Key to Early Season Success ----- Scout ! ! !
by Joe Bucher

Find Food Sources and Deer Sign and You'll Get Action.

Early season bow hunting can be one of the most underrated times. In fact, I have found it to be one of the very best times to bow hunt for a number of reasons. For one, the weather is so pleasant. Under normal weather conditions, one can expect air temps to be in the mid 50's to low 60's for daytime highs, dropping down into the low 40's on most nights. This makes it easy to tolerate sitting on a stand without getting cold.

Secondly, deer are very predicable and patternable during this period. Particularly before the leaves start to drop from the trees. The main focus of deer right now is FEEDING not breeding. This, of course, will change later on, but early season deer are first and foremost -- feeders not breeders. That's why it is so important to find a good food source, and then determine from both scouting and observation as to when they are actually using this source.

I use a variety of scouting tactics in order to determine "where" and "when" to hunt a spot. The very first thing one must do is actually determine a general area or property as the target; and make sure that that choice is a wise one. By "wise" I mean -- does it have the potential to provide you with consistent quality hunting? You can only determine this by sighting deer and the sign they make. After I have targeted an area, I first drive around in a 4 wheel drive vehicle armed with maps, aerial photos and good optics such as a binocular and preferably also a spotting scope. My main objective here is to get a general lay of the land, and also to hopefully spot some deer.

Once I get that general lay of the land, I start to WALK. There simply is no substitute for good old fashion scouting on foot. You simply have to see the property up close and personal; see the subtle variations in terrain, and the various signs that deer make on the property. Look for rubs to be a big key early. But, even before heavy rubbing begins, you should be looking for the other two main scouting signs: 1) tracks and 2) droppings. In fact, I'd rate deer droppings as my # 1 early season sign, bar none. Simply put, if I don't see lots of droppings, the deer are obviously not using this spot much. Feeding deer leave lots of droppings. The more droppings, the more deer and the more often they are in this area.

In my opinion, deer trails are way overrated. Many hunters base their stand selection on trail crossings and funnels. But, no matter how many deer trails intersect, if they (the deer) aren't using this spot at that time, it's not worth hunting. If you don't see deer droppings on those trails, the deer aren't there with any regularity.

Eventually, by late September and on into early October, rubs start to show up with more prominence. Once rubs start to show up, they become a key sign to consider. Freshly made rubs on various tree trunks, indicate the presence of bucks. The more rubs, the more often bucks are working this specific area. Trails that have rubs, tracks and droppings are major areas to consider. Once I see the combination of these elements (trails with rubs, tracks, and droppings), I then begin to search for that ultimate stand site where I can get a close range shot without being detected. This is a science in itself.

This is the point where you finally start to look for funnels and pinch points in the terrain that will give you an advantage. Try to determine two general things when looking at the big picture during this phase of your scouting. Ask two questions: 1) Where are these deer feeding? 2) Where are they bedding? If you can answer these two questions, then, begin to determine the 3rd question: What routes are they traveling to get to and from these bedding and feeding areas? Rubs and tracks can both give you clues as to "when" which will help you determine whether to hunt this stand in the a.m. or p.m. Rubs heading towards a feeding area, facing away from the feeding area itself, are being used in the evening. Rubs leading out of a feeding area, facing the feeding area itself, are probably being used in the morning. This ! little tip will help you figure out when to use each one of your stand sites.

By the way, rubs in the feeding area itself are rarely that productive since they are made after dark. However, rubs in the bedding area are worth considering as morning stand sites.

Of course, all of these things require TIME. This means spending more time scouting than actual hunting. One of the key things I've learned in my growth as a bow hunter is to spend a lot more time scouting (walking) and less time actually hunting. Try to get into the frame of mind that scouting is actually hunting. In other words, all the time you are scouting, you are planning and building that ultimate hunting gameplan. Scout, scout, scout. The more you scout your area, the more you will learn about the terrain and how the deer use it. Eventually this will pay off huge in the amount of quality time you are able to spend on stands.

Instead of sitting back at camp during the day, waiting for the evening hunt to come, get off your "duff" and walk. Don't walk the area you plan to hunt that evening; walk an alternate spot. Plan on scouting this out for future hunts. Believe me, this will pay off in a big, big way.

The best times to scout are during windy afternoons and on rainy days. The very best time to scout a sensitive spot is on a windy, rainy, ugly day. The deer can't hear you, nor can they smell you. The wind disguises your movement, and the rain washes away your scent. You can scout even the most sensitive areas during nasty windy, rainy days. Take advantage of this opportunity when ever you can. Don some rain gear and get out there --- check things out thoroughly during this small in-season window. This is also the very best time to hang a stand in a sensitive spot. Do it right away during that nasty weather. Don't wait for the nice weather to return. You want to be ready to hunt that spot when the nice weather arrives. Hang the stand during bad weather.

Remember, scouting is the key to success. Find the food sources. Locate the bedding areas. Determine where they like to feed, and when they are showing up at these locations. Then, dial-in your stand sites and you'll be on your way. In no time at all, you'll be confidently sitting in your stand site, shaking in your boots as a big racked buck approaches!