Get out there and scout...NOW!!!
Pennsylvania
Contributors to this thread:
Great advise Treerat,
IMHO,
It is absolutely the best way to learn about "your area" of hunting and the deer movement within it.
Your not saying to walk out into Forbes State Forest and put up cameras during a snowstorm are ya? We were looking for uhhh turkeys.... Yup turkeys:)
Thats some good advice treerat.
Been using the drone I got for Christmas to check out local bedding areas. Great tool.
Too cloudy for my drone. I Just use Google earth and do the zoom feature. Theres lots of deers on the beach in S Fla:)
Mike- I try to get out in early March to do my preseason scouting. Great time of year! Always take the varmint rifle in case I come across any coyotes and I am also scouting for turkey sign for Spring Gobbler. Best time is after a fresh snow.
I like to snow shoe and do it at a few places that i hunt. One place a big Mountain the deer are not in the same places in winter as in summer.. I can go for a hike in summer a see deer and deer sign, go to that same spot right now and snow shoe and not cross a track in a 1 or 2 miles.. On the flatter more farm land I do see deer in the same places now as in summer.
Yelp im already doing this.
Fricken high tech hunters. Camera this camera that, who the hell needs a camera to scout.
Ya all prolly use them compound bows too...
So Bowjo, Teton and I did some hiking/scouting on SGL up in Susquehanna Co on Sat. There’s at least one buck there still has his headgear! ;-)
We found 3 rubs in 2 different areas
And lots and lots of pellets!
One spot you couldn’t walk 10 ft in any direction without stepping on pellets
I don't have to go out.. I can see them from the patio door.
Yeah, your "pet" deer! LOL! : )
Mike- I should have said we actually saw some deer too- 4. And game trails are pretty easy to see this time of year. We walked all over that SGL and ironically, one of the heaviest trails we saw was parallel to the county road and barely 30 ft inside the woodline as we were circling back around to the parking area! ;-)
What are pellets?
Isn't that what ya burn in a pellet stove?:)
You refer to them as Raisinettes I believe.
Nice finds Mike. I'll be in Ohio this weekend to pull a couple cameras and do some shed hunting/ scouting. Haven't found any antlers on my outings here in Pa yet.
Nice finds, what part of pa?
No sheds in Ohio this weekend but happy to see these two are alive and well!
Been seeing deer yarded up in groups of 8 to 20 lately. Right beside the house before dark last evening.
How much snow do you have out there Art?
In my experience, deer are not doing the same thing in October as they are in March, and even their range may change due to the vagaries of weather, heat, drought...monsoon. I'm in the woods year around and know what's going on, but I don't always see what's happening in the spring to be what's happening in the fall. Your mileage my vary.
I was out in ohio on Saturday. Did some scouting in the places that I hunt. On the way out, I was walking there the field. Found a shed, main frame 5pt. with 4 stickers. All on one side. Hope to find the other half.
I enjoy getting out in the woods any time of the year but I agree with others that said that where the deer are in early spring doesn't mean they'll be there in the fall or even as the season progresses. During the rut bucks may cover 2, 3 or more miles a day. I'm not saying they don't pass the same place from time to time but they will go where the does are. Here's is an interesting article by Penn State on monitoring a buck over three years. http://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/projects/deer/news/2017/we-spied-on-him-for-3-years
Rut Nut's Link
Someone had to come by with a little smarts and post it.
The moderator couldn't..:)
I guess you want Chris to open you beer for you too.
Yes, I have her trained to do that, after she fetches it :)
No problem Phil! ;-)
I just took a quick look, but that is pretty interesting! Especially how close to the road he stayed/bedded at times during rifle season! I'll have to take some more time and study it closer.
Perry, if you sign up for the newsletters you'll get lots more information like that.
I wondered if anyone has observed any fawns yet? Got my first trail cam pics today.
Geeze those are tiny. Cute little buggers.
WOW! That's early! I think the earliest I have seen fawns is late May.
I was told that those fawns would have been concieved in September.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing Art- definitely way before the traditional Nov. RUT!
WOW Mike! 3/25? And it looks like it wasn;t just born either!
Nice sheds too!