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Scouting for Whitetails

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Scouting is one of the most important aspects of whitetail deer hunting. If you are in search of your first whitetail deer or even your next whitetail you should be in the woods now looking for sign. What you do now will determine the outcome of your next hunting season. We spend as much time as possible in the woods, and as you can see from our photo gallery it has paid off. When fall comes around and it's time for the hunt we know the best places to hunt whitetails. Most important is that we know where the deer are.

Scouting will improve your chances of scoring during the deer season. As hunting areas continue to disappear private property becomes very tempting, especially if it use to be one of your favorite hunting spots. If you do decide to hunt on private property make sure that you get permission from the landowner. If you are fortunate enough to have the privilege of hunting on private land, make sure that you treat the land as if it was your very own. In this day and age we need good hunter and landowner relationships. Remember that what you do as a deer hunter will influence the future of this sport.

The first thing that you want to do is locate the most deer sign in the area that you will be hunting. When you find this spot make sure that you become extremely familiar with this area. This will help you pattern the deer and help you determine which hunting techniques to use in this area. We prefer smaller areas with heavy deer sign. Smaller areas are much easier to scout, and if you're going to scout an area you want to do it well. You will also quickly master the terrain of a smaller area, which will allow you to plan a safe and effective deer hunt.

When you scout in deer country look for the common types of deer sign like droppings, trails, rubs, scrapes, deer hair, beds, antler sheds, tracks, and sign of browsing. Look for special land features like funnels. We like hunting the funnels especially during bow season. These areas are great for hunting because they force deer to cross areas where they don't have any other options. A funnel could be a combination of natural obstacles like rock formations, downed trees or even man made objects like old broken farm fences.

You will want to record all of your findings, take notes or mark them on a map. If you're into technology we recommend that you pick up a GPS. We use the Magellan GPS 2000 which stores location coordinates and messages that bring us to the exact location every time. If you see a deer on the way to work, mark it down and scout that area. You just may find your dream buck, if not you have another area to hunt that you scouted.

We scout year round even during deer season. The main reason for scouting during deer season is that we hunt all the seasons like bow, rifle, shotgun, and muzzleloader. We just pay attention to the deer sign around us as we hunt. This allows us to prepare for the next phase of the deer season. We believe that the best time to scout is immediately after the hunting season in our area. Scouting at this time allows us to find the location of the deer herd after intense hunting pressure.