2022 scouting thread

[Hookslinger]

Got boots on the ground today to scout a new piece of public. It's basically a large vast area of CRP, cattails, and swamp grass with patches of woods and different types of vegetation. Large ag fields on the neighboring private. There is also a pond and drainage on the public. The crops are all corn this year. I jumped a small buck, and saw some doe's and fawns.

I got a couple spots picked out for October, and confirmed a couple bedding areas that I saw map scouting. Jumped some deer. One spot I picked was somewhat remote, it's on a transition on an oak flat that dumps down into the marsh by the pond. I found good worn trails coming up out of the bedding and into the oaks. There were some good rubs from last year in there. I think it might be good early season, maybe catch a buck by surprise that hasn't gotten pressured yet seeing how it's such a long walk from the parking lot.

Found a mega track too on the edge of the cornfield.

20220812_133043.jpg

[Tennhunter3]

Stepped within a foot of a copperhead today while scouting this afternoon. About gave me a heart attack at least it didn't strike.

[515Raven]

Stepped within a foot of a copperhead today while scouting this afternoon. About gave me a heart attack at least it didn't strike.

I’m surprised with the places I’ve been walking I haven’t seen a rattler or copperhead in some time.

[Lockdown]

Embraced the suck yesterday. Drove just under an hour to swap two cards for the first time this summer, Never ran cameras before and picked up two 3-packs of cheap wildgame innovations on that were closeout last winter to try. Humidity was oppressive, half mile each way on both spots through thorns and thick, and no breeze to keep the bugs down. The forecasted downpour I had planned to go in before to wash some scent away came early on the way out of the second spot and was soaking wet by the time I got back to the truck although I was already sweating through everything anyway.

I put these two cameras out in late June in new spots I scouted this spring, and both only took pictures for 12-14 hours after I set them the first evening and then stopped working. I had a pics of 4 different deer including a buck coming back to bed the next morning and that was it--over a month of sitting there doing absolutely nothing. I have another one from the same batch out in a different spot and I'm guessing it will be the same deal. Very frustrated, I had set them all up in the house and ran them for a few hours to make sure they were triggering and taking photos but I didn't let them run multiple days. I scouted my off this spring so I'm not too worried about it, the sign was there in these new spots and I have other spots to fall back on, just was really excited to see what was in there and don't like wasting my time/gas money. Will be contacting WGI to see if I can warranty them

Welcome to running cameras… I feel your pain. Definite bummer though!

[Jess]

Was out scouting today and I actually saw 2 albino does on public property. Never saw any in person much less 2 standing right next to each other. Pretty cool sight to see.

[515Raven]

Buck I’ve been consistently catching on camera on this ridge and Laurel thicket is now what looks like a budding ten-pointer. Yet again, repeated daytime photos between 7-930AM headed through the same area my camera is situated on public. No evidence from other cams he’s going down the ridge to feed, where my access is or will be. More and more, it looks like he feeds on the other side of the ridge and then comes back to this one to bed. Hoping he sticks around.

[mipubbucks24]

Took a drive around public tonight to check some crops and look for deer. Saw 1 dandy that will probably go high 140s maybe even 150s. He was a half mile from the closest public, but you never know. Saw a couple other smaller bucks on private, lots of doe.

[Tennhunter3]

I went glassing this morning.
Saw probably I lost count 40 deer.
Something like 23 -24 bucks dunno it was alot.
Not all were on public.lbl has a history of nice bucks. Pretty cool to see one.

One was top 3 biggest Ive ever seen.
Really pumped for season.

Saw my first hard antlered buck this morning a two year old 8 about as wide as the ears. Saw several great bucks for my area. Amazing day.

[Stingray713]

I went glassing this morning.
Saw probably I lost count 40 deer.
Something like 23 -24 bucks dunno it was alot.
Not all were on public.lbl has a history of nice bucks. Pretty cool to see one.

One was top 3 biggest Ive ever seen.
Really pumped for season.

Saw my first hard antlered buck this morning a two year old 8 about as wide as the ears. Saw several great bucks for my area. Amazing day.

Gotta love that overhead moon.

You hunting next weekend?

[Tennhunter3]

I went glassing this morning.
Saw probably I lost count 40 deer.
Something like 23 -24 bucks dunno it was alot.
Not all were on public.lbl has a history of nice bucks. Pretty cool to see one.

One was top 3 biggest Ive ever seen.
Really pumped for season.

Saw my first hard antlered buck this morning a two year old 8 about as wide as the ears. Saw several great bucks for my area. Amazing day.

