Leaky Boots Outdoors

When hunting white tail deer locally most of us already have a few favorite places to hunt but when hunting out of state there are some things we should look for before the first day arrives. Scouting factors obviously change depending on where in the Country you are hunting. Here are ten things I think of and look for when choosing where to setup for the first day of Buck Season.

10. Access
Access isn’t something we always think about right away, but we should. If you have a hard time physically getting into a hunting spot by yourself then think about how difficult it will be dragging a deer out. It’s always great when you have someone to help you out, but anyone that could help me is usually hunting himself or herself. So choose a place to hunt that is within your physical abilities to drag a deer out, don’t over do it or you could pay for it later.

9. Visibility
I generally hunt with a tree stand, this means when I am looking for an area to hunt I need to make sure there are tree’s that I can get up into, I also want to look at my field of view from inside that tree. This means I avoid Pine Thickets, however Pine Thickets can be an excellent place to hunt when staying on the ground. Choosing High Ground also gives you an advantage if you are not using a tree stand

8. Terrain
Always look at the terrain when choosing an area to hunt, in Pennsylvania I’ve found that when traveling white tail prefer to run on or near ridges. Deer in other states could have alternate habits; research the habits of the area you are hunting before hand. Ridges also can offer multiple advantages to the Hunter, not only are the deer likely to be traveling on the ridges but the high ground offers the hunter a better view of his surroundings.

7. Cover
White Tail like to feel safe, this means that they will always seek cover, if and when white tail come out from under cover they will linger on the edge of that cover until they feel safe enough to venture out. You can find a lot of deer near the edge of cover waiting to come out into a field, especially if that field has food in it.

6. Rubs
Many believe that Rubbing is due to a Buck trying to get the velvet off of their antlers, Science however tells us that the Velvet does not itch and Rubbing is used to both spread their scent and work out their neck muscles in preparation for the upcoming Rut. Either way rubbing is a good indication that there are Buck’s in the area, always a good sign.

5. Scrapes
Scrapes are another way for a Buck to Communicate to Does that he is in the area, not only is he telling the Doe but he is also telling us that he is around.

4. Tracks
Fresh tracks are a very important thing to look for when scouting, not only do they let us know that there are deer in the area, they let us know where they’ve been and where they are going. If you combine these tracks with all of the other factors you can start to see a pattern in a deer’s life, being able to reasonably predict where they will be on the first day.

3. Bedding
Looking for an area that deer are bedding means that you have a good idea of where the deer are going to be very early in the morning. This is another piece of the puzzle to finding the pattern of the deer.

2. Water
Deer need to drink, and you can often find them going from one location to another. One of these vital locations that they travel too is water. Remember though that after the early part of the season as the deer get into Rut this becomes less important to the deer and as such, to you.

1. Food
If there is no food, there is likely no deer, so always make sure there is food in the area that you are planning to hunt. Again, this becomes less important during the middle of the Rut as Bucks will forgo food to fill that basic instinct to reproduce.

Armed with all this knowledge about an area you should be able to find the best place to setup, usually somewhere near some tracks that lay between a food, and water source. After the first day Scrapes become more important in finding that Buck you are looking for.

If there are other signs that you look for, let us know and leave a comment.