First Day Scout

Happy New Year!  The bulk of the traditional deer season has passed, yet there are still plenty of opportunities to score.  Many people like to begin the New Year with a hike, and that’s the perfect activity to boost your chances for success, this year or next.  Most Eastern state archery seasons extend into January and some early February.  Rather than just watching football, why not re-scout your favorite deer woods?

Many Fawns Breed in January

I live on the East Coast and in my area, about 60 percent of female fawns breed at this time.  Generally, once a whitetail yearling female reaches 60 pounds, it is mature enough to come into estrous and any buck in the area will be searching for the source of that scent.  If you haven’t been in your deer hunting area for a while, you may be surprised to find fresh scrapes and rubs, a sign that there is at least one active buck in the area.

Focus on Food

Deer will focus their activity on food and shelter as winter’s cold challenges their existence.  If you had a heavy acorn crop, there will still be mast in the leaves and the same trees that produced in mid-fall will be visited again.  With snow cover, deer will paw the ground to reach fall mast making these locations easy to identify. Standing corn is a magnet for deer and often bad weather forces farmers to delay the harvest.  Once picked, cornfields contain waste grain that will quickly draw deer.

Consider Baiting Where Legal

Baiting can be very effective in late season but also has its downside.  If you hunt in a CWD zone, bringing deer together can increase the likelihood of this disease transmission, the reason it’s outlawed in some areas.  If you or your neighbors still have pumpkins, deer will eat them but you must bust the pumpkins to allow access to the seeds.  Once deer learn to eat pumpkins, they will eat the outer layer as well.

Reposition a Camera

If you are exploring new territory on your scouting trip, carry a motion sensor camera with you.  If you find an area of high deer traffic, post the camera and consider trees nearby or spots to place a ground blind.  Winter winds frequently flow from the North and West so keep the prevailing wind in mind as you consider a new hunting location.

Tracks Don’t Lie

Re-scouting in January is especially productive in snow cover.  The most elusive buck in your state still makes tracks in the snow and as you walk, look for trails, fresh scrapes, and tracks from other animals.  Do you have a coyote problem?  The snow will tell that story in time to alert a trapper to help reduce the population.  Most coyotes are territorial in January and February which increases the chances of catching them.  Maryland has a winter turkey season, so finding tracks in the snow may give you a great starting point.

Trim Shooting Lanes for Next Year

If you will be walking near your stands, now is a great time to trim and tweak shooting lanes.  Carrying a pair of hand clippers is ideal for new territory where you may want to set up a ground blind for the spring or fall.  If you hunt in thick areas, trimming a path through thick brush can entice deer to travel that route and establish a deer trail leading toward your stand.

Think Evening Stands

This first day scout is likely to reveal new deer feeding and travel patterns.  As you consider an ambush site, first think of how you will get there.  Freezing temperatures and snow crust make morning stands very difficult to approach without spooking deer from the area.  You will likely have greater success approaching in early afternoon when you can see clearly and sneak to your stand.  Don’t forget a grunt call and type a google search for a “dying rabbit sound.”  If deer don’t show, dedicate the last 10 minutes of daylight to calling predators.  Killing a coyote is the best Christmas gift any deer can receive and taking one with a bow is the ultimate challenge. Happy New Year and best of luck this season.