Spent mid-day today scouting some public land I've been hunting because I have been either ahead of the deer or behind the deer hunting based only on spring scouting this parcel...
The leaves have really started to fall the past few days, and aside from rubs and the scrapes freshened in the past 12 hours, to my eyes all sign is obscured under the freshly fallen leaves. I'm not overly experienced with in season scouting during this timeframe because I've spent much of my hunting career on familiar ground. So for those more accustomed to dealing with this obstacle, what tips can you offer for deciphering sign in a big woods environment when there's a fresh layer of ankle deep leaves hiding tracks, trails and droppings?
In-Season scouting during leaf drop
- jwilkstn
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- pewpewpew
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Re: In-Season scouting during leaf drop
I’m a novice woodsmen, but here is a couple of my observations.
If leaves are actively dropping, and you find open scrape with no leaves, that thing is very fresh.
As far as tracks, the indentation in the leaves are pretty obvious, I just can’t see detail. Mud and slopes still reveal fresh runways with actual tracks.
I’m not a big buck hunter, I’m out to kill deer. The sign I find most valuable is high concentration of fresh scat. I’m in a low deer density area, and I think that’s the most accurate way of knowing where they spend time. I can’t believe that’s not talked about more on this website.
If leaves are actively dropping, and you find open scrape with no leaves, that thing is very fresh.
As far as tracks, the indentation in the leaves are pretty obvious, I just can’t see detail. Mud and slopes still reveal fresh runways with actual tracks.
I’m not a big buck hunter, I’m out to kill deer. The sign I find most valuable is high concentration of fresh scat. I’m in a low deer density area, and I think that’s the most accurate way of knowing where they spend time. I can’t believe that’s not talked about more on this website.
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