Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

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MOBIGBUCKS
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Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:42 pm

Hey guys,

Next year I want to work on perfecting some of my in season scouting tactics. I've read and seen several of Andre's interviews and he always alludes to scouting in season more than actual hunt time. I do this too, but I think I'm a little weak in comparison....LOL I want to get better. Can you guys illustrate to me how you stay on top of fresh sign during the season without spooking your intended targets? I have thought about using trailcameras more but I think they spook more deer during season because of scent. How are you guys scouting during season and keeping the scent away from your bucks? Feel free to post up your tactics...I'm all ears :)

Dan, maybe you can shed some light on how exactly Andre goes about doing this.


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cornfedkiller
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:50 pm

Subscribed...Been wanting to learn the same thing!

I always hear him talk about reading sign that other people miss..Is this sign that we are all looking for but dont see, or is he looking for something different?
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby Milk Weed Seed » Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:57 pm

Same here, I always say I'm going to pace myself and scout twice as much as I hunt. Somehow I always screw it up and it seems like I hunt four times as much as I scout...... Would like to learn how to have a little self control. Also interested in the sign other people don't see too?
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:39 pm

Milk Weed Seed wrote:Same here, I always say I'm going to pace myself and scout twice as much as I hunt. Somehow I always screw it up and it seems like I hunt four times as much as I scout...... Would like to learn how to have a little self control. Also interested in the sign other people don't see too?


X2 Exactly! It makes me mad thinking about waisted opportunities I didn't key in on! Hopefully, this thread can get all of us goin in the right direction.
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:31 pm

ttt
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby PLB » Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:22 pm

I don't hunt many mornings early season instead I walk new areas and try to find a smoking fresh spot. If I find one I'm hunting there that evening, wind permitting.

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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby Hunter74 » Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:40 pm

I'd like to know what he really means and does for this too... The biggest thing would be actually goin out and investigating inside the woods, how do you do that without educating the deer too much...

I pay attention to what's happening in the woods while I'm on stand and look for sign while walking to and from my stand and adjust where and how I'm hunting based on what I see... But I don't really go what I would consider scouting during the season for fear of educating the deer

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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby PredatorTC » Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:50 pm

I did a lot more in season scouting this year in the early and late season and my results we actualy pretty good to my surprise. To sum it up, I knew where there were a lot of good deer hanging out because of shinning. Most of these bucks were in areas that I never hunted before so I had to do some in season scouting. One of my biggest helpers were muddy cornfields. Whenever there would be a rain I would walk cornfields and look for where huge tracks were cutting into swamps or thickets. Most of the time it would be a faint trail where the big tracks cut in and I worked my way in and took it from there. I would walk this trail until it looked like it could be a bedding area and then I would set up. I had a few kinda close calls doing this. If I did not hear anything or see anything where I set up I would move in deeper the next night. One time, I moved in deeper and deeper like this three nights in a row and on the third night I ended up settin up too close to the bucks bed and jumping the buck.

I once thought that If you hunted a bucks trail out of his bed that he would smell where you were after you hunted that night and never come down that trail again. Im learning that that is not the case. I think these pressured deer are used to smelling human scent not in there staging area and your ok getting closer and closer until you get in his safe zone. THis is a new strategy for me that im going to play with because I think im onto something. Mybe Dan already talked aobu this at some time though.

Another example: Look at the buck Dan shot this year. A bunch of people were setting up over the bucks rubs that he made at night. I assume people just sat there waiting for the buck night after night. The buck knew the spot was being hunted and did not come thorough that spot till dark. But if someone would have followed the trail with the night rubs they could have gotten closer to the bed and mybe even saw the buck in the distance and made a plan of attack. I guess when I say this, Im speaking from the viewpoint of someone who is trying to figure the buck out. Not Dan who knew what the buck was doing.
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:52 pm

PredatorTC wrote:I once thought that If you hunted a bucks trail out of his bed that he would smell where you were after you hunted that night and never come down that trail again. Im learning that that is not the case. I think these pressured deer are used to smelling human scent not in there staging area and your ok getting closer and closer until you get in his safe zone. THis is a new strategy for me that im going to play with because I think im onto something. Mybe Dan already talked aobu this at some time though.

