The importance of in-season scouting

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magicman54494
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The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby magicman54494 » Sun Jan 08, 2023 5:07 am

It's not a new concept. I think we all are aware of it.
My hunting style will be changed forever though after last year's bow season.
I had other obligations last spring and summer so for the first time ever I entered season without one single scouting trip. I didn't hang a single trail cam. Honestly, it was uncharted territory! I was a bit lost. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise!
I had to rethink my approach to hunting. I decided that my only choice was to in season scout and hunt based on my findings. while this is far from a new concept, I've never based my entire season based strictly on in-season scouting.
I had my best season ever!
before I go any further, I want to stress that I'm not advocating not scouting out of season. any and all scouting will up your odds. The better you know the land, the better your odds for success.
These are a few huge insights that this season pointed out.
1. When you hunt based on out of season scouting, you are hunting where the deer used to be. It is a lesson in frustration. It will get you in the stadium, but it probably won't get you to your seat. Deer are constantly shifting patterns as food sources, weather, and pressure change. The bed you set up on and hunted might not be used anymore or not under the existing conditions. It could be a case of wrong place or maybe right place, wrong time.
2. THE SIGN DOES'NT LIE! you might interpret the sign incorrectly, but the sign never lies. learn to read sign and you will be in the money!
3. In season scouting puts you right where the deer are when they are there. scout with your gear and hang and hunt right now.
My success skyrocketed this season. These are my stats. 9 hunts. 4 "shooter" bucks in bow range. Several smaller bucks, does and fawns. Most of my hunts were spots I never set foot in before.
I now look at out of season scouting a lot differently. I see that scouting as a way of getting a feel for the land. I used to determine stand sites during those scouts and that's OK, but I think the exact stand site can be better determined from in season scouting. I won't go to the woods with a pre=determined stand site. I will instead target an area and let my scouting determine where I hunt. I made a video explaining my hunt last year. I'll hang a link if anyone is interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfAR-9PYnFU&t=7s


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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby headgear » Sun Jan 08, 2023 5:39 am

:clap:
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby stash59 » Sun Jan 08, 2023 11:41 am

Thanx Todd! Good info in that video! And congrats on your buck!!!
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby tgreeno » Mon Jan 09, 2023 2:34 am

I need to do more in-season scouting. But I also say that every year Lol.
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby Moose » Mon Jan 09, 2023 4:55 am

Great informative video! Congrats on your buck! :clap:
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby magicman54494 » Mon Jan 09, 2023 8:03 am

tgreeno wrote:I need to do more in-season scouting. But I also say that every year Lol.


I wanted to just go back and hunt spots that I hunted last year because I had history and the spots were ready to go but I fought the urge. Just grab your gear and plan extra time and try it. I want to ramp it up next year and get more agressive. I found a good scrape but it was too close to where people walk for my liking. I wanted to actually dive in and find that buck"s bed because I had a feeling that he was bedding close. I was going to do it but I ended up killing my buck before that happened. The way I see it, the biggest reason we don't kill more bucks is because we are simply not hunting where they are.
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby magicman54494 » Mon Jan 09, 2023 8:04 am

Moose wrote:Great informative video! Congrats on your buck! :clap:

Thanks!
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby KLEMZ » Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:58 pm

Excellent video magicman! I really enjoyed the opening scene...very creative editing, you are getting quite "techy". I also found the scene with the nervous doe in the background and your talking head in the corner to be very cool!

Great message in this video. Sign doesn't lie. And yes, It is sometimes hard to fully believe in your ability to interpret the sign and then hunt a high odds spot based on nothing else. It was helpful that you showed your process on the computer and then in the field. It was also good that you pointed out that you did not rely on trail cams at all. Find the sign, relate it to expected bedding/feeding, hunt.

Congrats on an awesome buck!
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby magicman54494 » Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:47 am

KLEMZ wrote:Excellent video magicman! I really enjoyed the opening scene...very creative editing, you are getting quite "techy". I also found the scene with the nervous doe in the background and your talking head in the corner to be very cool!

Great message in this video. Sign doesn't lie. And yes, It is sometimes hard to fully believe in your ability to interpret the sign and then hunt a high odds spot based on nothing else. It was helpful that you showed your process on the computer and then in the field. It was also good that you pointed out that you did not rely on trail cams at all. Find the sign, relate it to expected bedding/feeding, hunt.

