WHY SCOUT FOR DEER AFTER THE SEASON
Understanding Where Others Are Hunting
Editor’s Note: Sportsmen across Alabama know
Don Taylor of Birmingham, Alabama, as an avid deer and
turkey hunter, and Dr. Bob Sheppard of  Carrollton,
Alabama, as a bowhunting instructor. Bob Zaiglin, a
wildlife biologist from Texas, has done extensive research
in managing and hunting trophy white-tailed deer and
is a nationally-recognized expert for his rattling and
calling techniques. These three longtime outdoorsmen
know the importance of Scouting for deer after the season.
Bob Sheppard says, “I like to scout after deer
season because I can learn where the other hunters on
my property have been hunting during the season. If
you've taken several nice bucks and have a reputation
as a deer hunter, the folks on your hunting lease or
property will attempt to learn where you're hunting
and put their tree stands where  yours
are. Usually, these hunters don't consider the wind
or any of the other factors that make a particular site
a good place to hunt on some days and a not so good
place to hunt on other days. They'll foul-up the area
where you're hunting if they know where you are. Since
very-few hunters scout after the season, I can go into
the woods and find the best spots to hunt when no one
else is in the woods. I also can learn how to get to
these places unseen by other hunters. I can move into
areas I won't walk in during hunting season for fear
someone else will see where I'm going and possibly walk
to that region later with the wrong wind condition
and spook the deer I'm trying to take. After the season,
I can scout without being scouted by other hunters.
“I also scout after the season to find out where
other sportsmen's stands are and how they've been hunting.
I've had stand sites before that I was confident would
produce a buck, but I'd hunt the site all season and
never seen a buck. Then, after the season, I'd reconnoiter
the area and discover a tree stand 100 yards upwind
from where I'd been hunting. Generally once you've learned
where hunters have hunted during the past season, you
can accurately predict where they'll be hunting the
next season. Hunters, like deer,  are
creatures of habit. They most often will hunt from the
same tree stand sites or in the same vicinity where
they've hunted in previous seasons. When I know where
other sportsmen will be hunting, like the deer, I'll
try to avoid the hunters. Most hunters will leave their
tree stands up after the season, and these tree stands
are like red lights to show me where not to hunt. Hunting
deer is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The more
parts of the puzzle you have, the quicker you can solve
the puzzle. Post-season scouting is a valuable tool
in learning about deer. The more you understand about
deer, deer habitat, deer habits and what other sportsmen
on your property are doing and how they're hunting,
the sooner you'll be able to find and take your buck
of a lifetime.”
TOMORROW: LOOKING FOR SHEDS
BOB ZAIGLIN
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