Summer bucks False Hope...

Does summer deer scouting actually mean opening day success?

Its interesting, we spent a lot of time scouting for summer bucks in hopes of being able to shoot it with the bow on opening day or opening week. In a way this can mean false hope. let me explain.

Summer velvet bucks are on a pattern. In the summer they are mainly on a food cover pattern. They are focused on eating high quality summer food. This could mean high quality browse, summer food plots and in a lot of cases AG fields.

Bucks at this time are usually unpressured and less stressed they do the same thing day after day. Hunting season is at a pause and food is the goal.

A lot of deer hunters around July & August start to scout. This could mean, scouting from a distance overlooking a ag field, boots on the ground looking got travel routes that could be a nice buck leading from cover to food.

This is all good but does it actually mean reward?

PUBLIC LAND

On public land its a wild ride. There is usually way more pressure then private. Lets say we find a giant velvet buck that we want to target on opening day. You see this buck every evening out in a ag field. You develop a plan of attack for opening day.

Opening day rolls around and you never see this buck again, what happened?

Hunting season started! Lots of states deer season starts first few days of September. Velvet starts to fall off and hormones change and bucks become a different animal. Once hunters start walking around these bucks change patterns instantly. They head more to cover and start to move later and later.

The plan of attack shouldn’t be where the bucks will be on that pattern you saw over the summer. The plan should be where they will BE when opening day starts.

Look for thick cover away from food. Look for areas that bucks will resort to when the pressure starts. It may require you to walk a little more to get back to areas other deer hunters don’t want to go to. The BUCK attached above was shot on opening day in Maryland archery season. I knew the buck was in the area so i set up way back away from food behind a cattail swamp.

This was a bedding area with thick cover several hundred yards away from any food. The buck came in around 7 Am and bedded right in the swamp. I was on the downwind side on the timber side of swamp. I waited it out and at 930 he got up and I was able to shoot him at 37 yards.

PRIVATE LAND

Private deer land is way different. these bucks usually remain unpressured as long as you hunt the area correctly. These bucks will remain on the food cover pattern because there isn’t dozen of other hunters walking around. This makes all the difference in the world. Being able to hunt unpressured bucks is key..

They will usually stay on this pattern as long as the food source is the same. Once acorns stay falling and browse starts to go dormant it may change and then you have to follow the food source at that time of year.

The buck below was shot on private land on the 3rd evening. Had him on trail camera all summer long coming to a food plot. He was one of the easiest bucks I ever shot with my bow. He was unpressured and stuck to the same pattern.

CONCLUSION

Summer deer scouting is not a waste of time. It will at least tell you what bucks are in the area. Knowing good ones are in the area will at least make it worth developing a plan of attack. Adjust the plan based off timing of when season starts and the amount of hunting pressure that the place will get.

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