Curtis Simpson specifically targets big bucks when he scouts during February, so he only looks for buck signs like rubs and scrapes. Well-worn trails might be nice to discover, but it’s nearly impossible to determine whether bucks or does paved the path.
What if you’re like just about every other typical Louisiana deer hunter, who is only interested in filling a freezer with meat rather than filling a wall with horns?
If this is you, perhaps you’ll also want to try some of Simpson’s February scouting techniques to help you score some more sausage next season.
Washington Parish deer hunter Karl Casanova is like most other deer hunters. He hunts for bucks but doesn’t mind putting a few does in the freezer.
And like lots of other hunters, he finds himself frequently hunting over food plots.
“I’ve got a lot of different stands that are associated with food plots but aren’t exactly on the food plots,” Casanova explained. “They are in the area, but they are more on the approaches to the plots rather than the plots themselves.”
To find these kinds of spots, Casanova takes the time to find where deer are coming into his plots and walks down the trails to see where the deer are coming from. And there’s no better time to make these walks than during February after deer season ends.
“A lot of times I’ll find these spots during turkey season,” Casanova noted. “If you’re really observant, you can find where deer trails fork off in different directions. When you can find a spot like that, you can put yourself in a good location where you may see deer coming from multiple directions.”
And during turkey season Casanova isn’t worried about blowing deer out of an area because he knows he can mark the spot and come back in before the season to hang a stand without disturbing the deer any more than necessary.
