1/18/07

After season scouting for whitetail success
By Terry Madewell

Terry Madewell Photo

This deer photo is from an automatic camera set up for scouting for one of the deer 'that got away' last season. Even though taken at night, this type of photo can show a hunter the deer that they’ll be hunting in the coming season.

Every once in a while I actually take my own advice and it works out well. I know that sounds strange, but I get caught up in things and sometimes don’t do what I know I need to do to be successful in the outdoors.

One thing that I know is of great benefit is doing some serious post-season scouting for deer. Right after the season ended this year I did exactly that. I didn’t have to “slip” into the woods for fear of spooking a big buck and not having the opportunity to get my sights on him. The season was over and my hunting was strictly for knowledge.

First, let me say this is a very enjoyable way to scout. Second, it can be incredibly informative. Because I do try to come in via the “back door” when actually hunting, I didn’t know the buck I was after had changed his patterns from what I thought they were.

I found out, however, what he had been doing and what I was doing wrong in my setup. Finally, I’ve figured how to correct it in the latter portion of the 2007 season. I have an alternative game plan if the first one doesn’t work out. It’s just January, but I’m already pumped up about next deer season.

Plus, I’ve started using the cameras for scouting deer and that is paying off well in terms of seeing the buck during the off season that I’ll be hunting during the season.

This time of the year can be some of the most effective time spent scouting you can do. It may not pay off until late in the season in December. That’s often when things get tough but big bucks can still be taken.

There are a number of things you can do, in addition to figuring out a buck that beat you during the season. You can find sign that may lead you to other bucks you didn’t even know were there. In fact, you are likely to see some big deer as you drive around and walk the woods during January and February.

This year I am also taking my own advice and will fertilize some natural food areas so the food sources will be more productive and attractive to deer next season.

During February and March, find those areas where honeysuckles have been browsed down to a nub. Broadcast some fertilizer (10-10-10 is good) and the next year these plants will double or triple in productivity, making the food source much more attractive for the deer. Also, I love to hunt areas where there are white oaks. During the post-season, find oak that deer are already partial to anyway and fertilize those trees as well. You can broadcast fertilizer or use the fertilizer stakes. Put the fertilizer stakes away from the trunk of the tree, about out where the ends of the branches are and space them every three or four feet.
It will make a big difference in the productivity of the mast crop on those trees and that, of course, that will make it much more attractive to deer.

It’s also the perfect time to evaluate areas for food plots.

Identify the areas you want to plant for next year and figure out summer, fall and winter plantings. You’ll know where the deer are and can plan your food plots for early, mid- and late-season, based on where the deer are likely to be. The post-season scouting helps identify areas for late-season food plots, which is usually the most important time to have good, attractive plots for the deer.

Successful hunters often do a lot of their work on stands during this time period. Get them ready in the next couple of months then leave them alone. The plan is that to a deer they become part of the landscape and not associated with humans.

Also, identify the thickets where deer already walk and make some manmade openings for them. By next season, they’ll likely be using them because they do take the path of least resistance literally. That’s especially true if you cut them now and leave the area alone. Again it goes hand-in-hand with the deer having time to disassociate that path with humans. Thus, you can hopefully have the deer walk where you want them to be, which will be within sight and range of your deer stand. This works, trust me.

The guy that taught me this told me about the first time he cut a small path through a thicket several years ago and how incredible it was that the deer used it. After he cut it he didn’t return to the area for a while. He said it looked like a cattle trail the path was so worn down. He realized then that by doing this at the right time of the year, he could sometimes funnel the deer to where he wanted them to be.

Don’t get locked in to simply doing the same thing every year and keep an open mind about where deer may be and more importantly, where they may be going. I thought I knew what the buck mentioned at the first of this story was doing, but I found out I was wrong. I figured I just got unlucky to not see him during the season. Now I know what happened and I would not have guessed he had done what he did without getting into his backyard to scout.

By doing some post-season scouting, you’re not only enjoying the woods at a quiet and enjoyable time of the year, but you’re really beginning your next season of hunting. To me, pulling the trigger is only the final part of a yearlong quest. I love everything associated with the pursuit of deer.

Remember, just because you can’t shoot the rascal now, it doesn’t mean you can’t hunt. The productivity will pay off later. Learn your woods and read the sign left by the bucks and does that survived. Use this information to enhance your odds of success next season. There’s plenty to do during this time of the year that will enhance your potential for success throughout the entire season next fall.

And best of all, you can do it while hunting other species such as squirrels, scouting for upcoming turkey season or simply enjoying the woods.