Another example: Look at the buck Dan shot this year. A bunch of people were setting up over the bucks rubs that he made at night. I assume people just sat there waiting for the buck night after night. The buck knew the spot was being hunted and did not come thorough that spot till dark. But if someone would have followed the trail with the night rubs they could have gotten closer to the bed and mybe even saw the buck in the distance and made a plan of attack. I guess when I say this, Im speaking from the viewpoint of someone who is trying to figure the buck out. Not Dan who knew what the buck was doing.


I think you are on to something there too Joe, and I can see your point..

Just like the placing trailcams out on field edges, etc doesnt tend to alarm them and cause them to relocate, it makes sense that hunting there wouldnt either - They dont know the difference between you hunting there or checking a camera.

As long as its somewhere that they dont plan to be until after dark, you are probably alright...
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby Ridgerunner7 » Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:16 am

Where I hunt in Michigan this is very difficult. My biggest piece of ground I hunt besides public is 80 acres with half of that being open. The rest of my spots are under 40 acres. I know these farms inside and out so inseason scouting for me on these places consists of monitoring trail cams in easy to check places. I also always set at least a few "observation" stands. These are set high overlooking thick bedding cover or travel areas a safe distance away so I can enter/exit undetected. When I see the information I want I move in right then. During October my hunts usually consist of these observation stands with calculated movements when I get information that I think I can capitalize on. Otherwise I'd just be guessing and on these small parcels that's just too risky. Walking around would surely bump deer out of the small bedding areas entirely or on to my neighbors. The 80 acre piece has 5 tree stands parked near the property lines so the neighbors are just sitting there waiting. When November comes I'm just persistant sitting in high percentage areas until it all comes together. Then back to scouting/trail cams/observations for December.

Now on bigger pieces out of state or public..I have limited time and will wear out the boots looking for hot sign if need be. The chucks of land are much larger and bumping a deer a few hundred yards isn't going to ruin my hunting season. If my spring scounting and stand sets just don't seem to be cutting it when I'm hunting, i'll usualy do what Dan or Andrae do and start scouting with a stand on my back until I find something hot..then hang and hunt.

I'll be interested to hear what Andrae/Dan do differently.
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby jlh42581 » Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:46 am

In season scouting comes in many forms for me.

1: cams
2: observation stands, If I cant pinpoint it theres really no reason to just sit in the woods
3: follow old logging roads, scrapes open up here, so do rubs. if I start seeing scrapes on field edges, that tells me they are probably scraping the logging roads too
4: muddy fields or snow

Because I hunt public probably the number one thing I do is scout other guys during season. Rather than going out to hunt opening morning, Ill get up as if I am going to hunt but Ill ride the roads of all the areas I hunt and see where other guys are hunting so I can try to avoid them. Most people here dont scout in spring or summer so I cant get a read on where other guys will be come fall.

Sometimes, Ill flat out beat an area down with walking and consider it shot till next year. Sure, it might be done this year but if I am not seeing indication or am I on the trail of a big buck who cares. That intel could pay off next year when there is a big one on that property. Also, Ill burn out spots that I dont hunt but I know deer frequent just to see what the heck theyre doing.

One of my others isnt really that effective but it helps understanding deer behavior. Quite a few locals have captive herds, Ill go see what theyre doing, are they up feeding mid day, are they seperated from the doe's? Are they rubbing and scraping?
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:30 am

All great info guys. Keep it coming
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby Ack » Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:04 am

The buck I killed this fall was a direct result of in-season scouting. Granted, it was rut time, but if I hadn't gotten down out of my stand that morning and went for a short walk, I would might not have punched a tag in that woods. After climbing down and taking a quick walk through the woods, I found a wet scrape and several good sized rubs. Then I actually "soft bumped" him out of his bedding area in the middle of the hardwoods. Came back a week or so later with the right wind and the same buck came in on a string.

I think in-season scouting is much more productive during pre-rut and rut when the bucks are laying down sign......read that sign right and you'll be in the game.
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Re: Andre's In Season Scouting Tactics

Unread postby GRFox » Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:25 am

We have no fields to shine in any of my spots. No crop fields to look for tracks, and not a lot of land to work with. My key this year I think is going to be to find as much buck bedding as possible and bounce around and hunt them when the conditions are right. I wanted to scout more in season this year, but It is just too hard not to hunt! :D


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