On your next scouting trip, pay attention to where your walk started, pick out some landmarks such as blown over trees, look for deer trails near thick stands of brush and you might be rewarded with a shed antler.

By Braden Arp

"Sit right here until I come back for you," my dad said. "Whatever you do, don't get up. I will be on down in the woods a bit. If you need anything, key me up on the radio. It will be daylight soon. Make a good shot. Good luck, son."

I can still remember those words ringing in my ears some 22 years later after being wedged in a wooden deer stand with a 16-gauge shotgun held firmly in the clutches of my white-knuckled hands. I added the part about the radio. We used the scream and yell method back then. I remember not knowing which way to expect the game to come from and certainly not knowing which way my father would be arriving from to pick me up. Heck, I didn't even know the general direction of the truck. I was lost before I even had the chance to get lost.

A couple of years later, I realized what lost really meant when we staggered up to a house after a seven-hour walk through the woods while raccoon hunting. The ol' man who lived at the house walked out on the porch after hearing the frantic knock on the door. He sat down in his rocker, offered us all a glass of sweet tea and began to tell us where we were. And we were still lost! Locating the truck that night was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

I learned a valuable lesson that night that has stuck with me and that is to pay attention to my surroundings. 

People say to learn from your mistakes, which is just what I did. We had the yearly scouting trip coming up, as I'm sure many of you have been on as well, to the deer woods that has been the host to several wall-hanger bucks. This particular year, I decided to take a different approach during the trip.

Rather than serve as a wood carrier, toolbelt holder, and all around "go for" boy, I decided that this year I was going to try and figure this thing out. Granted, I knew I couldn't figure it all out in one scouting trip, but I made sure I would try to figure out a few of the basics.

The first and foremost thing on my mind was my present location. I paid close attention to where the truck was parked and which way we walked in and out of the woods. I noticed my father didn't just wander around. He had a specific trail he walked and that's the way he did it. Before you blunder out into the great unknown, know where the truck is parked. Set some landmarks to go by, such as blown down trees or a fire break. Don't forget the trusty orange ribbon, either.

After getting my bearings, I would venture out a little and maybe cross over a hill or two, exploring new terrain and trying to figure out why my stand was in the location that it was in. The South Georgia hardwoods were loaded with deer sign, which made it fairly easy to find rubs and scrapes and all indications that deer were in the area.

I began to notice deer trails and where they led to and where they came from. I discovered that a lot of trails led back into something thick and nasty, which was usually close to our stands. This got me to thinking about the previous season, and memories of seeing deer going in and out of the thick stuff popped into my head. Two and two started to come together. They still added up to 10, but I was getting closer to understanding the deer hunting riddle.

As your scouting efforts broaden, be sure to check the edges of thickets. You might just find a shed antler left behind by a buck in your area. When the buck's antlers get ready to drop, a lot of times they will get caught on the scrubby undergrowth of the thickets and fall off. Those sheds are just waiting for you or me to come by and find them. 

Discovering a shed on a scouting trip is pure excitement and gives you a clue as to how big the bucks are that live on your hunting land.

There's no doubt that summertime scouting is a wonderful time to be in the woods. It's also the perfect time to learn some basic woodsman skills, which will keep you safe this deer season.

-- Braden Arp

To find more of Braden's work, visit his hunting blog at www.huntingcircle.com.