signs n' tracks

[malikai]

Hey fellow hunters,
I am going bow hunting for deer once it starts and tommorow I am gonna go to the woods to see what the deer are doing and where they feed and go. Is this a good idea? What should i look for? feces, tracks, rubs... any more? should i be looking for these things now?
I have a bunch of questions because this is my first time deer hunting, and Hopefully you veteran hunters can help me out.

Joe

[Tom2008]

You can definatley look for tracks at this time of year. It might be kind of hard to find scrapes, but you should be able to find some rubs from the year before. Good Luck

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

If you look hard enough you may even see the deer .. GL scouting it is never to early to start.

Steve

[Tom2008]

If I could I would scout all year round it is a great way to get to know the deer routes and your hunting area.

[malikai]

It really is, Hopefully i see somthing good, Tough the forest i hunt is only like 15-20 acres with a pond, is that really enough? its sorrounded by crops.
Joe

[wtnhunt]

Have always heard that best scouting is done after the end of the season. Scouting year round can help you kind of figure out what the deer are doing.

[TC308]

I think it is a good idea. We scout deer year around even when we are turkey hunting we look for deer signs.

[rossman]

If this is your first year deer hunting, all I can say is you will be hooked the first minute your in your treestand.

First, you want to find out where there core "bedding" area and "feeding" areas are. Find the most heavily used trails. This will point you in a good area to hunt. Later in the summer you'll want to glass from a distance so the deer don't know your there. Find out where the deer are coming out to the fields. Then sneek in and pop a stand up downwind of the heaviest used trails.

Good luck.--rossman

[Tominator]

Yes, everything you mentioned will help. One thing to consider though is that (at least around here), continually change their range as the crops come in and go out, and food sources and cover changes so much. Don't put too much stock in fresh tracks because those deer might be long gone come season.

You might want to check for trails, old rubs and even old scrapes in the woods. That lets you know travel corridors that were used during the season.

[PAT_PATTERSON]

Keep a log book, when ever you are in the woods, write down what you see, temps as close a possible. wind direction, moon phase ect...
Every time out, check the conditions and compare it with your book. See if anything changes, pretty soon you get a written idea of how, when, where and what. It helps when it comes time to pick a spot to hunt when you know what the weather is going to do. Just part of my scouting, also I keep a journal of my hunting, stories with complete details of weather, moon phase, temps and activity.

[malikai]

Alright, I will try to do that, but may I inquire as to what the difference between a rub and a scrape is? and when does the rut start?

Joe

[hoytguy08]

a rub is when a buck rubs the bark on a tree when he sheds velvet and during the rut when he is marking territory, rub lines show the travel route of the buck
...scrapes are the areas on the ground where a buck paws and scrapes the ground and urinates, this is where the bucks and does communicate the does also urinate in the scrapes when they come into estrous. bucks also urinate in other bucks scrapes to show dominance. most scrapes have a licking branch hanging over them that is another sign post where bucks leave their scent
...as far as the rut goes it depends where you live, here in west central illinois the pre-rut begins in late october and the post rut can end anywhere from early december to late January... the pre rut is when the bucks are getting ready to breed by making a lot of scrapes and searching for does, then the prime rut comes along that is the actual breeding phase, post rut is where many of the does have been bred but some of the yearlings are just coming into heat and a few bucks will still be searching for the last breedable does
..i believe the post rut can be one of the best times to see a big mature buck because there isn't as many hunters in the woods and those big bucks might not like all of the commotion of the earlier rut periods...don't get me wrong all of the rut phases are great hunting oppurtunities
.. i'm only 15 and this will only be my third year of bow hunting, but i think i'm fairly knowledgable about these things. Help me out guys if i messed up anywhere
...hope that helps and good luck this fall!!! you'll have a great time!!

[malikai]

Hey guys, I went to the woods today, I found a lot of tracks near the edge of the pond, splitting in different diredtions towards all of the fields. I found a deer antler and maybe a fawn or cyote rib . I also found some old rubs, It seems the deer congregate near the pond and I dont know the time of day they drink there, so To find this out I better just sit and wait for a few hours i guess, I dont know how to get them onto the site so i will have to find out.

Thanks
Joe

[wtnhunt]

Might try a game cam near the pond instead of sitting and waiting. Would also give you a better idea of what is coming through at night.

[Tominator]

Where do you live Malikai? That will give us a better idea of when your rut comes in.

Unless you're in a desert setting, setting up near the pond probably isn't the best idea. In all my years of hunting near creeks and ponds, I've never seen a deer stop to drink. I know they frequent those spots because I can see their tracks, but if they're using it for a drinking spot it's happening most likely at night.