Deer Hunting Tips

After months of running around in the woods chasing trophy whitetails, you are now stuck inside warming yourself by the fire.  Deer season has come and gone and now you officially diagnosed with cabin fever.  The only treatment for this disease is fresh air.  This is a little tough since no fish are biting and it is still to cold to play golf.  You should take this opportunity to start scouting for next seasons big buck.  The best and most enjoyable form of post season scouting is by using trail cameras.

Late winter scouting for whitetail deer is the perfect situation for a trail camera.  Deer are recovering from the rut and just trying to make it through the cold days and nights.  They are only focused on staying eating and staying alive.  A winter wheat field or late season food plot should have the deer concentrated into one general area.  Search for a well used trail entering the food source and set up your trail camera.  If baiting deer is legal in your hunting area, you could also broadcast some supplemental food source.

Let the trail camera hang for a week and then go check the pictures.  The pictures will be a huge resource of scouting information.  You should be able to determine the overall health of your heard.  The bucks may be bruised and battered from the rut, but they will still have their antlers.  The pictures will tell you when the bucks drop their headgear and give you an idea of when to start shed hunting.

Many deer leases also run out after deer season is over.  You may be in negotiations to pick up a new tract of land or you may have acquired permission to hunt a new farm.  This is the perfect application for a trail camera.  A few trail cameras can give you an idea of the bucks that are using the land and survived the previous season.

So get outside and get some use out of your $300 trail camera.  If you don’t have a trail camera, this is the perfect time to pick one up.  All the main retailers are advertising deep discounts so use some of that Christmas money or tax refund and get a trail camera now.  You should be scouting for deer year round and post season is a great time to start.