New hunter - First Scout

[Vince1]

First time out scouting a small Valley maybe a two mile hike. need a bit of help figuring this place out. stand placement and such20130808193803.pdf

 

found this were i marked the B

 

lota questions but its late and im still at work.

 

but im curious about these the most

 

is this bear poop?

 

and whats this

 

its late, im tired, going home... later and thanks

[G-Man]

Looks like deer droppings (clumped from eating grasses) the last looks like an Osage orange. Check out some videos from Netflix. Bow hunting October whitetails 1 and 2. Will show and teach you a lot and can watch over and over. Some old tinks videos are quite educational as well as quest videos. Much of the new stuff is entertainment and not really worth watching imo

[Doc]

First picture, I haven't a clue. I will say that it likely is not a scrape. It looks like a spot where some critter has been rooting around for grubs or some other kind of bugs or such.

 

The second picture could be bear scat. It's hard to get a good read on what the size is. There is not a lot to set the scale with.

 

To me the third picture looks like a top view of a hickory nut with the hull still on. They are exactly that color, and are segmented like that is.

[Vince1]

thanks, put the DVD in my net flix que and will be checking it out this weekend if it gets here in time. as for the green looking fruit thing after googling ossage and hickory nut im pretty sure its the hickory nut. I was confused because it was green and never saw one before. but there were plenty of old ones in the area that were cracked open.

 

Do deer eat the hickory nuts? im guessing so. in the creek bed I was in there were plenty of the hickory nuts on one side were it was a pretty open area with white oaks and other trees I have yet to identify along with a lot of ferns and plenty of scat.

 

on another side of the creek bed it opened up to a more swampy area that was very thick, I could only make it through there by walking a bit up toward the ridge. after making it home and reviewing my pictures I realized I missed sooo much. so many deer signs I should have taken a closer look at.

 

learned a valuable lesson though, always bring a water filter, and always get there before dawn breaks, didn't have enough time to get there and look around properly.

 

place I found seems to be a nice funnel with a break that leads to what im told is really thick swamp that I wouldn't be able to  pass. its about 2 miles long and ima head back out there next weekend and get a better look around from start to finish of the 2 mile stretch.

 

or at least I plan to, the park ranger I spoke to said that they frowned upon people walking off trails, which was odd because I figure hunters do it all the time.

 

and thanks for the info on the first pick, I was thinking about setting my stand up near there as I thought it was a buck bed.

[Skillet]

That kinda looks like a pig was rooting around in there for food.  My ex wife dropped a Cheetoh in the lawn once, and it ended up looking similar.

Edited August 10, 2013 by Skillet

[Doc]

Your question about deer eating hickory nuts is an interesting one. I would say they do not because I have cracked a few of those things in the past and I can say that they are super hard. I know the jaws on a deer are pretty strong, and they have no problems with acorns, but I think when it comes to cracking hickory nuts they probably have met their match. However, I have never seen anyone actually come out and say that they do not eat them. I have asked the question before and never got an answer.

 

Be careful of hunting a swamp that is something you can't cross. Deer often don't go down right on the spot, and they have no problems swimming or heading out into swamps. I guess what I am saying is don't hunt in areas that you cannot pursue a wounded deer into.

 

As far as the Park Ranger's comments, he may be talking from experiences of having had to go out and find lost hikers/hunters. I'm sure he was warning you to have orienteering equipment and the skill to adequately use them. Probably not bad advice.

[Vince1]

ok second time out in the woods and I think  im getting a bit better. found the below all over the place. I don't think they are scrapes cause there was no licking branch above most of em but im pretty sure they are beds?

 

saw a lot of them solo by them selves in some thick stuff with a few trails close by and found one or two with a few patches all together.

 

so is it something or nothing?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

my dog walked through this one ( I know I tried to stop her)

 

deer poop right next to a white oak close to what I think are bedding areas, if im right this will be my morning spot as its pretty high up but very easy for deer to get to my downwind side so im not sure

 

and finally the last shot was a tease, the only deer I saw all day was when I was leaving around 7:30 right next to the road. im guessing they heard me and just kept outa my way or smelled my dog when I was back deep in the woods.

 

Edited August 25, 2013 by Vince1

[Arrow Flinger]

In a perfect world, you should do all your scouting in the spring before green up. Then all you have to do before season is put up your stand and leave the area alone. From the sounds of it, I would look for a heavily used deer trail coming out of the thick swamp and set up near it and hope for the best this season. Then next spring, take what you observed this fall and scout the area thoroughly. Find a few good spots to sit and don't go back in there till you hang your stands next fall. You may get lucky and shoot one this fall, but if you keep walking around the area right before bow season, you'll probably do more harm than good. Those bare patches are not deer beds. They don't clear the ground, they just lie down. It looks like something is rooting around(pigs/turkeys?). What part of the state is this in? I know there are some feral pigs around Moravia and Scott.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Arrow Flinger

[jjb4900]

turkey scratchings

[Vince1]

yeah I wasn't sure but I guess that makes sense about them not clearing the ground. least I know where to find my turkeys

 

picks are from sterling forest, don't thinik there are any pigs out there. figuring on spending most of my time there this season.

 

was planning on going out there two more times, once next week to check out another part of the park and another time to do an all day sit from dusk till dawn to see if I can see were the deer are actually going.

 

was gonna check out pochuk as I have a dmp for 3m and rocky point in long island as I have a dmp for there as well.

 

I have NO idea what im doing and just learning as I go.

 

im hoping if early season goes bad that late season snow helps me find them better.

 

but I will definitely take some time to camp a deer trail branching off from one of the wood trails I saw, that makes sense if im not having any luck or seeing deer

 

 

[Futuretrash]

Can I ask you guys, I'm hunting public land, my question is this: How far off of human made trails should I push myself out into the forest? I'm assuming the deer and bears will be well off of the trafficed trails, but how far should I consider going? 1/4 mile? A full mile? I had some killer spots with a ton of bear and deer scat about a 1/4 mile from the trail up at Balsam Lake Wild Forest, scented with bear attractant I made, not a thing over 3 days. But again, heavy fresh scat. Are they only coming close to people-ish areas at night and then going deeper in the forest and peaks daytime?

 

Would love some tips on strategies. I'm on the ground, full camo but no stands. I'm planning on spot and stalk until I get my first deer / bear and then moving to a tree stand after that perhaps. 

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited September 29, 2014 by Futuretrash

[PREDATE]

futuretrash- Can I recommend that you start a fresh thread. I just read through this whole zombie thread only to find out it's been dead for a year.

[stoneam2006]

Can I ask you guys, I'm hunting public land, my question is this: How far off of human made trails should I push myself out into the forest? I'm assuming the deer and bears will be well off of the trafficed trails, but how far should I consider going? 1/4 mile? A full mile? I had some killer spots with a ton of bear and deer scat about a 1/4 mile from the trail up at Balsam Lake Wild Forest, scented with bear attractant I made, not a thing over 3 days. But again, heavy fresh scat. Are they only coming close to people-ish areas at night and then going deeper in the forest and peaks daytime?

Would love some tips on strategies. I'm on the ground, full camo but no stands. I'm planning on spot and stalk until I get my first deer / bear and then moving to a tree stand after that perhaps.

Thanks in advance!

If you don't start new...here's my .02 use maps satilite and topo maps. They will help I like to look for lil clearings and stuff off th3 beaten path away and try and hunt them. Also most state lands have trailhead maps and whatnot grab one and look at thay too....might show you where some water source or even a lean to for emergency situations....and don't get discouraged hunting state land is tough but worth it if your persistent. ..have fun good luck