I went today to a 21 +/- acre tract I have permission to hunt. I hunted it last fall and saw a huge bodied buck. The last time I stepped on the property was Jan 1st. It was a windy day last Jan so I cleared out an old logging trail and freed it of alot of briars. I went to check the trail I had cleared. There was barely a trace of the wide path I had cleared. The briars and scrub trees had taken over again. After about two hours I got it cleared back out again. This land was clear cut roughly nine/ten years ago.

The former creek crossing is still in use as fresh deer tracks were present. I watched the big buck jump it last year but he never presented a shot. I hope our paths cross again with this year's Faith.

I had a good/bad find too that I had missed last year. I found a persimmon tree, albeit small. Bad thing is the dry weather has caused it to start dropping its green fruit already.

Sept 8th is NC's archery opener. I'm getting anxious.

More good news...I didn't pick up any ticks or chiggers today.  


Anybody else scouting about??

I do have a few trail cameras out right now. But I will scout hard in early sept our season opens the
24th.

I spent a lot of time scouting in January and February. I started up again the first of June, I will have a couple outings a month, usually in different places than before unless I am checking a camera. Right now I am just dressing in whatever is comfortable. Once it gets to within a few weeks of the opener I either stay out completely are start using knee high rubber boots when I am scouting.

i just started scouting last week ill end about sept 20th

I need to invest in a trail camera. Problem is, things like that get stolen in these parts. I strategically placed two mineral licks. There aren't many tree large enough for a tree stand due to the clear cut. There are a few, however.

Good luck everyone  

Bud,

There are ways to lockem up, I'm not sure how fool proof they are though.

Been at it for months, but not trying to intrude too much.  Finally slipped a camera into a little funnel that's been good to me.  The places I can watch the bucks from afar I'm not going near. Need to trim one or two branches by this weekend.  Sept. 1st is coming fast!

Despite the heat, we have been in the woods twice and going back Saturday.  It's time to shred the trails and start getting serious about camera locations.  We will be laying low after this weekend.  Cameras will be doing our scouting until mid-September.

We start Oct.1 bucks only until Oct. 16th.

BTW, we did our real scouting back in March after the season closed

I was out on Tuesday with my boys. Plenty of deer but way dry. Lots of acorns dropping already. Corn is looking surprisingly good though. The landowner showed me a huge bobcat from his trail camera set in the creek bottom. Im very excited.

Izzy, if I were you, I'd be overloaded with pig on the brain.

This is the creek crossing, where the blue line is. I posted this photo last year in the Hope/Faith thread. I'll have Faith again this year in Nov. I have one more tree near the crossing that will accept a stand and is in a good spot. The persimmon tree is about 30 yards north along the creek that runs on the left edge of that long oval field. No tree stand trees near that spot, except acros the property line  :(

The logging trails can be seen here. I think this aerial photo was in winter 09/10, maybe earlier. Most of the land is a hands and knees crawl for all the scrub trees and brairs, but a haven for deer.

Ain't technology great? We can see each others hunting areas.