U dont have to look for signs or nething...Why dont u pick a spot that u feel most comfortable in..then put out some feed..(if u dont have a food plot)..Thats what we do..when we find new hunting leases..we just put our stand up..But Dont feed them alot..then they will be expecting food in that exact spot..we learned that last year..spread it out..Where do u hunt??.i hunt in Tallulah

Go and walk the area. Locate food sources other than food plots, and then find bedding areas. If the deer are using them then you will see a trail. Hunt that trail and pay attention on making a route to the stand as not to push the deer from where they are feeding or bedding. Always watch the wind also. Eat lots of boudin from teets food store in ville platte also, that will increase your odds.

You can just put food out if you like but i would think that you would actually like to learn the art of hunting instead of just killing over a pile of corn. Learning to hunt takes a lot of time and mistakes and you eventually learn from the mistakes you make, I promise you want learn to hunt this year. There is nothing more thrilling than to out smart a good deer especially with a bow. You have to experience many things good and bad in the woods to hone your skills. If you are totally inexperienced it would be in your best interest to get a good book or go to the library to learn about the nature and charactoristics of the white tail deer and their habitat. To become a good hunter you have to think like a deer, know what they are going to do, know where they are going, what areas they like to travel and why, etc. Look for signs such as trails, rubs, scrapes in areas such as bottoms, creek beds, near thickets, try to stay off the beaten path. Deer get accustomed to noise, traffic, scent, four wheeler, etc and will eventually avoid those areas. It may not be a bad thing to get the left overs on a lease, these could be isolated pockets with little human activity. Protect your hunting areas from human scent as much as possible, walk in as far as you can to you stand, dont use tobacco or urinate on your stand, bring a plastic bottle and you must learn how to be very still. Do you scouting early, take your time and enjoy the act of scouting and looking and finding, it's very rewarding. Anybody can kill over a pile of corn, learn the art of hunting. And remember, when the rut is on forget everything you know and just be in the woods because that biig buck forgets everything he knows except for one thing. Good luck, gd

oak two spend as much time scouting in your new hunting area as possible now.don't wait till the season starts.You don't need food plots or piles of feed to hunt.I would suggest you find areas that are not hunted.(permanent stand sites ect.) then go where the other members don't go.Even areas that other members pass-up to get to their hunting sites.Get a portable stand(tree climber,ground blind)you may not find a lot of action early on so don't over hunt those areas.You will find that after the members fill-up the woods, the deer will move out to other fringe areas during this time.Always sneak into your area from different directions if possible.don't use the same trail over & over again it'will burn out that hunting site.Anytime you approach your hunting area or stand, creep to your stand like you are stalking a deer. Don't just hurry to get in. hope this helps..

If all the good spots are taken I wouldn't waste much time scouting because the good spots have probably already been found. If you are to put up and hunt your own stands find out what your club's rules are re distance between stands and set up about that distance from what looks like a good spot. Mark it well so you can find it in the dark. And don't make it so obvious that you'll pizz off an old member by encroaching on 'his' territory. Personally I like to get as far away as possible from everyone else knowing that pressure will eventually move deer my way.

Typically places like this are hunted fairly had. Good bucks are not just going to fall in your lap very often. What happens is this year there will be a couple of good bucks spending the day in this area, next year it is somewhere else.

You need to do some serious scouting to put the odds in your favor. Trail cams would be one option but this will envolve moving them frequently to pin point the big bucks.

Another tactic is to go out and study the ground for big tracks. This is one of the most overlooked methods. No matter how smart a deer is he will leave tracks. Look for areas that have mostly big tracks. You aren't looking for lots of track or even trails. Just any "area" that is dominated by large tracks. Ideally the tracks won't be all on a narrow trail but instead spread out over the entire valley.

Find that and hunt there. Keep in mind that bucks may periodically more core areas around within their entire range. They will only leave a concentration of tracks in this core area.

Another good possible tip.
If you hunt a club where ev1 gets on the stand b4 daylight and leaves by 9 or 10 . STAY ON YOUR STAND !!! because when ev1 leaves the deer WILL start moving.
Also , if ev1 gets on their stand at a certian time in the afternoon , get there an hour before them. The deer will move to avoid the hunters coming into the woods .
One thing ,If you start killing they will figure out what you are doing and try the same.
Good Hunting, Bob

walk the creeks and look for sighn of crossing and areas that hold water for drinking especially if you are going to bowhunt. Also look for oaks in the creek bottoms they will feed on the acorns. And pay attention to other form of food like crab apple trees, turkey berries, honey suckle, look for sighns of feeding on these types of trees and bushes. If you can find them hunt them and make sure you are far enough away from the other members.The club I am in I joined 3 years ago in september at that. I found where other peoples stands were at and went about 300 yards away between them and found a select cut area that butted up to a pine thicket about 10 feet tall. Thanksgiving weekend I killed a 6 point and a big doe crossing on the creek bottom out of the pine thicket and into the select cut pines. Now i have a food plot there and feed corn and the deer a plenty thick now.

I hunt the swamp, which is very different than hunting piney woods so I won't be much help but some very good ideas have been thrown your way, most of my success has come from getting away from everyone else. although I have seen trophy bucks come from stands where you could also see a parking lot full of trucks. bucks hang out here so that they know when hunters are in and out of the woods. The only other advice is if you can find a funnel on your property such as a treeline on a creek in a cutover that would funnel deer between 2 wooded areas. And hunt late I have had the most luck right at dark!
Also if you decide to stick with this lease the best time to scout will be right after the season closes this year. Deer generally follow the same patterns year after year if nothing major causes them to change. (such as clear-cutting)