Pennsylvania Game News - October 2008 - 59

big bucks. Does the map show fields, especially fields surrounded by woods? If it does, rock walls may surround the fields; I check these areas thoroughly. Rather than jumping over a wall, deer prefer moving parallel to it, using natural breaks to move beyond it. These openings are great places to put a stand. BY STUDYING buck rubs a hunter can determine the buck’s direction of travel and thus determine if the trail might be better hunted in the morning or evening. Experienced hunters know deer are attracted to edges, so when I scout a potential hunting spot I look for areas separated by two different transition zones or ecotones. A logged over area near a swamp is one of those magical places where deer just naturally gravitate. Small clearings surrounded by thick woods are other areas I expect to see deer. The idea is to find the areas where deer are likely to be or where they are likely to go after a night of feeding. A stand placed along a trail leading to a food source or leading to a likely bedding area will probably give a hunter a shot some time during the season. However, finding these locations may be more difficult now because fewer deer means less obvious sign. When I scout food sources they’re not the only things I look for because whiteOCTOBER 2008 tails have other needs as well. Water is one of them. Deer derive most of the water they need from the plants they eat, but I’ve found small woodland ponds to be deerattracting locations as well. I’ve watched deer come out of the woods and head directly to a small pond to drink before they moved on to wherever it was they were going. Some of these ponds may be only a few dozen feet across, but if thick cover surrounds them you can rest assured deer will visit them regularly, especially in the evening. Checking for tracks around the pond will give a hunter an idea of the number and size of the deer visiting it. When scouting a new area, I make it a point to note any water sources, because these locations can be as important to a hunter as finding a good food source. Effective scouting means learning to read deer sign, no matter how old it is. When checking potential hunting sites, I always look for tree rubs, especially where several trees were rubbed in a line. These rub lines denote preferred travel routes, and even if they were made the previous year, the rubs can give a hunter an excellent clue as to the direction the buck was going. If rubs point to heavier cover, then the hunter can assume the buck making the rub was going to the bedding area after a night of feeding, so the spot might make a good morning hunting location. If the rubs point in the direction of a food source, then the spot might make a good evening stand, as bucks leave areas of heavy cover and head to these areas to feed. However, just noting rubs scattered here and there doesn’t provide enough information; effective scouting means extracting as much information as possible given the information on hand. Because we live in a technological age, many hunters choose to maximize their scouting opportunities by using a trail camera. Modern trail cameras can keep a watchful “eye” on a hunting area and give its owner accurate information as to the number of deer, especially bucks, that may 59

Pennsylvania Game News - October 2008

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