2021 scouting reports

[Sparkey]

When is post season scouting not as effective? If the ground isnt frozen is it too late or is it just as stuff grows it covers up sign

[Dewey]

When is post season scouting not as effective? If the ground isnt frozen is it too late or is it just as stuff grows it covers up sign

I like looking for beds right up till green up. If you find a well worn bed from fall and then notice it’s still matted down when green vegetation just starts coming up you likely found primary bedding that’s used year round.

Problem with a lot of post season scouting is you may be working with sign from a buck that’s already dead. I like soft ground and current beds to identify tracks and bedding areas from deer still alive.

[greenhorndave]

When is post season scouting not as effective? If the ground isnt frozen is it too late or is it just as stuff grows it covers up sign

I like looking for beds right up till green up. If you find a well worn bed from fall and then notice it’s still matted down when green vegetation just starts coming up you likely found primary bedding that’s used year round.

Problem with a lot of post season scouting is you may be working with sign from a buck that’s already dead. I like soft ground and current beds to identify tracks and bedding areas from deer still alive.

Good suggestions Dewey. I feel like I’ve been burned by the “already dead” part.

[mipubbucks24]

Went turkey scouting yesterday on some commercial forest property an hour from my house. Ended up on some new public, and it looks awesome. Great bedding area with apple or crab apple trees right in the middle. The southern end of the bedding was a primary scrape rut hub area. Only found a couple stands. Really looks like an overlooked spot but more scouting is needed. I always plan on turkey scouting and end up deer scouting. The commercial forest was a complete bust not a drop of water on the property and no deer or turkeys either.

[Twig41019]

After watching Dan's videos all winter long, I've been itching to get out scouting this spring and finally with most of the snow gone I can finally do so without trudging through deep snow. Checking out lots of secluded islands and transition lines, where I found lots of sign in areas I never would have scouted before. Issues I'm still struggling with is the access. Always seems like I can't avoid bedding due to the private property lines. Will see come fall how the access will work. First timer here and thanks for the add. Here's a bed I found near a beaver pond.

[Trail]

Just got the Hill Country Bedding dvd in the mail today. Plan on watching it thoroughly and hitting the hills to scout this weekend.

[MichiganMike]

Had the day off so Finally made it out today. Went to the marsh area where I shot last years buck to get some more intel on him and possibly his friends. Lot of small rubs and came across a few beds. Went over to the north side of marsh about a half mile from where I shot him and came across much higher and larger rubs. Not sure if it’s from him but we’ll find out this year. Always a good buck that inhabits this area because it holds lots of doe groups.
Last pic is a view from buck bed watching the access from high ground. Man their smart!

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[Linwood'sfinest]

I didn't do the stick thing but I did wrap his gun rope up around his tree pegs. Great tips guys. Really glad to be able to talk with like minded people. Get out and enjoy the spring woods before the skeeters come out.

[Twig41019]

Went for a quick walk tonight after work with a buddy. We found an area we wanted to look at that had 3 adjacent clear cuts cut 2 winters ago. The boardering landscape was mostly old growth poplar, a creek bottom, and tag alders. My eyes were on the thick transition between the alders and cuts. I went to the far back clear cut furthest away from the access point. Walking the ridge just up from the alders I spotted some decent rubs. The continued forward to where a point came into the cut and dropped down into the alders. I then proceeded towards some lone tameracks and found fall beds under most. ( I forgot to mention most of the scouting I was keeping the wind to my face). At this point I had no choice but to start walking with the wind to my back because I was coming to the private land. It didn't take long before I jumped him. Yup even after walking through the grass and noisey alders he waited till he could smell what the noise was. I found his bed. So I proceeded out to pick THE TREE. Now to set a camera and stay out till fall. Thanks Dan for all the knowledge.

[Trout]

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Got a better understanding of a couple spots I've been overlooking in the past. The purple shape is an area of thick pines surrounding by mature hardwoods- oaks/maple/beech/poplar/ash. North is up. The dotted line is a hiking loop that gets frequent use by non-hunters. Lots of historical rubs that are both waist high and on large diameter trees around that southern border of the pines. Also a scrape from last year and a heavy runway that enters/exits the pines plus j hooks into them to enter the bedding on the southeast side. There were a couple medium height rubs from last season there, too, plus one taller rub- centered about mid thigh high- shown by the top rub marker. I found two trees that could work to shoot that runway, but man, I'm struggling to figure out how to get that close if a buck is bedding there- found no visible beds, but I feel like it's for sure a bedding area. Those red lines are smaller ridges that don't show up on topo but set up perfect as a thermal hub on a rising thermal. A buck can bed on that southern edge of the pines on a northerly wind and smell and see for quite a ways everything in the valley below from rising thermals coming up the hub, plus smell anything that walks by that hiking trail from the northerly wind. He has acorns dropping right there, the only thing missing is a nearby water source. The closest I know of is a mud puddle on a logging trail 400yds away.

