Summer 2006

Don't Overlook Long Range Scouting

By JOHN KASUN

The secret to pre season scouting is finding the deer without letting them know you are in the area and that means long range scouting. Here the author's wife sits on a hilltop two hundred yards from an open feeding area using her binoculars to check on deer feeding in the area. With a little planning she can learn about the deer movement and still slip away unnoticed.

While bowhunting is a close-range sport, the last place a bowhunter should be during August and September is close to a deer. This is definitely the time for long-range scouting.
When I first started to bow hunt I spend many a mornings and evenings before the season in the same area that I intended to hunt. While I learned a lot about the deer movement within my hunting area the deer also learned a lot about me. By the time hunting season rolled around I often found that the deer had altered their patterns just enough to avoid my 'hot spots' and they seemed to be on 'extra alert.' I had done an excellent job of educating them and the last thing any bowhunter needs is a smarter deer.
Long-range scouting is an important but often overlooked tool in the archer's bag of tricks. The object is to learn as much about the deer and their feeding and travel habits as possible without alerting them to your presence. I have numerous tree stands and field edge viewing spots that are NOT good hunting locations but they are excellent for viewing game at a distance. I use these scouting sites to simply locate deer and learn as much as possible about their movements without exposing myself. A good set of binoculars or a spotting scope makes the job a lot easier.

While everyone wants to see big bucks, finding concentrations of doe can be just as valuable. When the rut kicks in bucks will be on the move in search of doe and knowing when the doe are can be a valuable tool in filling your buck tag.

Although I have been watching several areas in which I have taken nice bucks in the past, I am watching them from distances of between 100 and 500 yards. This long distance scouting allows me to observe my potential hunting areas without educating the deer.While it is exciting to get close to a nice buck and maybe get some great video it can be one of the worst things a bowhunter can do before season.
When checking our potential hunting locations during times of high deer movement, (mornings and evenings), never use the site from which you intend to hunt. Stay as far away as possible and be careful to avoid the travel areas that the deer are using as well. Remember, the object of preseason scouting is to gather information without educating the deer.
While you can scout from a long distance it is also important to make the final touches to your hunting stand locations before the season so the deer grow accustom to them. Whenever possible I try to have my hunting sites ready for a stand long before the season as deer can notice the smallest changes in their surroundings. Even if they don't spot you they will be on a heightened alert making getting a shot all that much more difficult. So, how do you get your potential stand locations ready without alerting the deer to your presence?
First, never go to your intended stand location during the times of greatest deer movement, normally morning and evening. Make your alterations during mid-day when most deer are in their bedding areas. Second, use scent depressant sprays to eliminate or minimize human odor. Scent is the bowhunter's biggest enemy and all precautions must be taken to avoid leaving a calling card when you are in your hunting area. Ignoring this simple rule can smarten up a wise old buck to a possible intruder.
Although I try to be reasonably quiet anytime I am in the woods or near my stand locations I have found that noise does not have the same impact on deer as scent. Deer that live in farm areas or near highways or housing developments are accustom to human noise and they accept it as part of their day to day routine. If they hear you at your hunting site they may avoid that location for while you are there but they will not associate that noise with danger in the future. However if you leave your scent in the area it says DANGER to any deer coming into that location.
Proper preseason will ensure that you are better prepared when the season rolls around and it's time to get ready because it's just around the corner.