To tag out on public land this fall, your scouting efforts need to begin now. These two simple words make sense, not only for the scouts, but for everyone everywhere. Too many buck scouting tips focus on the present and not the past. Aug 18, 2017 those than hunt mule deer or whitetail should have plenty to take away. Josh fletcher continues this series with some great information on how to locate and use food sources. Winter whitetail scouting rules whitetail habitat solutions. Aug 01, 2005 gerald almys guide to scouting for whitetail deer. Spring scouting is a great time to pick up shed antlers. These are the 10 best deer hunting books to improve as a hunter. To take off for months at a time and hunt deer across the. It seems that most hunting shows, websites, books, and online forums are filled with mature buck sanctimony and obsession on scoring. Deer trails are worn paths that are made by constant use as deer travel back and forth throughout the woods. Experience has taught me, next seasons deer hunting success hinges on this winters scouting expeditions. I lean to more traditional scouting tactics, but you may wish to use tra.
Guides guide to preseason whitetailed deer scouting. A buck with 160 inches of antler is a really big whitetailanywhere. Here are three deer hunting books that will satisfy that hunger. Chris eberhart lived that dream and wrote this book. A trio of whitetail guides and outfitters divulge some of their secrets to successful preseason deer scouting.
Once you key in on where deer are most apt to be, mark these areas as places to focus your efforts next fall. Heavily scouting bedding areas is best done during the offseason when disturbance will be a nonissue. In this video, i demonstrate how i optimize my map setup options in caltopo to aid my e scouting cyber scouting. Mar 19, 2015 this is an excerpt from hunting editor andrew mckeans book, how to hunt everything, which is available here. Some hardcore whitetail hunters take their summer scouting a step further after locating these safe fields and set up observation stands to watch the buck they. Oct 05, 2020 without scouting, a waterfowl hunters chances for success go down the drain. To take off for months at a time and hunt deer across the country is the dream of millions.
Heres how a veteran whitetail hunter scouts all summer for success on the opening week of deer season by michael hanback july 28, 2020. If youre in farm country, these main sources will obviously be highcarbohydrate crops like corn or soybeans. Scouting publicland mountain bucks petersens bowhunting. The best trails often lead to thick bedding cover or dense escape areas. Tips and tricks for hunting whitetail deer meateater hunting. Mar 15, 2014 begin by picking a property that is generally secluded and has plenty of sanctuary habitat, milliken says. Nonetheless, here are some things to keep in mind when conducting inseason scouting this fall and winter. Scouting in the snow is a good way to locate bedding areas. To set up in an area with plenty of deer, and hopefully plenty of bucks, youve got to be on top of a concentration of sign.
As you scour the woods, keep an eye out for old rubs and scrapes. Turkey hunting from morning to afternoon often requires a change of strategies as toms find and leave hens. Highly efficient buck scouting tips whitetail habitat solutions. Thats like saying deer scouting is just about hanging trail cams, or that you can kill an elk by just. Whether you are looking for a book to improve your success in the field or that you can. Winter scouting tips for fall whitetail success bowhunter. Daniel explains the different set ups, strategies and calls that could be used, then shares a recent hunt where he had to put these strategies into action to tag a real limb hanger. During the deer rut, bucks will seek out doe bedding areas so remember where such spots are in your hunting area. Why early spring is the best time to scout for whitetail deer. Whitetail access by chris eberhart to take off for months at a time and hunt deer across the country is the dream of millions. The more you study deer tracks, the better youll be able to use them to help you when scouting for the best hunting zone. Mar 23, 2021 why early spring is the best time to scout for whitetail deer. Jan 28, 2021 the best tips and tactics for scouting, woodsmanship, how to use game cameras, treestand and blind placement, where deer live and how to find them throughout the year. When travel to a hunting location is required, it can affect it even more.
Great whitetails of north american deer book by robert. During your winter whitetail scouting trips, make sure that you are constantly trying to think like a wise old monarch. Hal blood is a master guide in maine and has been tracking big maine bucks for many years. Look for a hunting area that has minimal human access points, includes tough terrain features, and has at least a few hidden fields, food plots, orchards or natural food sources. And ongoing stress hurts the physical health of a whitetail.
