Pre-Season Deer Scouting

News & Tips: Pre-Season Deer Scouting

Scouting

The month of September brings the high anticipation of the fall deer hunting season and pre-season scouting trips.

A lot of states have mid-September starts to their archery seasons and the weather will become cooler in the northern latitudes, but the South will be sweltering hot!

The bucks are going to be in bachelor groups and keep in mind, they will still be in a summer pattern as far as movement and food sources. As with any scouting trip, try to be as unobtrusive to the hunting area as possible; recognize that these patterns will change over the next few weeks and that these bucks will become less tolerant of each other's company as the rut approaches.

The best approach to scouting this time of year is by placing game cameras and by glassing with a good set of optics around feeding areas during dawn and dusk.

This late summer pattern is short lived, but it provides an excellent opportunity to harvest a buck that hasn't been pressured since last season,Scouting 3 that is locked into a pattern and may not be as wary as he will be later in the season.

Good luck and be safe!

by Shawn F. Cook Sr.