What's the best way to scout new deer hunting land?

F

Fremmer

New member
I was offered the opportunity to hunt deer on private land about 45 minutes North of Omaha. It didn't take much arm twisting for me to accept the offer. It is on a farm, but I don't know large it is, just that it's a good sized farm. I even managed to buy an either-sex deer permit for the area -- with a bonus doe tag! :cool: Who knows, maybe I'll get a chance at a big Nebraska buck.

Anyway, I've already talked to another guy about going down there to scout the area. What exactly is the best way to do this? Should we start with field areas, or should we go into the timber (if any) early, and check on the fields later? Anyone have any hints or ideas for scouting an area for deer? Your comments and suggestions are much appreciated!
 
My 2cents...

First off, talk to the owner and his neighbors. They will already know some paths deer use.
Then schedule a time to walk around with the owner on the property.
Doing this befriends everyone and gets you more knowledge as to what directions are safe to shoot toward without worries of ricochets or misses hitting homes or livestock.

Then dress up in your hunting gear, be sure and use any scent blocker you have, and go for a walk into the deers habitat.
Look for rubs when the fuzz starts to shed. Scrapes when the rut begins. etc.
For now, pay close attention to the ground for deer trails, feeding areas, and water holes.
If you can afford it, set up cameras.

Once you have that knowledge, decide several locations where you can setup on the side of the trails. You will need multiple directions of fire to account for wind conditions, depending on the day you hunt.
If you can bait or plot them, try and pick setup locations between your bait and water.
Start plots now. Start bait feeders in late July or August.
Let them acclimate to the food and rely on it.
If you use mineral attractants or blocks, set them up off the trails. About 10 to 15 feet off the trail.
Be sure and pick areas with lots of cover. It will help them feel more comfortable with the licks.

The longer you provide for them durring the year, the more deer will frequent the area when you want to hunt them.

If you plan on using blinds or stands, get them out there with the deer as soon as possible, so they can get used to them as well.
 
Fremmer,

If you don't have it yet, I would download the free version of Google Earth. You can locate the land you are going to be hunting. This will give you an idea where the funnel points to the property are, as well as any water holes and hidden clearings that may be hidden in the woods. It also gives you a good look at the surrounding area to the property surrounding your hunting area, and can give you clues about where you might want to go look when boots hit the ground.

You will also be able to pinpoint the longitude and latitude of places you want to look at, so you can take your GPS and save yourself a crap boat load of walking. I have found that in any given piece of property that 90% of the deer will be on 10% of the property so you can waste a lot of time looking in places that are not really very productive.

This certainly doesn't beat the foot and eye-ball method, but it does give you a definite head start on what could potentially be some places that no one else may know about.
 
Add this to the VERY good advice you've already been given.

If you have multiple oportunities to scout try and make one of those trips occure 24 to 36 hours after a significant rain event. By doing this you will not be confused by old tracks.

While we can all, with a little practice, tell the difference between old and new tracks, the scicology of seing lots of tracks in a spot still happens. Best to know if it's one very active deer or a number of deer.
 
Adding to what has been said, I think that it helps to spend some time in the area so they get used to you. Deer know when somebody is in their back yard just like you'd know if somebody new was sitting in you living room. Also look for an alternative route in and out of the hunting area because just like you pattern deer behavior they pattern your actions as well. So getting them used to you and finding a way of sneaking in just makes sense. When the time comes they'll say "it's just old Fremmer and they'll look the direction you usually come in but will miss seeing you if you're sneaking in the back way." My 2 cents.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'll try to get up there a couple of times before the season to see where the deer are, and I'll certainly try and talk to the guy who owns the land out there.

I wish I could afford a GPS unit. Everything looks different at 4:30 a.m. in total darkness....:D
 
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