Josh Honeycutt advises hunters to use a healthy combination of new and old scouting tactics to fill tags this fall.

For deer hunters, now is the time to scout, prep and make plans for fall and winter. Get your ducks in a row for the early season, pre-rut, rut and late season. Sure, you can’t figure out everything right now. But you can stack the deck in your favor. Here’s how to scout for deer.

The rise of tech

While we still love and use classic methods of scouting, the rise of technology has changed how we do things. Digital resources, mobile apps, trail cameras, cellular models and more have modernized the way hunters find and pattern whitetails. It’s changing the landscape; so much, in fact, that some places are banning the use of not just cellular cameras, but all trail cameras.

Personally, I believe trail cameras are completely ethical and that their use shouldn’t be infringed upon. I don’t think these give hunters an unfair advantage; those who advocate against them are merely bitter. So long as they are legal, keep using them.

Other means of technology are at modern hunters’ fingertips. E-scouting online is another beneficial tool. Studying online maps of properties offers land details. Pouring over hunting forums can relinquish clues. Digital sources offer tips and tactics on how to get the job done. The list goes on, with an endless amount of knowledge and resources at our disposal.

E-scouting with purpose

Using Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young, and Buckmasters records maps help show us where the most top-end bucks come from. These yield clues on where deer herds are doing the best, where the habitat is better suited for deer, where the soil is in the best shape, where hunters are the best at managing whitetails, and much more. This information gives you a starting point and helps select a region to focus on.

State agencies and other public-land managers offer maps, and even interactive tools, that show open hunting access. Sometimes, these tools even illustrate detailed aspects of such properties, and help hunters understand the dynamics of each property. This, too, can help narrow the search to specific properties, and even gives you clues as to what a place looks like prior to seeing it in person.

The same holds true for Google Earth, as well as other online mapping services. You’re able to get a feel for what properties look like, their features, and where potential hotspots might be located. Get an idea of what the vegetation looks like before ever arriving at the property.

Becoming an app master

In today’s age, online scouting is almost old-school itself, especially considering the advancements of hunting apps such as HuntStand. It’s a free app, but those who choose to level up to HuntStand Pro unlock powerful tools. As an ambassador for the brand, I’ve been able to test this resource extensively, and the performance surpasses the hype.

For starters, it offers numerous map layers. Those who want to pick apart a property from an aerial view will love the hybrid, satellite, and satellite vivid map layers. This helps reveal what the foliage looks like on the property and helps distinguish between hardwoods and conifers. It even reveals potential feeding destinations, such as ag fields and food plots. That’s powerful insight.

Those aren’t the only options, though. Hunters wanting to scout in topography mode have additional layers at their disposal. The contour, hybrid, terrain and topo layers are perfect for this. These oftentimes reveal high-quality hunting spots such as benches, pinch-points, saddles and much more.

Hunters even have water-based map layers at their fingertips. This is especially important where water is more limited. Use the contour, outdoors and topo layers to find some high-quality H2O.

Finally, the ever-popular 3D map layer is the king of all map layers. It reveals terrain and topography all at once, and greatly surpasses the value offered by aerial-topo hybrid options. This layer is incredibly adept at showing you what a property looks like—from a distance—as if you’re walking around on it. It’s no replacement for seeing land in person, but it’s the next best thing.

Deploying trail cameras

Once you’ve selected a region, determined specific properties, and even e-scouted these tracts of land with online and app services, it’s time to deploy trail cameras. I prefer to position my cameras along terrain- and topography-based hotspots, or places that offer hunting and trail-camera-related advantages. Generally, these are linked to bedding areas, feeding destinations, water sources and staging areas.

Let the cameras sit for some time, effectively capturing images of deer in the area. Then, move in to check them. Leave the cams that produced results and relocate those that didn’t.

One option is to move unproductive cameras closer to those that produced. This can help home in on a buck’s core area. Just be careful not to push too deep toward bedding sites, as this can pressure deer and cause them to change their behavior.

Another option is to move cameras to entirely new areas where cameras aren’t already present. In my opinion, if you find a target buck that you’ll for sure go after, maybe go with the former option. If you’re still on the fence about the deer your scouting efforts have dug up, perhaps go with the latter option.

Using past intel

Hunters shouldn’t rely solely on current data. Sure, the most recent intel is the most important information. That said, past info from previous seasons can be relevant, especially if the information is tied to specific bucks still on the landscape.

For example, for each target buck, analyze trail camera photos from past seasons. Doing so can help reveal clues for the coming fall and winter. This is even truer for deer that tend to repeat their patterns each year.

If you have seen the deer from the stand, add these encounters to the mix. For the sake of past intel, these are even more important than trail camera photos, because in-person sightings provide greater context. These help to show where the deer came from, where it was going and what it was doing.

Old-school finishers

While new-age scouting technologies are important, old-school methods are not to be ignored. These tactics are still useful and certainly have their place in the scouting mix.

People who are new to a property, or who haven’t seen it in a long time, should certainly put boots on the ground and see what the area has to offer. Move in and verify expectations and findings from your e-scouting and app efforts. Seeing it in the flesh will give much more context to the area. Despite the advancements of technologies, it still doesn’t compare to being there.

Glassing from afar is another tactic to use, especially for those who hunt in areas that allow it. Sitting back and watching major food sources is a great way to see what deer are in the area and what they are doing. Trail cameras do this, but don’t paint the entire picture.

In a nutshell, technology gets you close. It certainly saves time, and even helps eliminate obvious bad spots. But old-school scouting methods help close the gap from “close” to “dead deer.”

Even seasoned hunters can learn new methods to make their hunt more successful. Find more in the fall issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.