Scouting west side

[Jarredhs]

Been scouting setting up trail cams for a week at a time with no luck. I’m a beginner black tail hunter. (I’m a full time duck hunter and part time turkey hunter).
I’ve been walking the gated logging roads on dnr land while looking for sign as in game trails coming off the road to a clear cut or off the road into timber.  I then will set up my game cams at the entrance of what looks to be a game trail from the road to what looks to be a path.
Also I’m not 100 percent sure it’s a game trail most of the time because tracks seem to be non existent unless in sand or mud in a ditch. This leads me to my main concern of what to look for and how.
MY MAIN QUESTION IS:
When scouting do you just walk in the actual timber and bush whack a path till you find sign? As in just randomly walk off the road into the woods and start looking? If so do you do a grid pattern, or walk just strait in and just walk a few miles straight through hoping you see something?
Or do you walk through the overgrown old clear cuts and bushwhack trails through them for hours till you find sign?
I’m confused on how to scout because people say to look from the road for sign then follow it, while others say go into the timber or clear cut and look for sign. But idk how to walk and find sign in a vast amount of timber or even a giant overgrown old clear cut without just hours of walking aimlessly. Especially since any tracks get covered in brush and stuff.

[kodiak06]

The first thing to figure out is are you gonna sit in a blind or stand OR are you gonna spend your days walking and glassing? The coast range has deer all over and if you're walking deer trails set cam up on intersections. Also, they like to stick to cover so I typically find clear cut corners and look for trails inside the timber line skirting the corner in the timber.

[MADMAX]

If you don’t have private land or timber company permit
Find some public land a few vantage points and use optics dawn and dusk
Figure out your weapon type as well
2 cents
Good luck

[brokentrail]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives you a place to start.

[Sundance]

What weapon and season are you planning to hunt? Strategies for blacktail are based on that answer IMO.

[Jarredhs]

What weapon and season are you planning to hunt? Strategies for blacktail are based on that answer IMO.

I plan on hunting the archery season beginning in September. That way it doesn’t interfere with the duck season opener.

[Jarredhs]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives a place to start.

Thank you I will definitely start with this instead of just wandering only the roads.

[7mmfan]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives a place to start.

Thank you I will definitely start with this instead of just wandering only the roads.

This is probably the best piece of advice for someone just starting out trying to find sign and deer.

[DaNewb]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives a place to start.

Thank you I will definitely start with this instead of just wandering only the roads.

I hunted my first season last year...archery in Sept. but I started late (August) and still didn't have a clear idea what I was doing at the time and missed the couple opportunities to shoot that I had.

The advice above is basically what I did and I am very confident I'll get one this year doing the same.

[Jarredhs]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives a place to start.

Thank you I will definitely start with this instead of just wandering only the roads.

I hunted my first season last year...archery in Sept. but I started late (August) and still didn't have a clear idea what I was doing at the time and missed the couple opportunities to shoot that I had.

The advice above is basically what I did and I am very confident I'll get one this year doing the same.

Were your opportunities missed because of distance or just bumping them when walking in?

[DaNewb]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives a place to start.

Thank you I will definitely start with this instead of just wandering only the roads.

I hunted my first season last year...archery in Sept. but I started late (August) and still didn't have a clear idea what I was doing at the time and missed the couple opportunities to shoot that I had.

The advice above is basically what I did and I am very confident I'll get one this year doing the same.

Were your opportunities missed because of distance or just bumping them when walking in?

distance...I just started shooting bow last year and Im really only reliably good for a 20-30yd shot. I only started scouting at the same time last year so I had a pretty short window to figure things out and make a plan before the season started.

I found a logging landing on a dead end road, next to a big clearcut that has a lot of regular deer activity. But last year I had trouble figuring out exactly where I needed to be to get a shot. I moved my hide closer twice during the season but I kept setting up too far away from where they were actually entering the site. By the time I sort of figured it out the season was over. 

