[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/mapping-whitetails-01-scouting-for-summer-bucks\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/mapping-whitetails-01-scouting-for-summer-bucks\/","headline":"Mapping Whitetails #01: Scouting for Summer Bucks","name":"Mapping Whitetails #01: Scouting for Summer Bucks","description":"Summer is an exciting time of year in the whitetail woods as bucks are piling on the inches, fawns are...","datePublished":"2015-07-28","dateModified":"2018-06-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/mappingwhitetails-01-ScoutingSummerBucks1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/mappingwhitetails-01-ScoutingSummerBucks1.jpg","height":664,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/mapping-whitetails-01-scouting-for-summer-bucks\/","about":["Hunting"],"wordCount":1585,"keywords":["Hunting","Tips"],"articleBody":"Summer is an exciting time of year in the whitetail woods as bucks are piling on the inches, fawns are learning the ropes, and everyone is having a big old party in the soybean field.\u00a0 Perhaps the best thing about summer is the relative ease of which you can find the bucks you\u2019ll likely be chasing during the fall.With that said, here\u2019s a\u00a0Mapping Whitetails\u00a0Tip: locate soybean fields, water bodies, and fruit trees, and mark them on a map to find out where you should be hanging trail cams or spending your evenings glassing. \u00a0It\u2019s one thing to know where these features are, it\u2019s another to mark them on a map so you gain a visual understanding on how they may effect deer movement.\u00a0\u00a0Video: SCOUTING FOR SUMMER BUCKSTake a look at the following map (randomly chosen from Google Earth): \u00a0It happens to be somewhere in Illinois and actually looks like one heck of big buck producer.\u00a0 I made a fake property boarder (red), color coded the ag fields (green-beans, red-corn), and water bodies (blue), as well as identified surrounding ag fields with what is planted this year.\u00a0 Again, this is all hypothetical, but it represents an actual landscape pretty closely.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the scoop, it\u2019s roughly 200 acres and I only have two trail cameras at my disposal, where should I hang them?(Click image to enlarge)I chose the Camera #1 location for the following reasons:It\u2019s over a soybean fieldIt\u2019s easy to check without spooking deer. Come from the trail behind and pop through the treeline. Get in and get out!It\u2019s in the corner where the two large blocks of cover converge closest to the beans.It\u2019s on the edge closest to a small pond, which may have them eat for a while and then filter down the edge to get a drink.It\u2019s fairly centrally located.Facing directly south will eliminate the chance of direct sun interfering with photos.\u00a0I chose the Camera #2 location for the following reasons:It\u2019s overlooking a soybean fieldIt\u2019s the more secluded part of the field.It\u2019s fairly easy to check without spooking deer if you come in off the road from the north during midday.It\u2019s close to an inside corner which deer typically like to use while entering a field.Facing due north prevents sun interference with the camera.I expect a decent amount of deer to come from the north out of the CRP field.It\u2019s been my experience that one can never have enough trail cameras.\u00a0 Trust me when I say I\u2019m a budget hunter. Sometimes you just can\u2019t cover the entire property and you have to choose the best spots and use other methods to find the bucks.\u00a0 So, I\u2019ve got the two cams out and you\u2019re probably wondering what the yellow line is. That\u2019s my evening glassing route.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see far more deer driving and glassing soybean fields than what your trail cam will likely\u00a0capture.\u00a0 Just remember, you have moving eyes capable of magnification with the aid of binoculars or a spotting scope.\u00a0 Your trail cam has a stationary eye with the range of about 15 yards.\u00a0 Also, a\u00a0huge\u00a0advantage of evening drives with the binos is that you can scout neighboring fields. \u00a0Just because they aren\u2019t feeding on your property doesn\u2019t mean they aren\u2019t using it or won\u2019t be there once the food starts to disappear.\u00a0 I typically like to scout a core area of roughly 2 square miles or 1,280 acres to get a good understanding of what may end up running by during the rut.Now it\u2019s your turn!\u00a0 Here\u2019s a new property with the borders and fields identified.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got two trail cameras for roughly 150 acres, where would you hang them? COMMENT BELOWThere are 10 choices to choose from (red pins).\u00a0 There may be multiple decent spots, but two of them are better than the rest.\u00a0 I\u2019ll share my answers below.(Click image to enlarge) ANSWER BELOW\u2193\u2193\u2193\u2193\u2193\u2193\u2193\u2193\u2193Here\u2019s my best answer based upon what I can see from the Google Earth aerial:In my opinion, the way this property lays out made it a bit more challenging to find two standout locations to place trail cameras compared to the example photo.\u00a0 However, one spot should clearly stick out and that\u2019s pin #4.I chose #4 for the following reasons:It\u2019s overlooking a soybean field.It\u2019s right next to a small pond.It\u2019s centrally located and with only 2 cameras, you want the most bang for your buck.Fairly easy access, no need to disturb bedding areas in order to check it.You can\u2019t see what\u2019s going on in the field from the road during evening scouting missions.The next trail camera location was a bit more challenging as I wanted to hang it over soybeans, but also wanted a good representation of the entire property.\u00a0 Therefore, I opted to hang it at station #3.I chose #3 for the following reasons:Place over a water source surrounded by summer bedding habitat (corn).It covers more of the eastern side of the property.It\u2019s easy and safe to check.Now if you\u2019re anything like me, sometimes it\u2019s easy to get analysis paralysis while you\u2019re looking at maps when it comes to hunting decisions.\u00a0 Thus, it\u2019s often by process of elimination as to how I come to my final decisions.In this case, I didn\u2019t choose the following for the reasons below:#1 \u2013 I like this spot, but it\u2019s just too risky to be checking all summer. It\u2019s got everything, a food plot, water hole, and is completely surrounded by bedding area (CRP field).\u00a0 It\u2019s probably one of the best hunting spots on the farm, which is exactly why I don\u2019t want to mess it up by checking trail cameras.#2 \u2013 While alfalfa is king in the western whitetail states, it\u2019s kind of blah when surrounded by luscious soybean fields.\u00a0 Again, if that\u2019s a lone oak in the field, it may be a decent tree to hunt during October, but for now, you want your trail cameras in the best areas.#5 \u2013 Aside from deer possibly using it as a travel corridor between bean fields, it\u2019s kind of a lackluster location in comparison to the others.#6 \u2013 Too hard and too risky to be checking during the summer, or any time of year for that matter.#7 \u2013 A great rut stand, but not the best trail camera location.\u00a0 Again, difficult to check and nothing to concentrate deer in that area during the summer.#8 \u2013 This is probably where I\u2019d put a third camera if I had one \u2013 beans, water, and easy to check.\u00a0 However, you should get a good idea of the bucks using this field by glassing out of your truck from the road during the last hour of daylight.#9 \u2013 Some new bucks may potentially show up in this area, but it\u2019s just too hard\/risky to be checking all summer.\u00a0 Certainly hunt that corner during the fall when it\u2019s safe to do so.#10 \u2013 Again, alfalfa is okay, but it\u2019s no soybean.\u00a0 Take the time to drive by this field during the evening.#11 – CHECK OUT THE NEXT MAPPING WHITETAILS TIP BELOW!"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/mapping-whitetails-01-scouting-for-summer-bucks\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Mapping Whitetails #01: Scouting for Summer Bucks"}}]}]