What is a good time to check for trails and travel routes for a good bow stand?

[TheHunter]

Since deer's patterns seem to change on season / food availability, when is a good time to check before hunting season for trails / travel routes and stuff so you know where to setup a good bow hunting stand?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Look for trails that are well worn, they will have been used the most. While the patterns may change through the season, the deer always have to eat and drink, so trying to figure out the corridors between food and bedding is the best bet. You usually cant nail it down exactly unless you hunt the same area for years, and take note of where the deer go during the seasons. Even then, they can change things up. Now is a good time to start getting ideas, but having the ability to move during the season is the best way. Scout while you hunt.

[burmjohn]

I noticed that with the trail cams... Its so odd the patterns.  One week you get them every day on the cams at the same time, the next week all of a sudden its every other day. Then the next week its every 3 days, then the week after its back to every day again or even multiple times per day.    They change their routes more then you think regardless of season.

[Buckstopshere]

What I try to do before the season is walk and look and mentally record what is going on in the woods.

What is going on in adjacent properties to the ones you hunt? Did they put corn in again? Is the guy down the hill building a cabin and turned the side hill into an excavation project?

How are the Black cherry trees this year...bumper crop down here in Allegany County.

Did the farmer on the edge of your hunting property do the same thing this year as he did last year to his crop fields?

How is the beech, apple, acorn crop this year...

IN other words, don't get tied down to specifics before you have a global view of your hunting areas.

Sometimes land use patterns and nature (like a bumper crop of apples on one hillside) can make or break a deer season on a specific hill... and you need to change because why?

Answer: Deer seasons are never the same.

[Nomad]

What WNYbuckhunter said ! I've hunted the same spot for over 20 years. What i learned or think I learned.... the best time to learn what happens in hunting season IS hunting season.

I have trees that i can and have killed deer out of every year .

I have 2 thick bedding areas a small 15-20 acre hardwoods and more acres of crops then I can count . I have a couple spots bucks are every year, but it took years of hunting to learn that .

[gjs4]

best times for this kind of scouting is  during/post season

[gutpile]

Spring turkey season through to fall.

[fasteddie]

Trail cams will let you know there are deer in the area but they don't show up every day or all the time . But ........ I have been told by some hunters that a certain deer will always be at a certain spot each day at the same time . Makes me wonder if it's true as I would think he would set up for this "on time" deer and shoot it .

[Doc]

Trail cams will let you know there are deer in the area but they don't show up every day or all the time . But ........ I have been told by some hunters that a certain deer will always be at a certain spot each day at the same time . Makes me wonder if it's true as I would think he would set up for this "on time" deer and shoot it .

I have never found deer to be that predictable over any period of time. They may travel through the same general area, but deer usually are following their nose and their food. The deer that I have seen couldn't walk a straight line if they had to. Very short attention span. Another thing that I have noted is that during any phase of the rut, bucks tend to randomly travel crosswise to major deer trails. I think this is on purpose in that they can scent-check more trails that way to locate receptive does. So yes ther may be some periods of the year when deer will be habitual, but you can never count on it. Wouldn't hunting be a simple thing if they always did?

Doc

[nyslowhand]

Everyone is correct! My experience is you won't know much until you begin to see the rubs. May(?) give you an ideal of a bucks core area.

All bets are off when the rut approaches, as everyone mentioned the unpredictability. I've read that the whitetail experts have proven that most mature bucks, 2 1/2 years and older take an extended trip of at least one mile twice during the rut. Assuming they then return to their core area. I guess, be smart, be there and they will eventually come. About as scientific as deer hunting for mature bucks gets. If you are getting a lot of Trail Cam photos of the more predictable does in an area, the boys will eventually be there. This has worked for me, may not be ideal for all areas or hunters!!