Scouting help

[Jessebeaux]

Need some deer scouting advice guys - I'm hunting a new area its its thick! Acres and acres of 3ft tall vines and grass that trips you up and wraps around everything! I jumped up numerous deer in the little bit of area that I forced myself to trek through. However, it would be nearly impossible and exhausting to walk and scout all this thick area... Any suggestions?

[CRM_95]

If it was me...I'd find a really good trail going into/out of the thicket and hunt that. It's probably a bedding area, especially if you were jumping deer in there. If I did hunt inside it I wouldn't go too far in. I like to hunt the edges of those thickets. I'd find a good approach where I could slip up to my setup quietly, go ahead and get it ready now, then leave it alone until I was ready to hunt it. Sounds like a place to kill a good buck.

[Bud B.]

I hunted a very thick area for a few years once. It was clear cut of trees and I was there maybe ten years later, with all the thick growth briars abd such. A few trees were left and I made my way to one and cleared a "tunnel" path to it. It wasn't long before the deer used the trail I had made.

Maybe that is something to add to your considerations. If you find a fork or crossing of game trails, try to set up on that if possible. Check wind patterns for your area. If there are any mast trees on that land, hunt near it if it is producing food for game.

[Zwickey-Fever]

I first Google earth the property, finding water, draws and ridges. Then I find feeding areas and bedding areas. And based on my findings, I figure out a low impact approach. I place stands for every wind direction. Settle up to close to a bedding area will only push deer out in my experiences.

[bucknut]

A little more info on terrain would be helpful. Hilly, flat, etc. I love to hunt the thick stuff and it is pretty steep where I live. I like to enter thru drainage ditches or ravines to keep out of sight and keep sound and scent levels down. A lot of times these are natural funnels if deep enough. Always try to approach down wind if possible. As said previously Google earth can be very helpful. Also don't venture in any further than necessary when hunting.

[Jessebeaux]

Originally posted by bucknut:
A little more info on terrain would be helpful. Hilly, flat, etc. I love to hunt the thick stuff and it is pretty steep where I live. I like to enter thru drainage ditches or ravines to keep out of sight and keep sound and scent levels down. A lot of times these are natural funnels if deep enough. Always try to approach down wind if possible. As said previously Google earth can be very helpful. Also don't venture in any further than necessary when hunting.

Very flat!

[Warden609]

It won't help a lot this year, but this winter will be the time to scout. All the vegetation will be gone and deer sign should be very evident.

 I would not pressure the area hard. Just hunt the fringes early and adjust  my sets for the rut as the foliage changes and deer movement dictates.

[YosemiteSam]

My buddy AR wouldn't bother hunting in the thick patches in the riverbottoms.  He'd look for clearings & roads carved into them or stay to the outside.  His primary reasons were snakes: either cottonmouths or moccasins (maybe both?).  Said he went through them once in his first couple seasons and never wanted to do that again.  When I went out with him years ago, I thought it best to heed his warning & stay out of there.  Depending on where you are in TX, I'd suspect you may have similar issues.

Deer are typically edge creatures, like us.  We like transition zones.  They have to come out sometime.  Unless you have a brush hog, you may just want to spend some time scouting the perimeter for game trails in/out.