With deer seasons recently wrapped up around most of the Midwest, now may not seem like the most important time to scout for next season. However, winter is when you can learn a whole lot about the deer herd where you hunt and how they move about the landscape. If there is snow on the ground, tracks expose patterns you never knew existed.
Nothing is more informative than putting boot leather on the ground to learn about how deer use the property you hunt. It’s a mystery what you may find while you’re exploring the landscape. You may find honey holes you never knew existed, while also stumbling into sheds, dead heads, other hunters’ stands, and no telling what else. You also don’t need to worry about bumping deer off your land, because it’s long before you’ll hunt them again. Scouting this time of year is very valuable, and some tools make the job more effective. My scouting toolbox includes a digital mapping system, trail cameras, my cellphone camera, a drone, and small chainsaw.
Of those tools, I believe the digital mapping system is the most important. There are numerous options out there that will suffice. I have used onX for years. My maps are so detailed now, they are as valuable to me as treasure maps. I mark where I find sign or points of interest. Although we think we’ll remember what we encounter in the woods, chances are we’ll forget plenty. If you have a digital mapping system, then you can mark all kinds of different locations on your map and enter notes about what you’ve discovered. I mark where I find sheds, high volume travel routes, and spots where I think I should consider hanging a stand or putting up a blind.
Trail cameras are my second most important tool. They monitor the movement of deer on the property but also help me survey the deer herd to know which buck made it through season. They also tell me when I should expect to find sheds. As for now, my cellular cameras are showing me most bucks are still holding their antlers. I expect them to start dropping soon, with most being on the ground by March, but I’ll know for sure based on the pictures I’m receiving through my app each day. Shed hunting is also scouting if you approach it as such. While you’re hunting for antlers, look for sign of where deer are bedding and traveling.
My phone’s camera is another important tool, because I like to take pictures of where I encountered sign worthy of marking on my map. This allows me to go back and examine what it was about a certain spot that inspired me to consider it worthy of documentation. I add notes to my map, and keep the photos categorized by date and location in folders on my computer.
Drone use is a game changer. I put my drone up a lot now that the leaves are off the trees. One, they certainly help with shed hunting. I can scan a field way faster with a drone than I can walk it. The drone also helps me cover more ground than I could if walking was my only means of putting eyes on an area. Drone prices have plummeted in recent years. You can pick up a real high-quality drone these days for under $500. Not only are drones effective tools for scouting, but they’re also so much fun to use.
The piece of equipment I never go scouting without is small, battery powered chainsaw. Again, there are many options to choose from. I have a Milwaukee 8-inch Hatchet saw. It’s small enough to fit in my backpack but powerful enough to cut up good sized trees or brush. I find many trees that have fallen across trails or in other spots they need to be removed from. Having my saw with me while scouting allows me to allow me to clear trails and stand sites as I discover the problems. I promise you, doing this when it’s cold outside is way more enjoyable than during summer when ticks, skeeters, and stinging nettles make any trip to the woods potentially miserable.
If you’re like me, stepping on the scale right now is motivating to work off the pounds acquired during the holiday season. All those after dinner deserts were awesome, but I sure don’t want them to show around my waist. I’d much rather burn calories in pursuit of knowledge to make next deer season more productive than on some human hamster wheel in a gym.
Now’s the time to get out and scout. The tools listed above should make your time spent doing so more valuable in the coming season.
See you down the trail…
Brandon Butler
bbutler@driftwoodoutdoors.com
Pic: Winter scouting helps determine where deer are traveling.
For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast HERE or anywhere podcasts are streamed.