Northern Tier of County's get cold enough to kill Vegatation. The rest of the State always has green of some kind.
They'll hit them Oaks when their dropping...maybe at first light. Maybe Midnight ..
Rest of the time deer are layin down or moseying and snacking.
Funnels , every deer that comes along has to use them...high travel.
Bedding areas , They feed from Bedding areas to the next Bedding areas'
They ALL travel thru Funnels.
I learned from the Master how a Deer lives
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Twitter- @deerdeal
Facebook & Instagram- @huntinggeardeals
had 2 velvet bucks come out on the logging road. One was a young buck, other looks like he may be outside the ears when developed...nice wide rack. Interestingly enough they never came to the feeder...they browsed for 30 min 300 yards from it...and it has been slinging corn for almost a year.
we put out several new cameras on the lease looking for some traffic areas. Hope to pull them this weekend.
Twitter- @deerdeal
Facebook & Instagram- @huntinggeardeals
It's a hard low protein feed. Woods are full of that right now. Only way to Addict deer to corn is to Bam it up like Lee and Tiff do with that big feeder they got on camera. Otherwise it's just a hard low pro. food.
The woods are slap full of green right now. Blackberrys are in full fruit at my camp...millions of them. I'll see some deer this weekend from the deck snacking on them. Hogs too. It's Candy.
Come Winter the green is looking ugly and the Patterns will change as the food source evolves.
But they'll still travel Funnels...:banana
Them same Blackberry vines make a good Funnel.
A couple rows of Pines thick with them needles on a string will make deer go around the ends.
If you don't want to walk thru it...neither do they.
1. where do the deer bed?
2. where is the preferred food source during the season?
3. how far is the nearest stand and it is between the area and bedding area?
4. how can I access the stand without being detected both going to the stand and leaving the stand. I never leave a stand with deer in the area this is the best way to ruin a location.
5. what is the prevailing wind direction during the hunting season? I have found that putting the stands South or SE of the travel routes or foodplots usually works out best. During the season.
And finally I use my gut feeling about the lay of the land does it look bucky. If you are asking yourself what is "Bucky?" Keep at this game long enough and when you see it you will know what I was referring to today.
There is no substitute for a bucky area. It is the kind of place that you know an old buck has grown old in it is protected by water or another private property. It is difficult to access not close to the road. It screams out big bucks live here. You will know once you have come across this special piece of earth that only a hunter can feel in his bones that this the place.
How much more growth will we see before they lose their velvet?
Our lease is on the St Johns / Flagler County line...So we should have a few weeks more.
I think this deer is this 4- Point from last year, picture below, ...he was a good looking 4 point and we know he survived the season.
I was hoping it was this buck, last time he was seen was last Dec at night. I don't believe it is. We got him only one or two times on camera during the day...we have got several shots...but didn't hang around much.
We hope he survived...if so, he should be real nice this year.