Gotta love that overhead moon.

You hunting next weekend?

Yeah I'll be hunting but it's only cwd public lands open.
So I can't hunt any of the big ones I've found in lbl, sandy. Seen some shooters up at obion but I'm not sure if its cwd or not obion,Weakley counties.

I have nothing I'm after in unit cwd as far as i know. Dunno if they added obion ,weakley this year or not . I've pretty much given up on wmas in unit cwd. Natchez ,ghost ,wolf Tully I used to hunt alot but cwd has messed it up.

I may hunt horns bluff if it's open In unit cwd.

I keep moving further east every year.

[justdirtyfun]

Getting a bit excited by now. Lots of time spent checking crop fields, a couple camera pulls, cyber scout for regular areas.
After 5 years, I am back to a drawing only area. And that hunt will be first 2 weeks of season. That means prep will go into overdrive. Falling back on old info, high population, food and water everywhere. Big bucks too.

[Trail]

Work has kept me out of the woods for a few months but I've been escouting like a madman. This feels like the second year in a row that I'm heading into season without being as prepared as I'd like. We still have over a month until the season starts so I hope some of my old spots where I know mature bucks bed will produce a buck early in the season.

I'm promising myself that I will burn through a few boots this winter by scouting. I'm going to start glassing everyday for the next few weeks and walking along a few public fields we have near me to see if I can cut the tracks of a few mature bucks that I know made it through the season.

[justdirtyfun]

Work has kept me out of the woods for a few months but I've been escouting like a madman. This feels like the second year in a row that I'm heading into season without being as prepared as I'd like. We still have over a month until the season starts so I hope some of my old spots where I know mature bucks bed will produce a buck early in the season.

I'm promising myself that I will burn through a few boots this winter by scouting. I'm going to start glassing everyday for the next few weeks and walking along a few public fields we have near me to see if I can cut the tracks of a few mature bucks that I know made it through the season.

Cutting tracks is a huge piece of the puzzle. And I have paid extra attention to that in recent years. If you can age it by a recent rainfall, then it gives lots of clues. Maybe even recognize the buck. Woodsmanship.

[Stingray713]

I went glassing this morning.
Saw probably I lost count 40 deer.
Something like 23 -24 bucks dunno it was alot.
Not all were on public.lbl has a history of nice bucks. Pretty cool to see one.

One was top 3 biggest Ive ever seen.
Really pumped for season.

Saw my first hard antlered buck this morning a two year old 8 about as wide as the ears. Saw several great bucks for my area. Amazing day.

Gotta love that overhead moon.

You hunting next weekend?

Yeah I'll be hunting but it's only cwd public lands open.
So I can't hunt any of the big ones I've found in lbl, sandy. Seen some shooters up at obion but I'm not sure if its cwd or not obion,Weakley counties.

I have nothing I'm after in unit cwd as far as i know. Dunno if they added obion ,weakley this year or not . I've pretty much given up on wmas in unit cwd. Natchez ,ghost ,wolf Tully I used to hunt alot but cwd has messed it up.

I may hunt horns bluff if it's open In unit cwd.

I keep moving further east every year.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LTMd9 ... cto0VmMzOA

Look this guy up. He sounds like he wants some company.

[Trail]

Work has kept me out of the woods for a few months but I've been escouting like a madman. This feels like the second year in a row that I'm heading into season without being as prepared as I'd like. We still have over a month until the season starts so I hope some of my old spots where I know mature bucks bed will produce a buck early in the season.

I'm promising myself that I will burn through a few boots this winter by scouting. I'm going to start glassing everyday for the next few weeks and walking along a few public fields we have near me to see if I can cut the tracks of a few mature bucks that I know made it through the season.

Cutting tracks is a huge piece of the puzzle. And I have paid extra attention to that in recent years. If you can age it by a recent rainfall, then it gives lots of clues. Maybe even recognize the buck. Woodsmanship.

Most definitely. Luckily I've scouted the piece of public close to me pretty well so if I cut a track I should have a pretty good idea of where he's bedded. Of course with public land bucks it's always easier said than done.

Cutting tracks had led me to some really nice beds over the past few seasons. I cut some tracks belonging to a 5+ year old in late 2020 that lead me to the highest rubs I've ever seen in my life and one of the most consistent mature buck bedding areas I've found. It's 10 yards from a trail that gets heavily walked during the rifle season. I'd walked past that buck probably countless times. That was one of those moment's where a lightbulb cut on for me.