Grasshopper wrote:A few years ago I moved in late summer. I had to start from ground zero. Even finding the access points was necessary. At the time I was working swing shift, so on my afternoon shift days I would go out late morning and walk and just cover ground. I needed to build my mental map of the terrian. In season I was either scouting with my gear or throwing darts based on wind and topos. I had a ton of encounters, but one thing I feel like I was too paranoid about burning spots. I probably gave up on a few spots or encounters too soon.
One thing I have learned is not to look for too much sign. Loner bucks don't make it like a doe group. When I'm scouting my way in based on maps I often see something that says here it is, and I second guess myself and take a few more steps and there he goes.
Another thing is it seems like bucks bed in "stupid" spots close to the rut. Sometimes it seems like they just end up there because they were tired of walking. I think it's much more strategic than that though. If I had a beagle nose it might make a little more sense. If you are scouting in late October and your gut says hunt that sign listen. Now that I have a mental map of the area I have ignored sign in "stupid" spots that if I had no knowledge of the terrian I probably would have setup on. Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy.
For the "stupid spot" idea, I have seen a few like that also. On a farm property, one major rub area was downwind of the night time feeding area. He tore the place up but is not a worthwhile spot to hunt. Just on example from my experience.