early season scouting

[Kayakwilly]

question  what are you looking for in the woods  as far as trees  were I hunt  there is a lot of red oak a few white oak and a pond ....am I looking for runs . the wood are sort of thick  knee high brush  there is a main  trail  going into and out of woods .  there is also small pine trees the woods are big were I hunt its very hard to find out were they are bedding during the day .....any help would be great ...the pic of buck was what my friend shot last year in these woods I used the topo map and bing  and was our first time in theses woods

[growalot]

Elderberry,pokeweed,asters,sumac,any wild nuts, hophorn,poison ivy,woodland clump grasses as winter sets in..cat tails, dog wood brush bramble, wild rose, goose berry and currents wild blue berry(low growing) ...but also dog wood  trees(a favorite thing to rub)cone flowers, skunk cabbage,sassafras.most tree saplings , maple leafs, ash leafs, some ferns wild chicory.. I have found(you can't see it now only spring and summer) where I see may apples popping up deer are walking and bedding those areas. Watch for wild turkey sign...they tend to feed near one another. Crows I've noticed when crows start talking and flying near...not long after deer show up..it's a long list

As far as bedding ...depends on terrain and weather..wind direction ,even thermals...Deer act differently in different areas...Here primary movement 25yrs watching this, 38 at camp, is what I call walking away from the morning sun...which issues in a colder air mass as it rises ..causing them to move down hill..then they come back up the hill as the sun sets...walking away from the setting sun...Hill country. That said, at camp...hill country...they walk up hill towards the rising sun in the mornings and down towards the setting sun...Same type of hilly terrain  and wind direction.. The difference is...the swamp lands at camp are up on top of the hill...the swamp lands here are at the bottom...So a Few days of watching will tell you.

Edited September 9, 2016 by growalot