Scouting whitetails and whitetail mature bucks all year long, can be accomplished during 4 specific periods of time. Begin by looking through every type of map you can get your hands on. Before i ever step onto a new piece of public hunting land or wildlife. Midwest whitetail post season scouting tips for deer hunting. Ive been fortunate enough to chase whitetails from the appalachian. The key is to find the deer you want to hunt and learn as much as you can without alerting the deer or group of deer youre pursuing. Josh continues his series of scouting with a guide to how to locate bedding and use it to your advantage during the hunting season. Both of these online applications provide invaluable knowledge and application to your scouting and will help you save a lot of time during your scouting. If youre hunting the big woods, this means areas of new growth that contain thick, woody browse.
I wish u luck on ur first mule deer hunt as my first is this year also. A plat book contains top view property boundaries of each tract of ground, accompanied with the landowners name. Finding where several trails merge into a heavier, single path increases odds of seeing deer, but first use a trail camera or other device to. Hunt the fringes of bedding areas as not to disturb the deer.
Mid season hunting tips for mature bucks whitetail. This book gives whitetail hunters exactly what theyre always looking for. For those truly committed to becoming better deer hunters, you occasionally need to help yourself to a full course of hunting knowhow and deer ecology. The best tool for scouting terrain is the topographical topo map. Spring scouting strategies for successful whitetail hunting. Security cover, on the other hand, comes at a premium and is the only guaranteed area to find public land bucks in daylight. This begins with setting up my trail cameras across a number of properties and parcels of crown land.
How to escout for public land whitetails meateater hunting. Camcorder sony hxrnx80 microphone mic we use for sony hxrnx80 syst. All book your hunt north america worldwide recipes news. North american hunting club whitetail deer hunting hardback books. There are a lot of good tips in this book and especially for the normal hunter. Trail cameras, digital mapping applications on your phone, shed hunting and being able to observe deer movement throughout the entire year are all solid approaches, and all are helpful. I always begin with lowimpact scouting tactics that arent as likely to spook deer. What is an eberharts whitetail workshop 2 day infieldseminar class event about.
Best hunting book for beginners the complete guide to hunting, butchering, and cooking wild game. E scouting for whitetail deer can help you locate and hunt mature deer. If youre lucky, you may get an additional day or two to find productive stand locations and hang stands from which to hunt the remainder of your stay. Mar 17, 2015 in fact, whitetail properties tv host and boonerbuck bowhunter, dan perez says this about postseason scouting. I would suggest setting up at a distance of about 500 yards or greater and watching with your nikon spotting scope, documenting when and where each deer enters the food source. Hunting deer whitetail strategies tips tactics maps solo vintage. There are also some nice high quality photos of bucks that readers have taken thanks to the hunting tips in boyds first book. Mar 18, 2019 scouting during early spring is one of the most effective ways to get a jump on next fall. How to summer scout for public land whitetails meateater. While a history of several years of buck sign is a deadgiveaway for a potential hot spot, your scouting efforts from the comfort of your recliner or office chair, should have narrowed your efforts long before you ever stepped food in the woods. Last falls deer sign is still plain to see in early spring, and you can tromp wherever you want, including bedding areas, without. Carry an aerial map with you while doing your postseason scouting and shed hunting.
Schmidt deals with deer hunting a little more generally than the trophy hunting books. Jul 22, 2019 i believe we can all agree that scouting affects whitetail hunting success. As a general rule, you should first start by eliminating every acre within a 12 hour of the road. Second, under the map overlays option, i enable contours and select 10foot. To learn more about stepping into the thoughts of a mature buck, try reading, predicting mature buck tendencies. When given the choice, they will most often take the path of least resistance. Sep 09, 2020 a successful whitetail deer public land hunt requires many things, but resilience and knowledge play the most crucial role. The mid season portion of the annual hunting marathon should find you with increasing deer numbers in particular mature bucks, instead of decreasing opportunities. Mid season hunting tips for mature bucks whitetail habitat. Tips and tactics for e scouting whitetail deer going 4. Jun 16, 2020 when conducting your public lands scouting in summer, food sources are king. Deer can find browse and drink damn near anywhere, and often visit those places after dark. North american hunting club lot of 6 books deer elk turkey bowhunting hardcover. Oct 23, 2020 ihunter scouting segment modern day whitetail deer hunting tips each summer, as spring bear season comes to an end in june, i begin my twopronged scouting approach for whitetails.
The easiest way to find deer sign now is to look for lateseason food sources. Upon acquiring an unfamiliar a piece of ground for whitetail hunting, scouting must begin before stepping onto the ground to hunt. Digital scouting and scouting from afar are the two best examples of this. Dead buck scouting tips whitetail habitat solutions. Mar 16, 2011 from a distance there is no substitute for observing whitetail movement from a distance, drury explained. I have a buck that should push 190s this year i have been watching since he was 2 he should be 5 now.
