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Any scouting tips?

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Ryano:
Y'all want to share what kind of scouting you do to pick that favorite hunting spot or tree stand location? This should be interesting and might help some of the newbies.

Hillbilly:
Early in the season, I'm usually looking for white oaks that are dropping acorns-a lot of the deer I've killed have had a mouthful of white oak acorns when they died. The best oaks are those little white oak groves that you find sometimes out in the middle of pine woods or somewhere else isolated from other oaks. Later in the season, I'll hunt near red oaks, persimmons, grapes, or green browse.
In general, I like edges and funnels. If I can find a good edge between hardwoods and pines, hardwoods and laurel thicket, grown-up clearcut and woods, or old field and woods, most of the time, deer are traveling it. If I can find a corner in that edge, or a place where two edges intersect, even better. I also like little strips of woods between fields or clearings that connect bigger patches of woods. Another place that always seems to produce in mountains is a low gap in the ridge, especially if it's along a natural edge. I like to hunt fresh tracks better than hunting scrapes or rubs. But if you get lucky and find one of those perfect spots with a lot of tracks, fresh droppings, plus a line of rubs and scrapes in a good natural funnel between a feeding area and a bedding area, it's definitely time to hang a stand.

FlintWalker:
'Ol Steve took care of what I was gonna say.  I will add though...Don't overlook those little patches of cover right out in the open or close to houses.  Deer are very adaptive creatures and have no problem living VERY close to dwellings as long as they don't feel threatened.
  Sometimes it pays not to ignore the obvious. ;)

DanaM:
I will add don't bother hunting an area where a pack of wolves are active >:( Unless yer hunting wolves :o >:D

GregB:
Like Steve said, I like hunting travel spots between bedding and feeding area's. With what we're using, you need to set up for a close shot, so I'm looking for a funnel situation and if possible some cover for myself. Often a steep gulley will run full length down the side of a wooded ridge, and the deer may only be crossing the gulley at one or two locations. Hunting the approach to one of those crossings is always good. Sometimes woods themselves narrow down to a bottle-neck and provide close shooting opportunities. These type of stand locations are good year after year typically as long as they're not over hunted. It's always good to find a white oak dropping acorns with a "hog lot" look underneath the tree with a lot of good deer droppings around.  :)

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