It could be a candidate for a morning sit, I think I could get in and setup with an access from the south. Kinda tempted to throw a cell cam on that south edge of the pines to see whats using the area.

[szwampdonkey]

There are no more hidden gems.

If you find it with Onx or something i’m finding so have 5 other guys, especially this year. All you can do is out hunt people at this point because if it’s public people are on it, even swamps now.

What state are you in? I've seen this too in MN. I'm going to check out some remote stuff this weekend hopefully I don't find much hunter sign.

Im in WI, SE WI specifically. Spots ive literally hunted for decades and considered "honey holes" id hunt only a couple times a year now have permanent treestands (totally illegal), trails cut through brush, and trail cams hanging year round.

These are NOT easily accessible spots. I can only attribute it to social media, Youtube, and those apps like Onyx.

Personally im looking more for spots that require a mile long walk over hot coals now in the hopes ill find an unmolested spot.

[szwampdonkey]

There are no more hidden gems.

If you find it with Onx or something i’m finding so have 5 other guys, especially this year. All you can do is out hunt people at this point because if it’s public people are on it, even swamps now.

On x has helped me alot but it definitely means it's helped others also. Unclebucks post shows that because I know exactly the marsh he's hunting. I won't move in on his spot since he scouted it first and I wouldn't feel good about it but it shows you have to think outside the box to get away from people.

This is why i never really discuss spots, post pics, maps, etc. I go by the credo i learned in the 90s when my old man would take me to the local bar to register deer back in those days and someone would ask you where you were hunting and your response would be, "in the woods".

Im all for passing on knowledge on but im not about handing people spots ive spent years finding.

[greenhorndave]

There are no more hidden gems.

If you find it with Onx or something i’m finding so have 5 other guys, especially this year. All you can do is out hunt people at this point because if it’s public people are on it, even swamps now.

What state are you in? I've seen this too in MN. I'm going to check out some remote stuff this weekend hopefully I don't find much hunter sign.

Im in WI, SE WI specifically. Spots ive literally hunted for decades and considered "honey holes" id hunt only a couple times a year now have permanent treestands (totally illegal), trails cut through brush, and trail cams hanging year round.

These are NOT easily accessible spots. I can only attribute it to social media, Youtube, and those apps like Onyx.

Personally im looking more for spots that require a mile long walk over hot coals now in the hopes ill find an unmolested spot.

I hear ya there!

I was at a spot yesterday that was a fair ways in that I thought had a few barriers that made it a pain, but not impossible. Set up a cam late, then found bright eyes on the way out.

[szwampdonkey]

There are no more hidden gems.

If you find it with Onx or something i’m finding so have 5 other guys, especially this year. All you can do is out hunt people at this point because if it’s public people are on it, even swamps now.

What state are you in? I've seen this too in MN. I'm going to check out some remote stuff this weekend hopefully I don't find much hunter sign.

Im in WI, SE WI specifically. Spots ive literally hunted for decades and considered "honey holes" id hunt only a couple times a year now have permanent treestands (totally illegal), trails cut through brush, and trail cams hanging year round.

These are NOT easily accessible spots. I can only attribute it to social media, Youtube, and those apps like Onyx.

Personally im looking more for spots that require a mile long walk over hot coals now in the hopes ill find an unmolested spot.

I hear ya there!

I was at a spot yesterday that was a fair ways in that I thought had a few barriers that made it a pain, but not impossible. Set up a cam late, then found bright eyes on the way out.

Yep, sounds about right. Sort of a let down when im in a spot like that thinking its going to be THE spot next year and then ill walk up on a ladder stand someone drug in and left or ill find a camera. I mean, ill hunt the pressure to a point but im convinced that these sensitive spots get burned out really quick. I dont think mature bucks tolerate really any obvious intrusion in remote areas like a ladder stand with shooting lanes cut or a guy checking a camera twice a month.

[Trout]

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Covered about 4.5 miles today, found my first balloon in a spot that was looking really good before I found it, I guess now I have to throw in a hunt or two there.

Found one for sure bed watching an illegal orv access trail onto public. Looked recently used.

Last spot I scouted was a place u scouted last spring and was excited about but ended up not hunting for various reasons. Good sign there.

Got about 200 acres of this particular piece scouted. Probably 2 or 3 more trips to finish it up then jumping to a neighboring chunk of public.