Some of the rut sign from last season is still visible, especially rubs. Getting out in the field and walking properties you plan to hunt will reveal rub lines and isolated rubs. Marking these on your aerial map will show you how deer move about the lands you hunt, too.
Source Credit: RealTree.com
By: Josh Honycut
Photo credit: John Hafner
I had the pleasure of giving one of the educational seminars at NDA’s Whitetail Weekend this spring, right before all heck broke loose with COVID-19. My talk led day one and was entitled the 20 Biggest Deer Research Discoveries of the Last Decade. I poured my heart into it, diving deep into the deer research…
The essence of bowhunting is that you will be pitted directly against your prey. It’s the kind of hunting method that will challenge you to be in your best form. Hunting with a bow is a thrilling adventure that requires you to get in close range with your game to take the shot. If you…
Similar to the previous slide, mapping trails, bedding areas, food sources, watering holes and other land features on aerial maps can help to paint a better picture of the land you hunt. It’ll show you how deer use a property, rather than just thinking you know. I’ve learned that from experience. Using this process has…
The off-season is the best time to trim shooting lanes. Right now the leaves haven’t budded out throughout most of the country. You can still sit in a stand right now and see what the shooting lanes will be like this fall when the leaves drop again. In my experience, it’s better to trim lanes…
Many of the lands I hunt — both private and public — are hunted by other people. So I don’t just scout to find deer sign. I scour the land in search of evidence of other hunters, too. Whether it’s treestands, leftover boot tracks, or remains from a kill as seen in the photo above,…
One of the more enjoyable late-winter activities for me is getting out with friends and family hiking in search of shed antlers. I wish I was fortunate enough to scour every square inch of the properties I hunt in search of them, but time just doesn’t allow that, and sometimes those pesky rodents beat me…