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Successful Scouting
Unlocking the mystery

By R. G. Bernier

“Scout.”  The very word itself holds several connotations and has been used to describe a variety of applications over time. Back in the 1970’s there was a popular four-wheel-drive vehicle named, the International Scout. I can still remember an old trapper who would ford a river with this rig on a daily basis. He would stop on one side of the water, remove the fan belt, and plunge in up to the headlights successfully making it to the opposite side. Then, there are the two long-standing clubs aptly named, the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. Back during the Calvary days of the old west, the troop commander would routinely hire Indians to be scouts for the respective units, routinely being sent out on scouting missions.

Within the deer hunting community, there isn’t another word used any more frequently, and no activity associated with hunting demands as much time as scouting. The act of scouting, as defined “to observe and evaluate,” is what every hunter of the white-tailed deer must be willing to diligently do, and be able to accurately decipher, if he is to put himself in position for consistent success.

Knowledge And Wisdom

It has often been said, “knowledge makes you powerful, but wisdom provides for success.” This is especially applicable when it comes to deer hunting. Yes, it is true and imperative that you gain as much knowledge about deer behavior and hunting tactics that work, yet, when you understand what makes a whitetail tick, and why these hunting methods work in relation to the land, weather, and environmental factors, you will be a long way towards enjoying consistent success.

The first bridge to cross is in locating where the deer are actually living. And just because there may be 50 deer per square mile residing on a property doesn’t necessarily mean that you will see very many—especially if you’re hunting the wrong place. Some acres don’t hold the ideal habitat that will compel deer to frequent that space, thus it becomes our job to recognize what it is that does attract them.

Finding The Deer

Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? After all, what could be so difficult in locating animals that have no caves to crawl into or nests to fly up to? Ask that question to a seasoned old veteran, one that routinely hunts the big timber where there’s millions of acres and far less deer than the land can easily support, and he will more than likely just grin and bid you a sarcastic blessing for having such a naïve inquiry. For well he knows, whitetails in this part of the world are not evenly distributed, and their whereabouts are dictated entirely by geographic features and available food.

The oft-used cliché by many a wise woman, “The way to a man heart is through his stomach,” rings as resoundingly true when it comes to whitetails. Their bellies, or better yet, what fuels their belly is the absolute key in first locating deer. Whitetails eat to live and live to eat, period!

Discerning what a whitetail is eating and where he is doing his dining will be a huge step in discovering where the deer are located within your hunting grounds.

From that starting point, you can fan out your search like spokes on a wheel to learn from what direction the resident animals are coming, what trails have been established, and begin to decipher the individual sign being left.

Deer Sign

Everything a whitetail leaves in its passing, from browse marks, scrapes, rubs, tracks to poop all reveal evidence of deer activity. The more you find indicates the frequency in which this specific plot of ground is being used by the deer. Let me caution you here on a common misconception; just because you may find piles and piles of deer droppings doesn’t necessarily equate into a herd of hundreds of deer hiding behind every tree. A single whitetail typically defecates up to 13 times per day. What is interesting, and has been most helpful in my observations, is that whitetails tend to defecate more frequently in an area where they are feeding. I don’t have an answer for this poopology rationale other than, an increased amount of time being spent at the feeding troth as opposed to other deer activity.

When it comes to locating bucks, my adage has, and continues to be, “where there’s girls, there will be boys.”

The difference between the sexes beyond the obvious is that bucks tend to be much more secretive. They spend most of their daylight hours off the beaten path in the thickest part of the terrain. Searching for a mature buck will become a whole lot more intensive than just finding deer. I look for big tracks, and where they seem to be most abundant. I also look for clusters of rubs. When you find an area that has both, you can be well assured that the resident buck’s inner sanctuary has been located.

Applying The Insight

The days of sitting under a favorite tree and waylaying a buck consistently are all but over. The individual that thirsts to take mature bucks has to be one step ahead of the animal at all times. You have to know where the sign is, where the deer will move, and what will initiate that movement. Whitetails, like bass, are drawn to structures in the land. They use the terrain to their advantage. What has to be accomplished in scouting is to figure out how the deer, or specifically a buck, is using the land in relation to where he is feeding, and do so in conjunction with how the wind will affect which trail he comes down, all the while figuring out what time of day it will all transpire.

Topographical maps have become an invaluable tool to me. They provide the contours in the land such as, saddles, fingers, ridgelines, water sources, and pinch points. The practice of studying maps of the area to be hunted, and then putting shoe leather to the ground to discern how the deer are actually using that particular piece of real estate, has aided me immensely by placing me in the midst of deer activity rather than looking from the outside wondering where they all are.

Hunt/Scout

Some of my greatest revelations regarding where deer are located, and how they use their home range have come while actually hunting. Whitetails are animals of habit, and if a trail has been established, previous deer did it for an express purpose. I always take careful note of this. When I take a buck in a specific local, I make it my business to understand why this became his residence. I have also learned that as soon as a buck is removed from his home, another male will literally move in, and because it’s such a great location, he will use the property similarly to his predecessor. Although each individual buck will possess his own unique personality and bents, he, because of the security aspects of where these trails are made, will undoubtedly follow suit in his travels.

Solving The Mystery

For me, one of the greatest aspects of hunting whitetails is the uncertainties and many mysteries that still shroud the animal being hunted. But, like any good detective worth his badge, there is plenty we can do to up the odds in our favor. The most successful hunters are those that read, interpret, and understand sign, pay attention to every detail, including weather and wind, keep an open mind, and leave no stone unturned. Success is an attitude, and those that aspire to succeed go above and beyond what is necessary to reach that goal.