Scouting can make or break a season. Although whitetail deer have a core travel area, their movements and bedding practices aren’t constant. Drought, poor mast crop, a timber cut, or crop harvest will alter the movement of whitetail deer and the only way to learn of these changes is to observe them.
In agricultural areas, it’s common for deer to live in cornfields which makes them difficult to scout. However, when the crop is cut, the entirety of that eco-system disappears and deer are forced to live elsewhere. Likewise with a year of abundant hard mast. Acorns are a favored food and an abundant crop will lure deer to oak stands where they feed with abandon.
Hunt and Scout
Josh Honeycutt does a solid job with these 12 tips so that you can scout without doing more harm than good. Scouting while hunting makes a great #13. if you enjoy hunting fall turkeys with your bow, you will cover a lot of ground so keep your eyes open for fresh buck scrapes and deer concentrations. If your favorite tree stands suddenly turns cold, don’t hesitate to sneak around, bow in hand. Be as unobtrusive as possible, yet you may find that deer have moved or are concentrating on a new food source. Stalking whitetail deer is difficult, but occasionally, you can get in their way and have a buck walk step up to the “plate.”
12 Tips.
Scouting is the most important step in killing a deer. Any deer. It’s difficult to walk into an area, pick a random tree, and experience consistent success without it. That’s why countless hours are spent each year preparing for the hunt. In fact, for me, more time is usually spent on scouting and preparing for the hunt than the hunt itself. So here are 12 tips to help you scout successfully this year.
https://www.realtree.com/brow-tines-and-backstrap/12-tips-for-scouting-for-deer
