Good Kansas whitetail scouting is not looking for a single impressive track in a location, rather an understanding of how the entire property functions on a typical day. A property that looks very promising from the road, has food, water and cover, can be extremely difficult to hunt due to the fact that bedding areas are typically found in the very center of the bottom and tracking through the bottom carries human scent. Look at a simple example of a hunter who has received permission to hunt a small tract of land along a prairie river and has only one afternoon to go scout before his first hunt. He uses his aerial map and follows the property lines rather than strolling directly into the biggest clump of trees. Start with the Bottom's Natural Structure
Start by looking at an aerial map of your property. When you get to the property, instead of racing out to the biggest trail, walk the entire property line. Remember, the river itself is not just a source of water for deer. The river's bends, steep banks, sandbars and even the side channels of the river itself will shape animal movement. The huge expanse of open prairie surrounding your property can make it difficult for deer to get from one cluster of cover to another.
Pay special attention to where a dry crossing over the bottom exists, i.e. a place where a deer can cross the bottom without going through the open fields. This area of travel could make for a good stand location if it leads into thicker cover or food. The numerous tracks at a crossing may indicate occasional travel, nighttime travel or even be the result of other wildlife such as deer, turkeys or even livestock using the crossing.
So instead of saying the track leaves the water and goes up the field, we'd say it leaves the water and goes into thick cover. Or perhaps it leaves the water and continues into the thick cover of a food source. We want to know the direction of travel of this crossing. We want to know how fresh the sign is. We want to know can we hunt this? And will that be in a funnel of scouting trails or not. Read Bedding Cover as a Living Map
Dense grass and low growing brush in the downwind area of a slight rise or saddle between the river and the CRP field make for very good deer bedding cover. Again this is best viewed as sensitive areas to be left undisturbed rather than locations to be hunted from.
Deer need several things for bedding: security from predators, visibility to keep watch for predators, warmth and comfort, and quick, safe exit routes. In looking for a place for deer to bed, thick cover such as dense grass and low brush on a downwind side of a slight rise in the ground is key. That type of bedding is often found on the river side of a CRP field and can be penetrated for observation from a distance. At times, it is best to leave bedding sites alone and not even penetrate the area for fear of disturbing the area and having the deer leave for good.
A bed by itself does not make a strong case for where to hunt. However, a bed with multiple trails going in and out, some browse in close proximity and a safe route of travel to water makes for a very good location to set up and hunt. Continue to study the edges of this bedding area from a distance and set up to hunt the transition. Do not turn this great bedding area into a hunted area. Connect Food and Water Without Oversimplifying Them
The hunter is cautioned not to automatically assume deer travel in a straight line from their bed to their food source each evening. Food and water are very valuable but their value can change with the weather, crop maturity, amount of grazing that has occurred, and amount of defoliation that has occurred. Vegetation within harvested fields and within the CRP can also provide cover for deer.
The value of food and water to whitetail changes with weather, crop conditions, animal grazing, frost and the amount of time that green browse remains on vegetation. Food and water locations that are of value in different seasons must be identified. A field edge may become more valuable when the surrounding cover is dry and sparse. Native plants within CRP areas can provide both food and concealment. A creek may be used less for drinking than for travel along its protected route.
Instead of setting up at the very center of the field edge, a 'pinch point' in the cover, and where the cover meets the change in terrain, and where a travel route goes through, can be a very good place to set up and to observe the movement of animals. Typically this would be a brush point, a narrow opening between the river and the CRP, or a trail that skirts around the downwind side of a bedding area. Ideally you would want to be close enough to see the animals, but far enough away not to enter into the core of the area. Let Wind and Access Decide the Hunt
An open and easily trampled route to your tree to and from your hunting location is as bad as open and easily trampled hunting location in and of itself. Better scout a route that allows for decent quiet travel into position.
Hunting wind and access to the area must be planned together. A tree stand that is a super setup in a west wind can be a worthless setup in an east wind. General forecasts are good for planning but must be monitored during the hunt to make sure the wind is still favorable. Leaving the site alone can be the cleanest option if the wind shifts and does not allow for a successful hunt.
Access to the property may be across a wide open field or through a forest. The route into the property for hunting may also be around the opposite side of the property. A long route into the property may actually be better than a short one if it goes around and in behind the hunter rather than going through the bedding area. Mark your exit as carefully as you mark your entry. Account for Seasonal Hunting Pressure
As the seasons change so does the value of different parts of the property. Early in the season when many hunters are still in the pine tree or food plot phase of hunting, animals may move to more vegetative areas. As the season progresses, increased hunting pressure can make once obvious trails less useful and expose areas that would be used as security cover near the river.
Seasonal hunting pressure does not have to be other hunters. Farm activity, hikers, vehicles, wildlife, weather, and property to neighboring hunting all affect how wildlife use a bottom. Ask the landowner where he or she feel that most people would hike through the property and where adjacent hunters hunt, field, creek, or timber.
If sign is present on a particular route, a hunt can be set up at a location to observe and hunt from. Keep in mind that if the wind were to shift or that deer pressure were to increase significantly, the map would be revised and a different location would be selected to set up.
Before you even go scout for a place to start hunting, verify the current Kansas regulations for the time of year you are going to be out hunting. Also verify any season requirements, as well as any special requirements for tagging and reporting animals that you harvest. Also make sure that you have permission to hunt on private land and verify any restrictions on access to the property before you head out. Remember that private-land permission cannot be assumed, even if a map of the property is provided, a gate is left open, or permission was granted for previous years' hunts. Scouting for a place to hunt should be done in such a way as to cause as little disturbance to the property and wildlife as possible.
