A head start on next season

Use trail cameras to examine postseason sign

Even though deer season is over, it is not too early to start developing strategies to corner that trophy buck for next season. Post-season scouting is crucial for hunters serious about managing their herd. Post-season investigations reveal travel patterns and potential stand locations for the next season. However, much of the available buck sign can be misleading. Photo evidence will identify the survivors after the season closes.

By January, the woods are completely littered with thousands of scrapes, rubs and maybe a few residual tracks. But much of this visible sign comes from deer no longer trampling through the thickets and munching on food plots. Rather than bedded within a briar thicket, many of these deer are sliced and diced alongside a baked potato with sour cream and chives.

Conscientious hunters should pack away their firearms and break out the trail cameras to continue the hunt for the big ones. Photo-recording of the remaining bucks provides a living record of the remaining deer potentially-available for next year’s season.

Trail cameras should be placed around high frequency areas typical of the dead of winter. The best places to set up trail cameras this month will be near or overlooking rich food sources. With the rut finally coming to an end and the arrival of harsh winter conditions, bucks will seek out rich food sources to recover lost body weight and to feed heavily to stay warm for the winter. By January, preferred natural foods high in energy and protein are depleted, and only browse is available. Deer, especially bucks, will hover around rich food plots, corn/potato piles, feeders and agriculture fields around the clock. Feeding areas and major trails leading to these areas will capture the remaining deer on the property. Hunters should enlist every camera available to capture as much data as possible before they shed.

Post-season photo-monitoring will only allow a few weeks for surveillance activities. Most bucks will shed their antlers between the first week of January and the second week of February, if not earlier. Deer hunters should go after them hard as soon as the season is over or even a week before the deer season ends. These photos will provide hunters and land managers with an inventory of the survivors and a preview of what next year’s season has to offer.