Summer Scouting

[PostedBoys Gallego]

Anyone else do summer scouting on public land? I plan on doing a few hours each morning everytime I visit the Catskills. Wish I lived there but I'll do with what I have. Spending the weekend up there starting tomorrow am. I just want to walk as much as possible and learn the lay of the land as well as find the bedding/cover/food sources. I printed out topo maps using the delaware county mapping system which is awesome!

http://www.giswebhost.org/delaware/#

Actually, I just noticed they changed the layout and how this mapping system works, anyone else? It feels slower now.

I mark down on the topo where I find hot spots, rub lines, food etc...

I know scouting is better in post season which I have done in the Adirondacks, and this is new land so I just gotta make sure I learn it. Though I realized I get easily turned around when its all green! Taking my compass first and foremost, and gps as an emergency backup only.

So any others scouting summers? I know its super hot, bugs, and hard to find rubs... I do find trails easier though, and last time I found nice fresh beds easier than usual.

Edited July 5, 2012 by PostedBoys Gallego

[Doc]

I often wonder how much value that summer scouting really has. Yes, on new hunting property it is always good to get more familiarity with the terrain and locate potential food sources. But I am also mindful of just how much different food sources and bedding areas are from now to the more fall-tailored habits of the deer. That is one of the things that makes that type of detailed scouting so darn difficult. Typically, bow season is a time of change. Leaves are turning, and eventually falling which changes the entire nature of food sources and cover for bedding areas. Certain crops are harvested and there goes another change. And then comes the acorn drop, and everything changes again. And then the different phases of rut begin and all bets are off.

Sure enough, you can never know too much about the area that you hunt, but the expectations of getting a lot of detail about fall deer patterns from the mid-summer hikes through the woods might be a little higher than the realities. One thing you might learn is something about the deer population size and quality. Even camera pics this time of year will give you an idea of what may exist somewhere in the area later on. So there is no way that I am saying that summer scouting is worthless. It's just that the info may not be current when hunting season begins. Personally, I do a lot of careful in-season scouting to get the latest and greatest info.

[PostedBoys Gallego]

Yep, you got some good points. It's definitely more of a matter of learning the new land at this point. Last time out was pretty good though. Saw turkeys, 2 doe, fox, and lots of bear tracks, last season rubs, bedding. Food is for sure harder to know until fall, but did manage to find peaks with oaks which was nice. Whether or not they produce we'll see.

[Doc]

I spend a lot of time up on the hill in the summer. Maybe I don't get all the parts of the picture, but I do pick up some useful observations here and there. And also, it's great exercise and just a great place to be.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im with Doc on this one. I do most of my deer scouting while I hunt, and through the winter and very early spring when scrapes, trails, etc are easy to see still. During the summer I spend time in the woods, but it is usually just getting more familiar with the terrain and getting ideas for new stand placement possibilities. I also watch what the local farmers are planting and try to think about how those food sources might affect travel patterns in the fall. The biggest thing I like to do this time of the year is glass deer while they are out in the fields, combined with trail cams, I can start getting to know whats around.