Finding Whitetail Bucks in Summer

August is quickly approaching, so it’s time to dust off the binos, spotting scopes, and telephoto lenses. It is an exciting time to get out and observe, as the bucks are about done growing and are highly visible.  Bucks during this timeframe are typically less cautious and are focused on feeding on the abundance of summer forage.

Late July and August are prime times for finding and scouting, especially while they are still in velvet.  Here are some things to remember as you head to the fields.

Tools of the Trade

As a bare minimum, make sure you bring along a good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope, both of which are needed for long-distance scouting with minimal intrusion.  A lightweight tripod to attach either optic to will help with steadiness and just create a more comfortable experience, especially when posted up for a couple of hours.

Another good addition is an adapter for your phone to attach to the binoculars or spotting scope.  Observing is fun, but it’s also great to snap some photos or videos to document the experience.

And finally, to make sure you don’t have to cut your trip short, remember to bring some water and bug spray.  There’s nothing worse than committing the time to get out in the field, with a high level of anticipation and excitement, only to be greeted by a swarm of mosquitoes you must try and endure the rest of the evening.

Where to Find Velvet Bucks

• Food: This time of year, bucks in velvet are primarily focused on nutrition. This means you’ll want to look for lush, green feeding areas such as soybean fields, alfalfa fields, or other high protein sources like clover and chicory.
• Water: Like us, bucks need to stay hydrated during hot summer temperatures. Locating a small pond or creek near favorite food sources can increase the odds of finding the bucks.
• Habitat: Bucks tend to avoid the typical thick, brushy habitat during the fall.  Instead, they prefer shaded woodlots or tall grass.  It is common to find bucks located in remote areas away from the primary sections of timber since there is so much other cover with the crops, vegetation, etc.

Perhaps you know of popular buck hangout areas from previous years, but if not, you can use trail cameras to help locate bucks.  You can then utilize that information to give you a starting point on where to scout, starting with nearby fields.  Another popular method is to drive the backroads in your area until you locate them. Just be sure to respect private property if you decide to move in closer to scout once you find them.

Not always, but especially later in the summer, bucks tend to be in bachelor groups. If you find a few bucks together, there’s a good chance the big one you’re looking for is close by.  On the flip side, if you come across a spot that has numerous does and fawns, it might be worth moving on to a different area until you find the bucks, as they just don’t tend to hang out too often this time of year.  The only exception I’ve seen is when there is one particularly preferred food source, like a single alfalfa field, that most of the herd is using as a feeding area.

The Time of Day

Not unexpectedly, bucks will be most active during the cooler parts of the day.  The most popular time for guys to get out is in the evenings before dusk, but if it works with your schedule, don’t overlook the morning hours, too.  The deer often hang out in the fields, still feeding after dawn before heading back to bedding areas for the day.  And with sunrise being early this time of year, you can get an hour or two of scouting in without impacting the rest of your day.

Another thing to keep in mind, as with hunting season, the weather plays a role in how active the bucks are on a given night and how much they move in daylight. Significant weather changes and cool fronts can increase the activity tremendously, so if you can, wait for those better conditions to maximize your chances of seeing the most deer in your area.

Setting Up

While deer are certainly more relaxed in these summer environments than when the pressure increases in the fall, it doesn’t mean they’ll let you walk right up on them.  Just like hunting, you’ll want to play the wind direction and make sure you have sufficient cover.  I often find myself set up in a grown-up fence row or even out in the middle of the soybeans once they are tall enough.

Depending on the terrain and size of the field, establishing a good vantage point is important, too.  The goal would be to get to a high point that gives you the best view of anywhere a deer could come out.  Keep in mind, due to all the cover and vegetation, this could be anywhere.  I’ve even seen deer bed in the middle of the soybean field and just stand up and start feeding.  The situation I’ve seen most often, though, in the evenings, is the bucks first coming out into the shaded side of the field.  If there’s timber on the west side of the field you’re scouting, then this area would be a good one to keep an eye on.

Conclusion

Velvet scouting can be a fun way to scratch the deer hunting itch, as the season is still a couple of months away.  Depending on the individual buck, though, it may or may not give you any valuable information for the fall.  Some deer will summer very close to their fall core area, while others will relocate miles away once the velvet comes off.  So, if you find a buck you want to hunt while out velvet scouting, that’s great; just don’t be surprised if you must do more searching to find him back again in a few weeks.  Either way, find time to get out there and enjoy observing the velvet display while you still can.

--Jared Mills