Scouting methods

[Young Buck]

What are your opinions on how to go about scouting? I read a book recently that suggested that you wait until a week or two before your hunting season to start scouting. The reason they gave was to keep pressure off the game so that you didn't move them out of the area. Other people have suggested getting out in your hunting spot as much as possible before hunting season. Both make sense and I guess the key is to scout with care so that you don't bump animals. Anyone have any opinions?

[BigD]

I can agree with that to an extent. I don't think you should be scouting a new area that late in the season. You should have several areas that you know well and know will hold game. Scouting that late for me would be to see which areas the game are working so i can concentrate my efforts in those particular spots. You could place a few trail cams a few weeks before season to see were the game have been concentrated. Or after a rain go look for fresh tracks.

[jjhunter]

In that country, you want to start scouting the WT right now.  Last week of July/first week of August will be the  best time to see big boys.   Once you know they are there, they will not move far.

For mule deer, the scouting gets a little better towards the end of August when most of the grain has been cut.  Those big mule deer love laying in standing grain.   After harverst, they are much easier to locate and will move to laying up in the rocks, cut-banks, or CRP.   

I used to scout most of the month of July before harvest and Sundays during harvest.  By September 1st, I had every big deer in the county named.

[400out]

Here is the problem with scouting up there are together ( If your talking pulman ) You can scout all you want but if it's not on private ground that no one else is going to be on then you can scout all year but after opening morning the game is over  those deer will be all over the country they with break all habits! If you find deer look for well used trails that could be used as escape routes and watch them! If your after the big ones they will find the craziest places to go check drainages with tumble weeds and rock out croppings they will get in there and stick they're heads in the ground and flush like pheasants! ( mule deer for the most part ) hope this helps 

[MIKEXRAY]

I think it depends on the area you are scouting. Where I hunt on the east side there are hikers up in the mountains all the time. I can scout anytime and even hunt hard and not change the elk & deer's patterns.    If you are hunting private property where the elk & deer have not seen a human all summer then you could chase them out or to another property.  So my advise is to evaluate how much of an impact you will make and plan your scouting accordingly. Even up in my area I leave it totally alone for 2 weeks, so I will be done scouting August 15Th.  Hope that helps. Mike

[jjhunter]

Here is the problem with scouting up there are together ( If your talking pulman ) You can scout all you want but if it's not on private ground that no one else is going to be on then you can scout all year but after opening morning the game is over  those deer will be all over the country they with break all habits! If you find deer look for well used trails that could be used as escape routes and watch them! If your after the big ones they will find the craziest places to go check drainages with tumble weeds and rock out croppings they will get in there and stick they're heads in the ground and flush like pheasants! ( mule deer for the most part ) hope this helps 

All though it is true that the deer will no longer be in their summer patterns, they will fall into their "rifle season patterns".   Deer in a certain area will always head to the same low pressure areas year after year.   If you want to kill big deer consistently, you have to find them early.   Like anyplace, knowing the deers' patterns and being intimately farmiliar with the landscape will pay huge dividends in the success department.   Scout early and scout often and it will make a big difference.   You can shoot me a PM if you want more info, I've logged 19 deer seasons from Albion to Central Ferry to Revere.

[Young Buck]

Thanks for the advice fellas.  I have learned a lot over the past year from this website. Hopefully I will put myself in the right position this hunting season.