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- You can start your scouting for deer as soon as the deer season ends. It's crucial to get as much time as you can scouting before the season opens. Get to know the terrain like its your own backyard. Once you know the terrain, get to know the animal you are going to be hunting. Learn what it eats mostly during the hunting season. Ask about the amount of food available for the deer and what is producing that food (trees, etc.). Know what the deer are eating and where that food supply is before you go in the woods so you know where to look. Also see if you can maybe get some tips of where bedding areas are or heavly used trails. Now start your own scouting in the area early, but remember deer have a way of changing their habits right before deer season, so plan on going in a couple days before the season. The later you scout the more accurate and up to date your findngs will be. This will increase your chances of being inthe right place at the right time. Go into the woods early in the morning and stay until night, watching the deer movements. A lot of hunters will use a map of the area and mark any knids of trails or foods sources they find, on the map. Like I said earlier, food is a great place to find deer. If you find a good grove of oaks that shows a lot of deer action, look for trails leading to the area and mark them on your map. Those trials could be a big step in putting venison on the table. Deer droppings are another certain sign of deer. Now finding a lot of deer droppings doesn't exactly mean that the area is loaded with deer. Deer deposit dozens of piles of droppings every day, but it is another good indicator that there is some deer movement in that area. Scrapes and rubs are a great sign that every hunter loves to see. The bark torn off a tree by a bucks horns is called a rub or hooking. A deer does this to show his territory. Rubs are also used as a traveling tool for deer. Scrapes are also a major indicator of a buck in the area. He makes scrapes by using his front foot to dig out leaves, grass and twigs, leaving bare ground. Next he will urinate in the fresh dirt to leave his scent to other buck as well as doe when they are ready to mate. Almost all scrapes have overhanging branches that the buck will reach up and chew on and leave more scent. Now some scrapes are done just once, but others are active scrapes. Scrapes that the buck comes back and checks frequently. If you find one of these, you better find a way to set up on that area and wait for that buck to come back. Beds are another great thing to look for while scouting. Trails usually lead from bedding areas to feeding areas, so when those bedding areas are found, look for those trails that lead to the feeding area. Most deer will return to the same bedding area regularly if they are not constantly disturbed by hunters. After you have taken all this info and have it all recored on your map, you can sit down and look at the areas that have high concentrations of scrapes and rubs. Or look for those trails that lead between the feeding and bedding areas that are used frequently. From this you should be pretty confident in where to put your stand for opening morning. Good Luck!
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