IN-SEASON SCOUTING SECRETS
Scouting, in my opinion, is the most underrated part of deer hunting. Most people have the mistaken impression that hunting is all about shooting, but it is not. It's all about "the hunt". And, in order to begin the hunt, you have to scout in order to locate concentrations of deer, or even more specifically, a group of bucks. I spend a lot more time scouting, early in the season, than I do actually sitting in a stand with the bow. I want to know as much as possible about precisely where the deer are feeding, what they're feeding on, and where they're bedding when they are not feeding. I also want to know how they are getting from these bedding areas to feeding areas, and back again. This involves scouting.
However, walking thru the woods during the season can also spook off more deer and ruin your hunting area if you're not careful about the way you do it. Deer have an incredible sense of smell, and will alter their movements if you leave too much human scent while scouting any particular area. So how do you beat their incredible sense of smell? It's actually quite easy. Just make sure you pick your days to scout. Only walk thru sensitive deer inhabited areas during periods of rain or high winds. Rainy weather is the ultimate. Any time it rains, I'm scouting. Why? My residual human scent is washed away by rain moments after I walk thru any area during a rain shower. Strong winds can have a similar effect. Never scout sensitive areas when the weather is nice. Your scent will remain their for hours, and alert every deer in the area. But, scout in the rain, and you can check out everything you want to with virtually no negative effects. Anytime it rains, don some rain gear, and check out your target area more closely.