Scouting

[jeremyr32]

I am still new to hunting. When do you all start scouting for deer? I drew the Central Manti archery deer tag this year. I was reading that mule deer don’t move a lot from June to sept. Due to heat. I was thinking of starting next weekend but is that to soon?

 

[scandalousbob]

I don't think that's too soon. Especially if you're not familiar with the area. You won't have much to look at in terms of antler growth yet. But it's never too early to start scouting roads, trails, camp sites, water sources, etc.

 

[Founder]

Not too early to get familiar with the area. The bucks won’t have much growth yet and some of the deer may not be where they’ll end up. July and August are the best time for scouting.
But go check things out this weekend.

 

[deerkiller]

I don’t ever stop scouting, but I’d be scouting now if I was starting fresh. There’s deer at 10k right now, and generally speaking, it’s not the does that are that high yet. I went and looked at my deer spot Monday and picked up some cams I left over winter. I had pics of deer as early as 4/25/20. This is right at 9200’.

and the rumor that they don’t move much from
June to September isn’t true. I’d say from July to mid August they are fairly consistent, feed and water availability of course plays into that. Once the bow hunt starts and they strip velvet, some bucks could move miles over night. Other will stay put until the snow pushes them out in December. From
What I’m told by a guy who has trail cam pics, A buck I killed in 2018, summered and spent the entire archery hunt on a LE unit. He vanished mid September and was shot 15 miles away on the general rifle hunt and about 2k feet higher than where he summered.

there is no set cycle to mule deer. They are all different. But with the gates being open now to access the high country, I’d be scouting now. And if this is a unit you plan to hunt for many years finding good spots to put cams out and leave over winter isn’t a bad idea. It’s amazing the info you can learn about animals when you can watch them through every cycle of the year.