Winter Scouting
Wisconsin
I recently bought a 80 acre parcel near Navarino for bow hunting. Wondering about the forums opinion about winter scouting to determine potential stand locations for next fall and assessing the holding capacity on the land. Do you search out the dominate runs and think they will be good choices in fall. Find beds in the snow. The land has good source of water, cover and thermal protection(smaller pine plantation) that historically has held a decent deer number over the winter. I don't want to over due any scouting and bump deer of the land but I wouldn't mind shed hunting and learning more about the new land. I appreciate the feedback.
During the bow/gun seasons I just walk to and from my stands so after late season I like to walk our woods looking for sign. Big rubs are a good indicator you had a mature buck in the area. I still rely on the cams to show me what survived and is still hanging around.
Enjoy your land and don't worry about bumping deer. Hunting season is a long way away. Land is too important to not enjoy it year round. In time you will realize that
Navarino? Very nice. Land prices around there are very high. Good area. I certainly wouldn't worry about disturbing anything now. There's a lot of other factors, such as surrounding pressure, that will come into play around hunting season. Good luck. Enjoy!
No need to wait to scout. Many times I will come up on bedded deer and find out that they often use the same bedding areas year round. Winter is a good time to find their travel routes too. Don't worry about bumping them, they seem to know that they are not being hunted. Congrats on the land. Navarino is a good place for deer. I grew up hunting on land which is on the SW corner of HWY 156 and Navarino road.
It will take you a few years of hunting your land to figure and sort things out. What you see on your property this time of year doesn't necessarily mean it will be the same during hunting season. So enjoy your scouting, hunting and just have fun, that's what this is all about.
I would not worry about bumping deer at this time of year. This is actually the best time to scout, easy to find bedding areas, trails to and from preferred winter feeding areas (if you like to late season hunt), easier to get the feel of the land layout without all the foliage. And good exercise to boot...
Grab a GPS, walk the deer trails. Save the tracks to Google Earth. If I were you I would walk every trail, mark every bit of sign, rubs, any scrapes, if you find any still open, beds (especially beds). Deer often stick to some time of structure, unless snow depth keeps them from doing so, they will often use the same trails winter and summer. Get all the info now, so you can keep your impact at an absolute minimum during hunting season. One 2 hour scouting trip during hunting season, after you don't see any deer, can educate every deer on your 80 acres of your presence. Scouting now, will have no real impact in deer movement.
Winter is a great time to scout. I still have my cameras out too. They are on trails I want to learn more about.
Hands down the best time to scout! I found this bucks sheds 90 yards from where I killed him the year before. Yes I did type that correct!
It's thick nasty cedars and windfalls where I used to hunt and the bucks had no reason not to stick to their core areas all year.
Also, it's a great time to trim up trees or clear entry ways into those hidey holes close to their bedding areas. That way come spring and summer, you might only need one quick and quiet trip in to tidy up a shooting lane and put up a stand with minimal impact.
The only downside to that playing out is you'll probably tag out opening weekend and surf Bowsite the rest of the season...unless you head down to CWD zones with extra buck tags.
With some snow, it's probably the best, and easiest time of year to scout. Enjoy your property. Navarino is a great area.
Thank you for all the tips. I am looking forward to getting out to the land.
Thank you for all the tips. I am looking forward to getting out to the land.
I think you will have a good chance in knowing that 80 by scouting now and all spring,,,,, I think that area is pretty stable, and so sign you find, can remain the same......
Prior to the explosion of baits and wolves, my spring scouting was very important...... that is the time, I picked stands, new areas, built ground blinds, and got new trees picked out and ready.....
Today, although I still love it, being in the woods now, I covers lots and lots of miles, finding the few areas, that will give me a chance.... I also study and follow the wolves, because they impact my hunt, and you have to understand, what time of year, they are in certain areas, it will impact my hunt.....
Baiting, I find lots of those spots, or where they were,,, for the most part, they are constant, those who bait on a regular basis, usually stay in the same spot, so I need to know, where they are, because the baits, affect movement, at times...
I also check in with the USFS, they are very helpful, they will tell you their cut schedules, and every spring, they do their beaver study by air, and will give you a copy of their map, on new dam areas,,,,
This is all needed if you hunt public land and big woods,,,,,,,
Its also fun to see, all the junk you can find in the woods,,,, I have found, cached stands, blaze orange bibs, all kinds of stuff,,,,, and an occasional shed,,,,,,,
Lots of good reasons for you to do some scouting now, Dutch.
I will add one very important aspect of winter scouting IMO. Although, it may or may not pertain to your land...
I've found that trails in open hard woods or flat structureless woods without much tree or cover variation can be especially difficult to identify in the fall because there really isn't a defined trail, it is more of a travel corridor because its open enough that they can walk anywhere.
A trail WILL however, show up in winter, especially when the snow gets deep. Good to follow those trails as far as you can. Really helps give you the big picture of what travel routes they use when they want to get from point A to point B, which is usually the route bucks travel during the rut.
My best stand on my property is in one such place. There is a burner trail past it right now, but In the fall it looks like absolutely nothing at all. I could take a lot of good bowhunters to this spot in fall and tell them of all the nice bucks that have been taken from this spot and I'm sure I'd get a very puzzled look!!
One thing I've done before is to scout from the air when the snow melt's well along.
Packed trails are visible after most of the loose snow is gone, and I've got a friend with a plane...I take aerial photos...a regular road map. Also fun...lol.
Dutch, my daughter flys, but in the 80's we use to rent a plane and do fly overs, of our areas, in Bayfield Co, and do our own pictures.......However today with our predator situation,, it would be a waste of money
Wouldn't it be a waste of time scouting this time of year in the northern 1/3rd of the state? Most deer will be in wintering and yarding areas and far from where they will be come early season and the rut.
Those that feed regularly can alter this. But then again you wouldn't be scouting natural movement and corridors. To me it would seem to be better scouting on rainy or very windy days in the fall once most mast crops have been eaten.
I don't see the need to scout 40/80 acre parcels. Pick a spot or two for different winds and sit there long enough all the deer in that spot will walk by you sooner or later. Out can adjust stands from observation while hunting if needed.
My ideas and going to be open minded with this and hopefully learn something if someone feels I'm off base.
I've been walking deer trails in the snow for a month now and I've come to two conclusions...the deer must never sleep in my area because I find VERY FEW beds, just tracks...and there are damn few bucks judging by the sign (or lack thereof).
Rubs against the snow are fun to figure out after the season is done.
Drop Tine - That makes some good sense!
The thing I like about this year is I can scout anywhere I want and not worry about bothering any deer!
Jut yesterday, I found a tree that I have walked past and now look at it and think "Hey, that would make a great spot for a stand".....
Love this time of the year!
