In-season scouting

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
NorthStar
500 Club
Posts: 1524
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:43 am
Status: Offline

Re: In-season scouting

Unread postby NorthStar » Fri Sep 23, 2022 3:17 am

Trout wrote:I was actually thinking about how I can do a better job of in season scouting during a boring meeting at work today and told myself to find this thread tonight.

I had a thought, almost an epiphany, that I think is going to take my in-season scouting to the next level. Think about how we scout post season and during the spring. We go out there like we have nothing to lose and find so much great sign. We find great sign scouting during the season, too, but as aggressive as we are, not many of us are as aggressive as we were when we scouted during the off season. And because of that, I am sure there are times when we dont find the hot sign. Well what if we threw caution to the wind in season the way we do when scouting out of season. What would the result be? What if we treated every hunting trip like an off season scouting mission, only difference being that we bring a treestand or saddle platform and sticks and a weapon so we can set up on hot sign? We would look some deer here and there, for sure, but we would have a heck of a season.


I struggle between this method and stage hunting. I feel like there is a time for each of these methods and I haven’t figured out how do determine which method makes sense for each unique hunt.

But I think the approach you are describing would be the best way to learn these things while probably getting on some good deer as well!


“The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬
User avatar
Huntress13
500 Club
Posts: 3110
Joined: Wed Jul 03, 2019 2:47 am
Location: NY
Status: Offline

Re: In-season scouting

Unread postby Huntress13 » Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:03 am

I'd be interested to hear again from some of the guys who posted this thread a couple of seasons ago to see what your results were in 2020 and 2021. Lessons learned and stuff.
Twigs in my hair, don't care.
User avatar
Ognennyy
500 Club
Posts: 703
Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2016 5:47 pm
Status: Offline

Re: In-season scouting

Unread postby Ognennyy » Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:16 am

I read this thread "cover to cover" a few years ago. Someone in a recent post mentioned Magicman's original post and I got huge value from it. I hunt in low population sub-alpine mountainous areas and well-used habitual buck beds are something I have never come across. The deer just go wherever. I'm sure there is a pattern, but it's a very large one and it doesn't lend itself to building a hunting strategy around. It's very useful in my environment though to follow terrain cover transitions, look in terrain funnels, and I pay close attention to benches in the terrain.

I also catalog all the beech stands I find, especially when there are isolated mature beeches with nothing much else around, and check them every year prior to the season as well as in-season if I'm going near them anyway. If there's a beech dropping nuts the deer and bears will hammer them.
MichiganMike
500 Club
Posts: 1024
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:47 am
Status: Offline

Re: In-season scouting

Unread postby MichiganMike » Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:39 am

Realy enojoyed reading back on this thread also. Some great points and helps get my mental game together for our opener.
User avatar
Trout
500 Club
Posts: 1495
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 1:59 pm
Location: Big Woods MI
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: In-season scouting

Unread postby Trout » Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:54 am

NorthStar wrote:
I struggle between this method and stage hunting. I feel like there is a time for each of these methods and I haven’t figured out how do determine which method makes sense for each unique hunt.

But I think the approach you are describing would be the best way to learn these things while probably getting on some good deer as well!


I'm right there with ya! Last year I kind of found myself doing both at the same time. For example, in the spring I have been focusing on finding mature deer sign, then hopefully some sign that indicates the mature deer made it through the season. If I don't find sign he made it, hopefully I can get him on camera or at least the buck who took his place and is using the terrain in a similar way. If I get those two, then I'm aggressively scouting them in-season to see if the sign is there that says I can use that old Intel to my advantage, say a buck is using a thermal hub below bedding before entering the bedding in the morning. And setting up for that to happen. If that all doesn't align, I'm covering ground to find sign that shows what's changed, and setting up on that.

Where the phased part comes in is I'm doing it in phases, for example, ridge system a on the first hunt, ridge system b the next, etc.
User avatar
justdirtyfun
500 Club
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2013 4:10 pm
Location: Misery, previously Hellinois
Status: Offline

Re: In-season scouting

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Mon Dec 12, 2022 2:02 pm

Trout wrote:I was actually thinking about how I can do a better job of in season scouting during a boring meeting at work today and told myself to find this thread tonight.

I had a thought, almost an epiphany, that I think is going to take my in-season scouting to the next level. Think about how we scout post season and during the spring. We go out there like we have nothing to lose and find so much great sign. We find great sign scouting during the season, too, but as aggressive as we are, not many of us are as aggressive as we were when we scouted during the off season. And because of that, I am sure there are times when we dont find the hot sign. Well what if we threw caution to the wind in season the way we do when scouting out of season. What would the result be? What if we treated every hunting trip like an off season scouting mission, only difference being that we bring a treestand or saddle platform and sticks and a weapon so we can set up on hot sign? We would look some deer here and there, for sure, but we would have a heck of a season.


So here we are in "late season" and still holding a buck tag. Going at it like post season scouting but weapon in hand could be the best choice.

I went to a public place near me that had a finger of private right next to good cover/browse. The hunch was a smart buck would hold up in that safe finger but probably go to public after dark.
Lo and behold, a trail came across from private and had a rub/scrape within 30 yards of boundary. My wind was heading into said finger but I was getting intel.
That rub was generational AND this year he hit about waist high! A scrape was below it also.

Getting into the tree did not happen tonight, but going to see what I needed to see was a good call.
You don't have to be the best, just do your best.
Colddriver
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2019 3:08 pm
Location: Chicago suburbs
Status: Offline

Re: In-season scouting

Unread postby Colddriver » Mon Dec 12, 2022 3:43 pm

I shoot most of my deer at the times you guys are midday scouting.
I believe you soft push them right to me.
Im on heavy public,guys just never sit still all day and I capitalize on that every year.

IMHO!


  • Advertisement

Return to “Scouting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests