My lack of a formal mentor has left me lacking in man skills. My mother constantly apologies but she did her best to raise me. When I first started fishing at 9 she taught me a knot and said "sorry son that's all I know." So a few years ago I decide to hunt when I was 29. I asked her if we had any hunters in the family and she said sorry son, but no. I hit the google and proceeded to learn as much as I can. I understand the wind. I can spot game trails and sign. I get the camo is more of a means to break up the "Human Pattern" than any real concealment. I get the noise control, but here, its almost impossible not to sound like a bull in china store unless you are on a trail, but even then I swear each step sounds like thunder because of dried grass and pine needles.
The concept I am having difficulty in is patterning deer. In live in Jacksonville, Fl we get all 4 seasons in a day. I cant tell where or what they are eating and sleeping or when they are moving. They seam to randomly move through out the day. Tracks are every where though. I am military so I cant spend us much time in the woods as I want and I finnaly got 3 trail cams. Is there a book I could read or a resource to learn the native diet and guide to patterning them? At the moment it seams like its 50 percent skill and 50 percent luck on getting a deer. I have spotted does, but I feel like it was more blind chance than any real skill, like I am blundering through the woods aimlessly and so was the deer and the stars aligned. One time they are bedding at 1300 and have to litteral step on them to get the deer to budge, then they hop 30 yards and stop and call you names. Then the next weekend they are moving at 1300 and spot you from 200 yards away up wind. There is tons of tracks though even some old scraps, fresh pawing marks. Definatetly know when you kick up a buck. If he knows what you are sounds like a horse crashing through the woods. If he doesn't he wants to circle.
The deer signs I know are tracks, scrapes,rubs and scat. Only seen a few old rubs. A couple old scrapes. Tons of old and fresher tracks. The thick stuff here prevents you from going of the "beaten" path. How do I interpret the sign and are there signs I am missing? Like signs of bedding areas and feeding. I have even saw tracks that look like deer fighting. Any tips or mentor ship would be appreciated.