See More Features M.D. Johnson 6/10/2009

Complain as they might, ninth-graders can’t escape the take-home paperwork. Deer hunters, too, have their own sort of paperwork to tend to, only their homework comes during the freshman’s off-season and is called “scouting.” Freshman or hunter, though, the hoped-for result of homework, is the same – a better future, whether that future is a successful career or a bruiser of a whitetail buck.

But scout in the summer? Isn’t archery season still weeks away? What can the bowhunter hope to learn in the summer that he or she can’t discover a couple of days before the opener? Actually, a lot: summer scouting is critical to successful whitetail hunting.

Let’s take a look at what some of the country’s most avid whitetail hunters have to say about this activity known as summer scouting.

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Rick Frisch of West Fargo, N.D. uses summer scouting to determine the quality of the bucks in his core area.

Scout From A Distance

A native Minnesotan, Rick Frisch, 38, resides in West Fargo, N.D., where he enjoys a wealth of hunting opportunities. Currently serving as a territorial manager for White River Sales & Marketing, Frisch is also an avid duck hunter and is a member of the pro-staff team for Memphis-based Avery Outdoors.

Q: The season is still four months away — is scent control and attention to minimizing disturbance of any concern during the summer months as you scout?

Frisch: I don’t pay much attention to it. So many things can change in four months. The closer it gets to the season, though, the more I keep my distance. Unless they have a lot of pressure, the deer in my area really don’t move that far from where I initially find them.

Q: If you can't or don't wish to walk into your hunting areas, how do you scout and get the information you need?

Frisch: Most of my scouting is done from the truck. Here in North Dakota, we have roads just about every mile. Vehicles at a distance do not affect deer; they see them all the time. Quality optics are a must. Binoculars and a spotting scope are absolutely critical to being able to judge deer at long distance.

Q: Do you rely on aerial photography or satellite imagery for your summer scouting?

Binoculars and a spotting scope are critical to judge deer at long distances. Both are critical tools for successful summer scouting.

Frisch: I don’t rely on aerial photography or satellite imagery. I have been hunting the same areas for over 10 years, so I know the terrain.

Q: If there were only one thing you wanted to learn as a result of your summer scouting, what would that be?

Frisch:I want to know the quality of the bucks that are in my core area. 

Q: If you could only take one piece of equipment with you as you scout during the summer, what would that be and why?

Frisch: I would have to say my binoculars. The area that I hunt doesn’t have much for trees and is pretty flat. Again, most of my scouting is done from the truck. I don’t put on a lot of miles on a scouting trip. I try to pick out a high spot where I can see a lot of country. You want to be on these high spots right at sundown. The deer in my area essentially live in cattail sloughs. Like a lot of places, they only begin to move at sundown. I can usually only scout one spot per evening, so I’ll sit at that spot until it is absolutely dark. 

 

Use Trail Cameras

With hometown roots in Grand Island, Iowa, Mark Drury now lives in northern Missouri with his wife, Tracy, and their daughter, Taylor. The mastermind behind MAD Calls, Drury and his brother and hunting partner, Terry, have created the nation’s best-selling line of whitetail hunting videos via their production company, Drury Outdoors.

Q: Do you do anything differently in the summer than you might try in September?

Drury: I’m glassing and scouting deer from a distance in the summer. And I mean at an extreme distance. I don’t have to go through or past any bedding areas, and I don’t have to disturb any deer. What I’m doing is spending time behind a spotting scope, and those deer don’t have any idea that I’m even watching them. At that time, I’m scouting patterns and I’m scouting individual deer to find out things.

Q: It’s June, and archery season is still four months away. Do I need to pay attention to variables such as scent or

Trailcams can become an invaluable asset to hunters before, during and after the season, allowing hunters to check game movement without scent contamintation. Pictured: Moultrie M65.

disturbance?

Drury:I don’t believe in the mentality of ‘Well, it’s summer, and I can’t possibly disturb those deer now, so I don’t have to be as careful.’ I might be wrong because I’ve never been one to be very intrusive. I’m Mister Non-Intrusive. I don’t want those deer to ever know I’m there, regardless of the season. The only time I get real intrusive is January and February.

Q: Does aerial photography or satellite imagery play a role in summer scouting?

Drury: You can learn everything through aerial photography. It’s all right there in front of you. It’s comparable to a big puzzle that you have to put together. I’m going to look at this map and absorb as much of it as I possibly can. And then I’m going to apply what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned to, and in conjunction with, the deer movement that I observe in the fall. That’s where aerial maps start to become magical.

Q: If you were to name one piece of equipment you’d never be caught without as you go about your summer scouting, what would that be?

Drury: A trail camera. I’ll go to fields where I suspect that there’s a big buck, and I’ll put a trail camera on that field. I’ll only use one or two rolls of film because I don’t think it’s smart to leave a camera in the same place very long. But, man, can you get some great pictures of big bucks on these field edges, and confirm where you think one is coming out – that he really is there. Trail cameras are the most unbelievable scouting tool. They’re awesome. Your scent doesn’t have to be there. The camera can be there doing the work for you.

Find The Core Areas

Hailing from Louisa, Va., 30-year-old Paul Cupka began bowhunting whitetails 12 years ago. When he started, he threw heart and soul into the new undertaking. Now a general contractor, Cupka guides throughout the U.S. and British Columbia. When not with clients, he can be found training retrievers, and serving on both the Avery and Zink Calls pro-staff teams.

Q: Do you do anything differently in June than you would in January?

Cupka: The major difference in June is that I’m watching deer from a distance – bucks in bachelor groups, as well as does and their offspring that are in the immediate area. In January, scouting is done in-season or post-season; now I’m looking for the doorstep to a big buck’s home. Food sources are completely different, too. In June I’m looking for early bow and

Cupka never leaves home without a GPS during his summer scouting excursions. Being flexible and able to make quick notes can make you a more successful hunter.

blackpowder sets – what are the deer eating – and in January, I’m looking for what the available food source is and what the late season patterns are.

Q: If you don't want to walk into your hunting areas, how, then, do you scout and get the information you need?

Cupka: Perimeter scouting; that is, I’m staying back away from my hunting area several hundred yards, and I’m trying to gather as much information from a distance without blowing up the spot. Each trip to the spot when hunting, therefore, should be a scouting trip; you’re making mental notes while going in and out of your stand.

Q: Do you rely on aerial photography or satellite imagery for your summer scouting?

Cupka: If both are available, that’s your best option. Aerial photographs can show what an area looked like 10 to 15 years ago, whereas, satellite photography will show up-to-date views. Cross-referencing the two might lead you to better understand the area. What was an open field 15 years ago might be a prime bedding location today.

Q: If there were one thing you wanted to learn as a result of your summer scouting, what would that be?

Cupka:To uncover the clues that left you scratching your head in the prior season – where were the deer actually feeding, bedding or watering the day that they didn’t show up to your stand location. What factors made them change their patterns during different weather fronts, moon phases or rut activity. And discovering core areas; it’s all about finding the core area.

Q: If you could only take one piece of equipment with you as you scout during the summer, what would that be and why?

Cupka: That’s a tough question. On one hand, I would say a GPS. On another, a bottle of water to help beat the summer heat here in Virginia. And a notepad, pen and compass. Sure, I might be cheating the only one thing a bit, but in areas that are prospects, I need to make immediate notes and determine what wind is needed to hunt that area.