The Best Time to Scout

AS I SIT TO write my column for June, the entire world is trying to cope with the coronavirus, which has now reached pandemic levels.

Many infectious control doctors have given us their expert opinion as to what needs to be done to beat this horrible virus. Social distancing is one of the recommendations offered by the medical world, and I do believe this is helping the situation. What better way to practice social distancing than to go out to your favorite woodlot and scout for the upcoming seasons?

If fishing takes a backseat to hunting for your outdoor activities, then may I suggest you really take the time to check out every inch of your lease. Were there any big storms that might have blown down some trees and possibly change the pattern of any whitetail movement? If so, then it may be beneficial to move your tree stands accordingly.

I can remember once in a spot I was hunting about two hours from my house. I had a fantastic hot spot that produced nice bucks every year. One pre-season, I got a little lazy and never went to see if everything was the same as previous years. When daylight came, I was perched in a tree overlooking a big blow down that blocked the deer run that I was hunting.

You guessed it. The bucks were still in the area, but this new change forced the deer to move outside my accuracy range during bow season.

Now might also be a good time to scout-out some new property. I love to look for natural food plots that are located in the middle of the woods I am hunting. It might be an apple orchard with scrub apples still on the trees.

Maybe your lease has some oak trees on it. If it does, then look to see whether it’s a red oak or white oak. You can easily distinguish between the two by the shape of their leaves. A red oak tree has leaves that are pointed on the tips, whereas a white oak tree has leaves that are rounded on the tips.

Whitetails love to eat acorns, both from a red oak tree and also a white oak tree. They prefer the white oaks. An acorn from a white oak tree is like candy to a whitetail deer.

I once hunted a place that was loaded with white oaks. The deer in the area were eating them almost as soon as they hit the ground. The problem I had were the darn squirrels. Those rodents would be scarfing the acorns up almost as fast as the deer were. I should remember to gather up my .22 rifle and clean out some of those tree rats.

Start your scouting experience right from the comfort of your vehicle. This time of year, the deer are feeding in the open fields as well as in the woods. Drive up and down some of those out-of-the-way roads, the kind that seem devoid of any traffic at all.

Then, check out every field you drive by. If you happen upon a field that produces a nice buck, stop and wait until dark to see where the buck leaves the field, if he chooses to do so.

If I know that a buck I am hunting is using a particular field to feed, I will check it out at first light and again about an hour before sundown just to see what deer run he prefers to use.

Your next step is to obtain permission to hunt or lease the property. Then, if you are fortunate enough to get that permission, it is time to get those boots in the woods and look for sign. Look for those hidden food plots I talked about earlier.

If a stream runs through the property, I would walk the edge and see whether you can locate a spot where the deer like to cross. The whitetails will need to drink.

If you locate where they cross, chances are they will stop to drink some water right there as well. As long as you have placed your tree stand downwind of the crossing, those whitetails might just offer you the perfect standing shot.

It’s a good idea to take note as to the prevailing wind direction once you decide to place a stand. It will do you no good at all if you take the time to walk the stream, find a nice spot for an ambush and just before the buck of your dreams comes in range, the wind sends your scent directly to his nostrils.

Not good!

Take your time to look around for a better tree. You might find there is no suitable tree to use right at the stream. No problem. Simply follow the trail and choose a different tree downwind of your ambush location.

The most important thing here to consider is the wind direction. I cannot stress to you how important that is. A human has about five million scent receptors. Compare that to a dog that averages about 220 million scent receptors.

Are you ready for this? A deer has 297 million scent receptors. Anyway, you get the picture. To be honest, I am surprised we could ever get a deer to come into bow range.

Hopefully, this horrible virus will be a distant memory by the time hunting season gets here. I am sure that, like me, you prefer to hunt with a buddy or two. Social distancing would not work during hunting season. In the meantime, while we all wait for opening day to arrive, stay safe, follow the CDC guidelines, and above all stay healthy.

Have fun and hunt safe.

 

Email Lou Marullo at ContactUs@fishgame.com

 

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