July 18, 2008
4 Steps for Successful Deer Scouting by Marty Prokop
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One of the very best ways to increase the odds of you seeing and shooting more deer is by scouting.
Think of deer scouting as having four main steps.
1.) Choose good deer hunting property.
It sounds pretty basic, but many deer hunters take whatever deer hunting area they can get.
Learn about the land you consider hunting.
Ask some of the locals about a certain piece of property before you buy or lease it. Talk to people at the feed mill or even the local postal employees.
I did this. The mail carrier, barber, farmer down the road and feed mill guy all told me about the big bucks running across the road out of the property that I hunt.
So ask around.
Check with the local DNR and ask them about deer populations on or near the land you consider hunting.
2.) Learn the contours of the deer hunting land you are considering.
Purchase a good topographic map of your deer hunting area.
Look at the map and make notes where you might find food sources, watering holes, natural funnels and potential bedding grounds once you are out scouting.
3.) Head into the woods searching for deer sign.
After studying your topographic map and three to four weeks prior to your deer season opener, head into the woods.
Usually by this time of the year the deer have switched to their fall patterns. What you see in the woods will be current information.
First go to the areas you pin-pointed on your topographic map as potential hot spots.
If you have the financial resources to do so, place a trail camera on a potential hot spot. Check your camera(s) at least once per week.
4.) Put all the pieces together.
This is where you bring all of the information you have gathered together and use it to pattern deer on your deer hunting land.
The added bonus of trail camera photos is to show you deer size, as well as times and dates of when and how often deer are moving.
Together, this information will make deer hunting tree stand site placement much easier.
Remember these 4 Steps for Successful Deer Scouting, and you could pattern a big buck each time you head into the deer hunting woods.
To subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog post delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog at www.marty-prokop.com .
Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Deer Hunting and Deer Processing Expert at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
****************************
Find Deer Games, Pictures and Hunting Fun at: http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
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*** More Free Stuff ***
Get Your Own Free Audio Deer Hunting Tips, listen to the Deer Hunting Podcast, subscribe to our RSS Feed, see Big Buck Pictures and read the Deer Hunting Secrets Blog at: http://www.marty-prokop.com
=========================
*** Newsletter and RSS Feed ***
If you want to keep up on new deer hunting secrets subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog posts delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog.
=========================
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Posted by Marty Prokop | Questions and Comments (0)
July 14, 2008
Following Deer Tracks that Seem to Disappear
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You found a huge set of fresh deer tracks and decide to start following them to see if you can catch up to the deer that made them. All is going well, until the tracks seem to disappear.
Did the deer vanish into thin air?
Did it magically sprout wings and fly through the forest?
No. It walked firmly on the ground, but maybe the light hitting the deer tracks is playing tricks on you.
Disappearing tracks have been tricking deer hunters since the earliest times when man started to first track animals.
Here is a solution if this happens to you.
Without stepping on the actual tracks and ruining the trail, Indian trackers used to step from side to side to allow the most favorable light to shine onto the trails.
With favorable amounts of light cast at the right angles onto the trail, hoof impressions or the upturned leaves seem to pop out because of the shadows they cast.
Try this Native American tracking trick the next time you seem to lose a set of fresh deer tracks in the woods. It could have you walking up on a big buck in his bed.
To subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog post delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog at www.marty-prokop.com .
Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Deer Hunting and Deer Processing Expert at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
****************************
Find Deer Games, Pictures and Hunting Fun at: http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
=========================
*** More Free Stuff ***
Get Your Own Free Audio Deer Hunting Tips, listen to the Deer Hunting Podcast, subscribe to our RSS Feed, see Big Buck Pictures and read the Deer Hunting Secrets Blog at: http://www.marty-prokop.com
=========================
*** Newsletter and RSS Feed ***
If you want to keep up on new deer hunting secrets subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog posts delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog.
=========================
*** Help Your Deer Hunting Buddies ***
Help your deer hunting buddies and support deer hunting…it’s free to do… Go ahead and email this Free-Deer-Hunting--Tips.com blog URL to your deer hunting buddies or use our Tell A Friend form at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com/ .
=========================
Posted by Marty Prokop | Questions and Comments (0)
July 11, 2008
Deer Tracks: Are You Following a Buck or Doe? By Marty Prokop
If you would like to listen to this Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog post as a podcast click the play button…
A while back I wrote a Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter and blog post about following deer tracks.
A Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com reader asked me how a deer hunter could tell he was on the trail of a buck or a doe.
It is my experience that even if you are following big tracks, obviously made by a big deer, that deer could be either a big doe or a big buck. Yes, I have seen some very large doe deer especially offspring of big bucks.
I have followed more deer tracks since I wrote that newsletter just to see if additional experience would show me something different. Here is what I found.
Following Deer Tracks
After following many sets of fresh deer tracks on my deer hunting land this past fall I have made some interesting conclusions.
I still believe if you follow one solid set of big tracks pressed deeply into the dirt, you could be following a big buck or doe.
Here is where I saw some variances:
If you are following a set of big deer tracks that are meandering through the woods, chances are high that you are following a doe. As you are following these meandering tracks and you notice urine in one spot, you will be following a doe. Doe deer squat to pee in one spot.
A buck walks through the forest moving from point A to point B following the path of least resistance. If a buck comes across something in the trail in front of him, such as a downed tree, he will walk around it and get back on to the main trail and continue walking. A doe, on the other hand, will often go under it.
A line of big deer tracks with urine dripping into multiple tracks is most often made by a buck as he will urinate as he walks.