Destination food sources, bedding, and foodtobed transitions will be most productive this time of year. Those who merely walk into the woods, pick a random tree, and hope to fill a tag might get lucky but luck is all you can hope for. He gives many tips for hunting the big woods and public grounds. Great whitetails of north american deer book by robert rogers. Hunting advice and tips for serious deer and turkey hunters. Jul 28, 2020 the ultimate summer deer scouting plan. The first and most obvious sign of a deer scrape is a wide pawedup area on the ground where a buck has scraped away the dead leaves and vegetation down to the bare soil and then urinate on it. When the air turns crisp in november, hunters celebrate opening day of deer season as though it were a national holiday. Top whitetail deer hunting tips that make a successful. Here is you yearround guide for knowing where, when and why to. Tears filled my eyes as i sat next to the buck and stared across the hollow with my good friend colin sitting 10 to my right. But to say that scouting just boils down to driving gravel roads in fall is an oversimplification. May 11, 2020 the best tool for scouting terrain is the topographical topo map.
Nov 15, 2016 the most common phrase i hear is, i wish i would have read these books many years ago. These will still be visible and can clue you in on where bucks like to hang come october. Thats how important it is to get out there and scout now. Keep an eye out for more species and how to hunt them here on the hunting blog. Stalk silently stillhunting is all about spotting deer before they see you.
The ultimate summer deerscouting plan outdoor life. In this new age of whitetail hunting, the scouting game largely revolves around a basic batch of tools and methods. How to conduct inseason scouting without pressuring deer. Scouting for whitetail deer one of the most highly visible pieces of deer sign is the deer trail. All the sign made throughout the previous season by whitetail bucks stands out, and with the season having closed a couple months ago, you dont have to worry about pressuring the deer. It was a moment of sadness, joy, accomplishment and relief. Jan 25, 2018 aside from hunting pressure, the whereabouts of whitetail deer are dictated largely by the locations of their favorite foods, and whitetails are suckers for crops.
When topo scouting for whitetails on caltopo, i use the following map options. Hunting whitetails in the big woods isnt easy, but these tips will help you locate a target buck. Deer hunters can use these trails as a starting point when trying to decipher which direction deer are traveling and when. Scouting, location preparation, practicing, hunting and travelin. Reading the best hunting books is like getting personal tips for some of the. Feb 11, 2014 when scouting in the postseason, youre looking for any information that can help you better understand how deer use your property, which in turn helps you understand how to hunt them. Feb 10, 2020 locating deer sanctuaries in general, deer have three basic necessities for survival. True numbers are hard to come by, but even a conservative estimate would be that well over 50% of the whitetail deer that are killed every year are killed on active farmland. First, from the main base layer option, i select the scanned 7. Whitetail scouting on public land requires a tactical and focused skillset acquired by maneuvering a variety of changing variables. This book covers everything from getting into shape, gear, scouting, deer sign, the. Mapping trophy whitetails is a book that you will enjoy reading and rereading for seasons to. First, you can scout at this time without worrying about the pressure you put on deer.
When it comes to deer hunting, perhaps no game is more vexing than the. Whitetail bucks will also make scrapes, a sort of scent post where a buck lets the does in the area know hes there. Jul 20, 2017 while a history of several years of buck sign is a deadgiveaway for a potential hot spot, your scouting efforts from the comfort of your recliner or office chair, should have narrowed your efforts long before you ever stepped food in the woods. Jul 26, 2018 scouting is essential for deer hunting success. I have several whitetail on wall up to 193 inches and they just dont do it for me anymore. Time permitting, thats the most logical sequence of events. Mar 08, 2014 summer scouting tips march 8, 2014 by adam hays although it can be extremely hot and humid during the summer months here in the mid west, the dedicated hunter can accumulate some valuable information from june through september to help him score on a monster whitetail. Tips and tactics for hunting eastern whitetails american hunter. Scouting deer bedding areas whitetail habitat solutions. Lot of 5 north american hunting club books whitetail wisdom rifle hunters guide. Scouting whitetails and whitetail mature bucks all year long, can be accomplished during. Highly efficient buck scouting tips whitetail habitat. That said, there a number of deer signs to keep your eye on. A trip to the county farm service bureau to purchase a plat book is recommended.
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