The early season is winding down, and bucks are transitioning to their fall rut ranges. Now is the time to regroup, and then change your approach accordingly. Hunters who fail to transition with the deer, also oftentimes fail to fill their tag.
Part of being successful is understand how deer behave during the pre-rut, though. Rubs are appearing. Scrapes are dotting the landscape. Sparring and fighting is occurring. Times are changing. So are the places that deer frequent.
To take inventory during this period, focus trail camera scouting efforts along scrape lines, mock scrapes, rub lines, staging areas and trails that lead out of and back into bedding areas. Inside field corners are also very good for this. This will help capture images of deer throughout the next month or so, if not longer.
When possible, it’s also important to use cellular trail cameras with solar capabilities. This allows you to virtually leave a camera in one spot, and let it run without having to go back and check it. This is very beneficial in spots closer to bedding areas that you don’t want to pressure.