Deer tracks splayed (a wide gap between the front of hooves in the shape of a “V”) tend to belong to a buck.
Deer tracks with drag marks behind them are usually made by big bucks.
The reason big bucks tend to drag their hooves is because bucks are structurally different in the hip region than does. This structural difference causes mature bucks to swagger from side to side and drag their feet when walking.
The longer and deeper the drag marks behind each track usually means the bigger and heavier the buck making the tracks.
I followed a number of deer tracks to see if a deer hunter could tell the size and sex of a deer solely by its tracks. I found, if you are on a fresh set of big deer tracks and focus on the size of the tracks only, you could be following a big buck or a big doe.
When I added drag marks and urination patterns in combination with the tracks, I could get a pretty good idea of size and sex of the deer being followed.
You be the judge. Try this for yourself and see what you find.
To subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog post delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog at www.marty-prokop.com .
Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Deer Hunting and Deer Processing Expert at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
****************************
Find Deer Games, Pictures and Hunting Fun at: http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
=========================
*** More Free Stuff ***
Get Your Own Free Audio Deer Hunting Tips, listen to the Deer Hunting Podcast, subscribe to our RSS Feed, see Big Buck Pictures and read the Deer Hunting Secrets Blog at: http://www.marty-prokop.com
=========================
*** Newsletter and RSS Feed ***
If you want to keep up on new deer hunting secrets subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog posts delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog.
=========================
*** Help Your Deer Hunting Buddies ***
Help your deer hunting buddies and support deer hunting…it’s free to do… Go ahead and email this Free-Deer-Hunting--Tips.com blog URL to your deer hunting buddies or use our Tell A Friend form at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com/ .
=========================
Posted by Marty Prokop | Questions and Comments (0)
June 6, 2008
“9 Top Deer Scouting Tips that Deer Don’t Want You to Know About!” by Marty Prokop
If you would like to listen to this Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog post as a podcast click the play button…
Every successful deer hunt begins with great scouting.
Sure you hear the occasional story of the guy who stumbles into the woods, plops down on a log and shoots a nice deer. But how consistently does that guy score big?
To really increase your chances at a big buck every year, use these 9 Top Deer Scouting Tips.
1.) Start scouting EARLY in the year.
If your work schedule will allow, start your deer scouting by mid-summer.
When deer season ends, start looking around for deer signs you may have missed earlier in the year.
Write this information in a deer hunting journal. Use this information when you start scouting and deer hunting the next year.
2.) Learn everything you can about your deer hunting area.
The internet is a huge resource for topographic maps.
Make sure your scouting time includes online research of your deer hunting area. Learn locations of ponds, bedding areas, food sources and natural funnels. Use this information to help you pattern deer movement.
3.) When you are scouting look for DEER SIGN not deer.
Looking for good deer sign is quicker and easier, and you will see more. If you spot a deer consider this a bonus.
4.) Don’t over do it.
Spending too much time wandering around a deer hunting area is not a good thing. You can leave too much human scent in the area, which could cause big bucks to shift their patterns.
5.) WALK through the woods looking for deer sign instead of riding your ATV or driving your vehicle.
If you walk through the woods looking for deer sign you will see and learn more. In most cases you will also make less noise.
Prepare yourself ahead of time for the physical demands of scouting on foot, don’t over do it. Only walk if you and your doctor feel you are able.
6.) Scout multiple locations.
Pay close attention to grain fields, water crossings, pine plantations and hardwood forests. Deer will use all kinds of cover as well as many food sources throughout the full deer season.
7.) Look for fall feeding areas.
Don’t waste your time looking for summertime feeding areas. Deer browsing will change with the seasons. Concentrate on fall feeding grounds like white oak trees and grain fields that will be ready for fall harvesting.
8.) Be aware of deer patterns while you are deer hunting!
Deer patterns will change near instantly when deer season opens. Be aware of the changes and be ready to make a move to follow these changing deer patterns.
Why would you want to scout pre-season if deer patterns change once deer season opens?
An important part of pre-season scouting is for you to become very familiar with your deer hunting land.
You need to know the food sources, water and cover your deer hunting land holds and how deer are using and could potentially use these resources.
You want to know all the deer hunting options available to you on your land so you can change your patterns and plans to match deer activity.
9.) Always look for FRESH deer signs.
Old trails with hardly visible deer sign could mean the deer have changed their daily patterns. Look for fresh repeating signs such as new tracks, fresh droppings, new scrapes and fresh buck rubs. This will insure regular deer activity in the area you plan to hunt.
To subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog post delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog at www.marty-prokop.com .
Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Deer Hunting Expert at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
****************************
Find Deer Games, Pictures and Hunting Fun at: http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
=========================
*** More Free Stuff ***
Get Your Own Free Audio Deer Hunting Tips, listen to the Deer Hunting Podcast, subscribe to our RSS Feed, see Big Buck Pictures and read the Deer Hunting Secrets Blog at: http://www.marty-prokop.com
=========================
*** Newsletter and RSS Feed ***
If you want to keep up on new deer hunting secrets subscribe to the weekly Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter or get blog posts delivered to you by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on one of the RSS feed buttons in the right hand column of this blog.
=========================
*** Help Your Deer Hunting Buddies ***
Help your deer hunting buddies and support deer hunting…it’s free to do… Go ahead and email this Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog URL to your deer hunting buddies or use our Tell A Friend form at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com/ .
=========================
Posted by Marty Prokop | Questions and Comments (0)
