For hunters out there not currently chasing black bears or gearing up for moose, just a reminder that it’s nearing that time of year when pre-season deer scouting is in order.
Man, I don’t care who you are, just setting one foot into your hunting territory at this time of year is exciting!
I’ll be heading up to my deer woods over next couple of weeks to do some scouting and put up some trail cams. Cant wait!!
Has anyone else done any pre-season deer scouting?
Outdoorsguy
Was out this past weekend. Saw lots of sign and put up a few trail cameras. Only time will tell what shows up over the next few weeks! Exciting times ahead…
sureshot-dave, wait till you see the image quality on these new Trophy Cam HD Max by Bushnell..I just started using this new one couple weeks baack and WOW..very nice! Gonna do a field-test report on it soon..
Yers still treating you well??
Outdoorsguy
I recently retrieved my game cam which was the first time since May I braved the scourge of mosquitos and deer flies. It is in a funnel area where 3 trails converge on rich alfalfa and corn fields and has been a highway for years. In that time I have only caught two does (quite a few times) on camera along with coons, squirrels, turkeys, and a shot or two of a coyote. Not one single velvety horned buck, not even a jakelope. Not sure if that is any indication of the population but it’s definitely on the sparse side. Might be a tough year.
johan, all may not be lost…I have several cams in my deer woods that ONLY see buck action come October!
During the month of Sep not a single buck shows up on them..and then early Oct., you start to see horns. I have one particular cam I call the sh*thouse cam and it’s just like that. Does and fawns on there until Oct. then bucks start using that trail.
Could have more to do with your camera location than anything…or perhaps buck numbers are down in that area.
Outdoorsguy
We will be putting ours out this weekend. Can’t wait to see what we get. We are also going to be practicing with our dog for grouse opener.
Outdoorsguy,
Hopefully my Bushnells keep on keeping on this season. I haven’t had them out until this past weekend, but from all indications when I put them out, they were working just fine. If you need any field testers for the new Bushnells you have, let me know. I’d be happy to run around in the woods to see how fast the trigger speed is!!
good morning jeff i have seen great signs of deer activity in my hunting area but they are all nocturnal seeing them with night vision between 3 to 5 am moving in different patterns hopefully this will change it usually does with the rut season bye the way this year proved to be the worst laker season ever sizes were small , i could see on the sonar large amounts of bait fish in certain areas but alas no monsters this year
mike, Im not sure what it means when deer activity is nocturnal in Sep…in my experience the bucks tend to go that way more during pre-rut..from Oct – early Nov.
Maybe if the deer are nocturnal now..they will be moving around mid-day come November!
Btw..here’s to our friend ‘imacdon’ who heads off next Monday after ON elk!
Seems to be some around in the area he’s hunting, so that’s a good sign!
Outdoorsguy
I am not overly concerned but I am not seeing deer in fields either on the way to work so that is a bit odd. Normally I am getting more pictures of does and fawn and small bucks at all hours of the day because the farm that borders mine is basically a feedlot. Acres of lush green, not to mention corn and soybean which will become a food source later in the year. I know the big bucks will show up later but I like to see lots of pictures of 4 and six pointers as those are my choice. An cougar shots yet?
Nope, no cougars yet, in fact I just pulled my cougar cams yesterday. It was a bit of a long-shot anyway..only photos I got were of coons and one coyote!
Setting up trail-cams in my QC deer woods weekend of Sep 27th..hoping things in the mountains are doing ok. Deer numbers were on the rise as of last fall but it was a long cold winter up there as well.
Outdoorsguy