Congrats on an awesome buck!

Thanks! I'm trying to make higher quality videos and I think I'm making progress.
In season scouting isnt some new ground breaking discovery but what I learned last year is it is super important to use it to close the deal otherwise it can be a "right church, wrong pew" situation. I have gone in and checked on beds right after I hunted them to see if they were being used in past years. Most times those beds arent being used or at least not right now. That started me thinking about relying more on in season scouting and last season forced my hand which turned out to be a great thing!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and congrats on your buck!
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby Dpoole90 » Tue Jan 10, 2023 3:05 pm

Congratulations on the buck and awesome job with the video, very informative. Thumbs up for sure.
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby American_Regular » Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:06 am

Excellent video magicman. Very informative and well crafted. Congrats on your buck and thanks for sharing the journey. :clap:
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby onebulletbarne » Wed Feb 15, 2023 4:45 pm

magicman54494 wrote:It's not a new concept. I think we all are aware of it.
My hunting style will be changed forever though after last year's bow season.
I had other obligations last spring and summer so for the first time ever I entered season without one single scouting trip. I didn't hang a single trail cam. Honestly, it was uncharted territory! I was a bit lost. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise!
I had to rethink my approach to hunting. I decided that my only choice was to in season scout and hunt based on my findings. while this is far from a new concept, I've never based my entire season based strictly on in-season scouting.
I had my best season ever!
before I go any further, I want to stress that I'm not advocating not scouting out of season. any and all scouting will up your odds. The better you know the land, the better your odds for success.
These are a few huge insights that this season pointed out.
1. When you hunt based on out of season scouting, you are hunting where the deer used to be. It is a lesson in frustration. It will get you in the stadium, but it probably won't get you to your seat. Deer are constantly shifting patterns as food sources, weather, and pressure change. The bed you set up on and hunted might not be used anymore or not under the existing conditions. It could be a case of wrong place or maybe right place, wrong time.
2. THE SIGN DOES'NT LIE! you might interpret the sign incorrectly, but the sign never lies. learn to read sign and you will be in the money!
3. In season scouting puts you right where the deer are when they are there. scout with your gear and hang and hunt right now.
My success skyrocketed this season. These are my stats. 9 hunts. 4 "shooter" bucks in bow range. Several smaller bucks, does and fawns. Most of my hunts were spots I never set foot in before.
I now look at out of season scouting a lot differently. I see that scouting as a way of getting a feel for the land. I used to determine stand sites during those scouts and that's OK, but I think the exact stand site can be better determined from in season scouting. I won't go to the woods with a pre=determined stand site. I will instead target an area and let my scouting determine where I hunt. I made a video explaining my hunt last year. I'll hang a link if anyone is interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfAR-9PYnFU&t=7s


Do you every go back to those spots within that season ?
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby magicman54494 » Thu Feb 16, 2023 5:16 am

onebulletbarne wrote:
Do you every go back to those spots within that season ?


I would keep an eye on any good area and if sign starts showing up I'd hunt it. thats the whole point of in season scouting. food sources, hunting pressure, predators. anything can shift deer bedding and feeding.
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby G-Patt » Fri Feb 17, 2023 5:57 am

Very cool! You have a new subscriber. Part of my struggle is relying on spring scouting too much, which stems from the fact that I don't have too many evenings I can hunt. As a morning hunter, you pretty much have to rely on pre-scouting to have much of a chance unless you have a string of mornings in a row where you can scout. It will still be a challenge in future seasons, but I really like your video and find it very helpful and encouraging.
On my deathbed, I will receive total consciousness. So I have that going for me, which is nice!
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Re: The importance of in-season scouting

Unread postby magicman54494 » Fri Feb 17, 2023 6:04 am

G-Patt wrote:Very cool! You have a new subscriber. Part of my struggle is relying on spring scouting too much, which stems from the fact that I don't have too many evenings I can hunt. As a morning hunter, you pretty much have to rely on pre-scouting to have much of a chance unless you have a string of mornings in a row where you can scout. It will still be a challenge in future seasons, but I really like your video and find it very helpful and encouraging.

consider scouting on your way out from morning hunting or hitting a new spot after morning hunting. every deer is different but i have found that most deer will tolerate humans in those feeding areas or edge areas. find the sign there then make an educated guess and go for it!


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