Part 2 " The Lost Art Of Scouting"

"Want To See More Deer?"
Part 2
The Lost Art Of Scouting

The 21st Century hunter has changed a lot since the days of Fred Bear and Chuck Adams. The hunter today has technology those past hunters never had. We can "Google Earth" and pull up the property we are hunting. We can spend time looking for those pinch points or funnels where deer will travel. We have handheld GPS systems to help mark our favorite spots. There are even satellite image cameras so we can watch our deer from our home computer. This is all fine and good, but nothing, no nothing, takes the place of old fashion "dirt to boot" contact and I don’t mean a walk through the woods. Scouting for deer I believe has become a lost art, an art that is as old as man itself. Just as our kids no longer play outside ,but choose to spend their time on a computer. We as hunters don’t spend enough time Scouting.

When living in Florida in the 80's, we would begin scouting as early as July. We would actually make a weekend out of it. Doing nothing but scouting the woods for deer signs. Today, deer hunters show up the morning of deer season, look at a map with numbers on it, and pick a stand for the day. This year I have already spent many hours in the woods preparing for hunting season 2009, but then the question must be asked... What are you looking for?
A food source would be the first thing on my list for early season hunting. This will change as rut draws closer. Once I have found a food source that will still be around during bow season, I take a look at the trails and tracks in the trails leading to the food source. But, the most important indicator of whether that trail is worthy to hunt or not is the deer droppings found. Old droppings, new droppings, small droppings, large droppings and even the color of the droppings tell you something. In the early 80's my friend called me the "poop-ologist" after I did an test in my back yard with some "poop" I had collected. You may find this hard to believe, but a hunter can tell a lot about a deer from it’s "poop" (Ha-Ha). Next, these trails will also help you find the bedding area an once found , STAY OUT OF THEM! Set up your stand between the food source and the bedding area. Make sure it is with the right wind. One last thing, do your scouting well in advance of deer season opening. Don’t think they won’t know you’ve been in their living room. They will know it, just as you would know if someone had been in your living room. So put those new boots on and get some dirt on them. I guarantee you will see more deer!

By Mike Denning