I mostly only hunted evenings. I would check time for sunset, go in about 1-1/2-2 hrs before that, get in my hide and wait. Just after the sun goes down over the trees they come out on the landing to feed.

I've had cameras up there for months now in various positions to get a better picture of where they're coming from and where I need to be and I've got a hide sited for an easy 20yd shot now. I took a tape up there and measured things off just because I could.

I've also got a plan B site I'm working on now too.

[Jarredhs]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives a place to start.

Thank you I will definitely start with this instead of just wandering only the roads.

I hunted my first season last year...archery in Sept. but I started late (August) and still didn't have a clear idea what I was doing at the time and missed the couple opportunities to shoot that I had.

The advice above is basically what I did and I am very confident I'll get one this year doing the same.

Were your opportunities missed because of distance or just bumping them when walking in?

distance...I just started shooting bow last year and Im really only reliably good for a 20-30yd shot. I only started scouting at the same time last year so I had a pretty short window to figure things out and make a plan before the season started.

I found a logging landing on a dead end road, next to a big clearcut that has a lot of regular deer activity. But last year I had trouble figuring out exactly where I needed to be to get a shot. I moved my hide closer twice during the season but I kept setting up too far away from where they were actually entering the site. By the time I sort of figured it out the season was over. 

I mostly only hunted evenings. I would check time for sunset, go in about 1-1/2-2 hrs before that, get in my hide and wait. Just after the sun goes down over the trees they come out on the landing to feed.

I've had cameras up there for months now in various positions to get a better picture of where they're coming from and where I need to be and I've got a hide sited for an easy 20yd shot now. I took a tape up there and measured things off just because I could.

I've also got a plan B site I'm working on now too.

That’s awesome that the deer stayed in the same area and path. It’s encouraging too, because a lot of what I have read says they will ditch and deviate from paths all the time. That’s why I was only using the cams for inventory of the area to know they are at least near. So good to know if I see one let the camera stay there a while

[DaNewb]

Deer, like almost all animals, will travel the path of least resistance.  They also like to stay hidden.  If you are around clear cuts and roads, look for a clear cut that is 3 to 5 years old.  This will have grown up enough to give them cover in the clear cut.  Now find the part of the clear cut that you can't see from any road.  Start looking for deer trails and sign in that part of the cut.  If you find sign, follow the trails to the timber edge and about 20 to 30 yards inside the timber, you will usually find a trail that skirts the clear cut.  Set up some cams and start your scouting.  Hopefully that gives a place to start.

Thank you I will definitely start with this instead of just wandering only the roads.

I hunted my first season last year...archery in Sept. but I started late (August) and still didn't have a clear idea what I was doing at the time and missed the couple opportunities to shoot that I had.

The advice above is basically what I did and I am very confident I'll get one this year doing the same.

Were your opportunities missed because of distance or just bumping them when walking in?

distance...I just started shooting bow last year and Im really only reliably good for a 20-30yd shot. I only started scouting at the same time last year so I had a pretty short window to figure things out and make a plan before the season started.

I found a logging landing on a dead end road, next to a big clearcut that has a lot of regular deer activity. But last year I had trouble figuring out exactly where I needed to be to get a shot. I moved my hide closer twice during the season but I kept setting up too far away from where they were actually entering the site. By the time I sort of figured it out the season was over. 

I mostly only hunted evenings. I would check time for sunset, go in about 1-1/2-2 hrs before that, get in my hide and wait. Just after the sun goes down over the trees they come out on the landing to feed.

I've had cameras up there for months now in various positions to get a better picture of where they're coming from and where I need to be and I've got a hide sited for an easy 20yd shot now. I took a tape up there and measured things off just because I could.

I've also got a plan B site I'm working on now too.

That’s awesome that the deer stayed in the same area and path. It’s encouraging too, because a lot of what I have read says they will ditch and deviate from paths all the time. That’s why I was only using the cams for inventory of the area to know they are at least near. So good to know if I see one let the camera stay there a while

Google up a clear cut in your area and then go scout where they're entering exiting it and set your cams up there. It was the easiest place to start for me