What if I told you that there was a Summer scouting strategy that you could apply now, to accurately practice and use for your Fall buck pursuits? Well you are in luck, because there IS! I am excited to reveal to you that I have used this scouting method since the late 80s to create over 80% of my total buck harvests. There are 3 simple Summer scouting ingredients that you can look for to create your own Fall buck success!
Use The Weather To Scout Bucks All Year (even the Summer)
The same weather patterns that I personally use to tell me exactly when to hunt during October, November and December, create the same strategy I use to reveal exactly which days to scout during June, July, August and September. It really isn't harder than learning to read the weather forecast, so make sure that you don't try to complicate things with gimicky moon predictions and wildlife calendars. Would you believe I have even seen hunters use fishing activity predictions to base their whitetail decisions on? Folks, it doesn't work that way for Summer or Fall bucks however, it doesn't have to be much harder either!
This article isn't about a lengthy description of each weather factor and examples of why they work. Instead, there are 3 basics to look for:
1. Daytime temperature drop of 8-10 degrees or more (watch morning low to morning low as well).
The drop in temperature is the most important, for example, a drop from 70 to 60 degrees is only worth slightly more than 80 to 70 degrees. Both feature a great temp drop!
2. Drastic reduction in wind speeds.
40mph winds to 25 and 25 mph winds dropping to 10 spell 1 thing: A 15mph wind drop! Make sure not to miss out.
3. Change in extreme weather.
24 hours of thunderstorms that end about 4-5 hours before dark with a 20mph wind improvement and 12 degree temp drop = incredible Summer scouting opportunities!
*Although the bucks will be on the move during the late Summer to their Fall habitats, I rely heavily on Summer Mock Scrapes and Exodus trail cams to capture an inventory of the local bucks.
Conclusion
By using the weather as your #1 Summer scouting strategy, you can learn the critical aspects of predicting buck movement that you can apply directly to the Fall bucks that you will be hunting soon. The same movement triggers of temperature, wind speed and extreme weather apply during any time of the year, let alone when it matters the most - during the hunting season! Try it this Summer with a pair of binos in hand and a few snacks in the truck, and you can begin to learn a strategy that you can count on not only this season, but for the rest of your life.
