I am going to start bowhunting this year. How do I scout and all that?

Question

I need to know a good place with lots of deer to hang my stands. What kind of things do I look for? Should I put out trail cameras?

Answer 1

Go to the store and pick up Deer and Deer Hunting July issue.. there is a Great article answering your question! good luck dont get discouraged and happy hunting!

Answer 2

get trail camereas and put them in areas you like and all areas. and see later check ur camereas, then set up a treestand where the biggets buck's trail is.

Answer 3

First of all, read everything you can get your hands on about deer hunting.  Field and Stream, Petersen's hunting, Outdoor Life - devour them.  They all have articles on stand placement, deer sign, food sources, bedding areas, etc.  Whatever land you get to hunt on, know that the deer in that area need three things: food, water, and cover.  Agricultural areas (corn and bean fields, alfalfa fields, etc) are good food sources for deer.  Absent those, look for white oak trees that produce lots of acorns.  Habitat edges are good places to see deer, too - the place where the timber and a cornfield meet, for instance.  You will find deer droppings and tracks there.  Next, you want to look for buck sign.  Around September the bucks will start rubbing their antlers on trees.  Look for those rubs - they indicate a buck is in the area and he is marking the territory.  A general rule is the bigger the buck, the bigger the tree he rubs.  You can determine a travel route for a buck by the rubs he makes, and deer tend to have routines, just like people.  Hang a stand downwind of a rub line, and be patient.

There's a lot more to deer hunting than all that, which is why there are hundreds of articles written every year on the subject.  Read, read, read.

And if you are just starting bow hunting, practice, practice, practice.

Answer 4

Congratulations- you've chosen the sport with the highest degree of satisfaction in the hunting world- You will learn something new even if you bowhunt for 100 years- there are many ways to hunt deer, but heres a few highlights to get you started- best bets- hunt a food source, especially before the rut kicks in - early in the season before the acorns start falling hunt near or in the cut-overs- there will be a bush that grows in them called the french mulberry- they will nip off the tender new growths that is on the end of the branches- you will be able to see the broken off white tips - This will be the best chance you will have at this time of year- hunt from a tree stand or a ground blind- any other way will be a waste of time This food source dries up quickly- it will be gone in 3 weeks- by then the acorns will start falling- check out as many acorn trees as you can find- base your decision on which one to hunt by the amount of deer droppings and tracks under the trees- be sure and place your stand downwind of the tree- use the prevailing winds for that time of year in that area to be your guide-evenings will be the higher percentage hunt- about the last 20 minutes before dark will be the best movement, but that is not set in stone. Next best bet- find well used trails between feeding areas and bedding areas- again put your stand on the down wind side of the trail- A tip here- never put your stand over 30 yards from the spot where you expect the deer to show up- even better is about 20 yards These trails are the ones you want to hunt during the rut- bucks will be using them to go to the does. Another tip- you will be very close to your quarry- make no movements until the deer is moving or occupied with feeding- or not looking your way- make absolutely no sound when you make the movements to get ready to shoot- a deer can almost hear your heart beat that close- This will at least get you started bowhunting with just a little knowledge of how to go about it-Good luck!

Answer 5

Well, where do you live, cause I can't say where has alot of deer if I don't know where you are. And as the previous answerer said read as much as possible, you should use trail cameras, is hunting over feed leagle where you live, if so you should consider putting out corn feeders and then placing the tree stands ten yards away from the feeder......

Answer 6

BEFORE YOU EVEN START SCOUTING OR HUNTING

YOU NEED TO BECOME  AWARE OF WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO.

FIRST FIND AN AVID(SUCCESSFUL ) BOWHUNTER TO

TALK TO.

LEARN AND PRACTICE TO SHOOT A BOW(YOUR BOW)

NEVER USE ANOTHER PERSON'S BOW. IT MAY NOT

AND PROBABLY WON'T BE SUITED TO YOU,AND ALL

THE TIME YOU WASTE TRYING TO SHOOT IT WILL BE

BOTH DANGEROUS AND GOOD FOR NOTHING.

LEARN ABOUT SCOUTING CORRECTLY,ANDSCENT

CONTAINMENT.

LEARN HOW DEER TRAVEL,WHEN THEY FEED,AND

SLEEP.

IF YOU PLAN ON HUNTING A TREE STAND BUY IT NOW

AND PRACTICE PUTTING IT UP,CLIMBING INTO IT,

SHOOTING FROM IT AND ALL THE POINTS TO SAFETY.

   THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF FATALITIES AND

SERIOUS INJURIES IS FALLS FROM TREESTANDS.

SAME WITH A BLIND. LEARN TO SET IT UP AND TAKE IT

DOWN AS QUIETLY AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

ALSO LEARN HOW TO CHOOSE AND CLEAR SHOOTING

LANES.ONE SMALL TWIG CAN MEAN NO DEER TAG

FILLED,OR WORSE YET,AN INJURED OR MAMED DEER.

LEARN YOUR HUNTING AREA WELL AT DUSK AS WELL

AS DURING DAYLIGHT(DON'T GET LOST)

DON'T SPEND YOUR MONEY FOOLISHLY ON YOUR

EQUIPMENT.BUY QUALITY REASONABLY(NOT CHEAP)

PRICED EQUIPMENT.

PRACTICE ,PRACTICE ,PRACTICE,AND CORRECTLY

AT THAT. YOU SHOULD BE SHOOTING TWICE A WEEK

FROM NOW 'TIL OPENING DAY,AND AT TWICE THE

RANGE YOU INTEND ON SHOOTING FROM.

FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR I'D SHOOT AT 30-40 YRDS

AND INTO 15 YRDS. THAT WILL GET YOU READY FOR

A 15 TO 20-25 YRD SHOT.

ALSO LEARN TO RECOGNIZE YOUR  GAME, IE.(BUTTON

BUCK) AS OPPOSED TO A DOE.

FIND A PLACE THAT YOU CAN VISIT BEFORE THE

OPENER TO SCOUT.

WHEN YOU ARE SCOUTING PRACTICE MOVING AS

QUIETLY AND CLEANLY AS POSSIBLE.

DON'T WEAR STREET SHOES ON GAME TRAILS.

DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING WITH YOUR BARE HANDS.

YOU'LL LEAVE YOUR SCENT IN BOTH CASES.

UNLESS YOU SEE SIGNS TRAIL CAMERAS WON'T DO

YOU ANY GOOD.ASK LOCALS WHERE THEY OR IF THEY

HAVE SEEN DEER.

MAKE SURE YOU  ENJOY YOUR TIME OUT THERE JUST

FOR BEING OUT THERE. IF NOT YOU'LL GROW TIRED

AND IMPATIENT QUICKLY AND PROBABLY MISS A DEER

RT. NEXT TO YOU. OR WORSE YET SPOOK A DEER

ANOTHER HUNTER HAS BEEN HUNTING.

GOOD LUCK AND BE SAFE ABOVE ALL.