It’s practically May already and everything is starting to get greener – especially out in the woods. So, if you haven’t already done so, you’d better get out and start scouting for next season’s stand locations. Why? Well, when all that undergrowth starts to come up, it’ll eventually cover all of last year’s deer signs such as trails, scrapes and in some cases rub lines. You’ll want to see all the signs of patterned deer movement so that you’ll know exactly where to put your stand this year.
Grant yourself a huge benefit by getting out there now; otherwise, it’s all going to be guess work for you come opening day. Identify where their bedding and feeding areas are as well as primary scrapes, rub lines and main travel routes. Look for bottleneck areas, isolated watering holes and narrow points which deer will most likely during the early part of the season. During the hot, sweltering days of the early bow season, even big bucks will be forced to find water during the daytime hours.
As for tools, bring a portable hand saw to cut clearings as well as tree branches on the tree where you plan to put your tree stand in. Bring some tree steps to get up as high as you need to be when sitting in your stand. At this point it’s going to be difficult to envision how thick the undergrowth and foliage will actually be, but try to envision where you’ll have the best cover.
Locate your deer stand or blind area ten yards off of the trail, scrape or rub line which deer regularly use. You don’t want to be on top of them when they approach. Always, always set up your deer stand or blind downwind from where you believe the deer will travel past you. This is just an extra good measure for preventing the deer from smelling you when the winds pick up in the fall.
When you’re out scouting around, practice the same scent control techniques as you would when you’re hunting. Remember, deer will shift their daily patterns or go nocturnal to avoid potential dangers and that would have you at a disadvantage right from the start. I recommend wearing scent-control clothing or cover-scent treated clothing along with rubber boots and gloves to keep from spreading human odor everywhere.
If you have a long hike into your stand or blind area, use those little reflective push pins to aid you in finding your way in the dark. Again clear a path to your stand location so your not brushing up against branches, tripping over deadfalls or anything of that sort. Once you have your stand or blind location set up leave the area alone for for about three months before you go back to see what the undergrowth looks like. Minimizing your travels keeps the deer from getting spooked resulting in what I mentioned earlier about affecting their daily patterns or eventually becoming nocturnal.
So, get out there now if you haven’t already done so. Scouting is one of the biggest factors for ensuring a successful hunt. If you don’t do your homework now, your chances of intercepting deer or even a big buck will be slim to none.
