Many longtime Maine hunters have deep-rooted connections to their favorite hunting areas. Most grew up in the area and have connections to the landowners or own land themselves. For new hunters and those who are new to an area, it can feel like quite a challenge to find places to hunt. Scouting for deer increases the likelihood you’ll harvest one during hunting season–knowing what to look for, when to go, and avoiding detection are key. Now’s the time to start scouting.

Here’s some tips from our staff to help you along the way:

Where to go
Accessing Private Land

The vast majority of land in Maine is privately owned (94%).  Large portions of the privately-owned property in Maine is owned by forest management or investment industries but a significant portion is also owned by private individuals, land trusts, or other entities. Always get permission, ask what’s allowed, and know the property boundaries before heading out. Click here for more information on accessing private land in Maine.

Public Land

MDIFW manages over 10,000 acres throughout the state. The purpose of a Wildlife Management Area is to provide a statewide, ecologically based system of land holdings for the protection and enhancement of important wildlife habitats that also provides opportunity for all types of public recreation, including hunting. There are some rules about hunting WMAs. Contact a regional office to learn more about a WMA you’re interested in hunting or click here.

State parks are not managed by MDIFW, but some do allow hunting. There are restrictions on some timing, activities, and distance from developed areas. Click here to learn more.

Public reserved lands offer half million acres managed for recreation, wildlife, and timber.are land owned by the state managed for recreation, wildlife and timber. They are open to hunting. Check out more by clicking here.

Digital Scouting
By using online resources such as Google Maps, Google Earth, onX, and scouring digitized tax maps via your town office, you can start to spot opportunities before heading out. Streams, bogs, deer funnels (terrain or man-made features that encourage deer to travel a certain path, such as a stretch of cover/trees between two fields), and other landscape indicators (as well as property boundaries) can be identified using online resources.

Deer Sign
When searching for places to hunt look for areas on your property that provide at least one of the deer’s habitat components: food, water, cover, or space. Digital scouting can help you focus your on-the-ground search. Once afield, look for deer sign.

Tracks + Trails

Deer tracks are distinctive and fairly easy to identify, typically registering as two sharply pointed hooves. There are a few things you can tell by the track itself, like relative size of the animal and direction of travel. Deer often will travel the “path of least resistance” and if there are a lot of animals using this path it will create a distinct game trail.

Scat

Once you find tracks/trails start looking for deer scat or droppings, which are often dark brown to black pellets.  If you find a lot of piles of scat in a small area, this can tell you that either there are a lot of deer in the area, or they spend a lot of time in that area.

Beds

Deer beds are oval or kidney-shaped depressions on the ground.  Beds are very easy to identify in the snow, because the heat from the deer’s body with melt the snow and show either bare ground or a shining depression when it refreezes.  However, they can be found without snow on the ground, because the weight of the animal will compress the vegetation or leaves into the soft dirt and show this oval pattern.

Rubs

Rubs are an important communication tool for deer as they rub small to medium sized trees with thin bark with their antlers to remove the bark. Rubs are like a sign posts, showing other bucks they are using this area. Bucks commonly make “rub lines” or a series of rubs along the edge of two cover types such as the transition between fields and larger timber.

Scrapes

Scrapes are made when a deer rakes the leaves, vegetation and debris out of a small area (typically round or oval), exposing the soil beneath it, while depositing scent from its interdigital glands. Once the soil is exposed deer visiting the scrape will urinate in the oval showing their presence and reproductive status.

Scouting Tools
•Wear appropriate clothes

While scouting, you might be going long distances in wet or dense terrain. Wear the right clothes and boots for the job and wear layers.

•Bring snacks

You may be out in the field for a while, make sure you have plenty of water and high-protein snacks.

•Always have a map and compass

Any time you go into the woods, you should bring a map and compass (and know how to use them.) Tell someone where you are going, and when you expect to return.

•Trail Cameras

When you find a spot you suspect has high deer activity, trail cams can help confirm that. ALWAYS get permission before putting up a trail cam and label it with your contact information.

•Binoculars

It’s never a bad idea to bring binoculars for obvious reasons. They can help you spot what’s off in the distance.

 

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.