I put 10# of corn and some apple pellet bait about 15 feet from what looks to me to be a deer trail. 72 hours later now and nothing has touched it. Is is safe to say this is not a deer trail? Will deer maybe use this trail at another time of year ? How can i tell if it is just a manmade trail that the local hunters walk on to get to their spots ? (That was what i thought it was the first time i saw it)

Uh, any deer tracks?

Own a camera?    Use google maps, scout ahead.

No deer tracks.

Yes i own a camera. All you can see from google earth is tree tops. Not sure how that is supposed to help find deer.

Lots of animals use game trails. Thats why they are called game trails so it could be more then just deer using that trail. Scouting an area to find deer sign and then setting up trail cameras is what has worked for me in the past. I try to find game trails but then look for signs like tracks or poop.

If its public land you might want to invest in a lock box for your camera and check your local hunting regs to see if you can use trail cameras on public land. The same goes for the amount of bait you can use. Here in Wisconsin in counties that allow it you can only place 2 gallons of bait and it has to be done before the first day of deer season. You cant bait during a deer season.

Scouting will be your best bet and I think the other person who posted about google was talking about using it to get an idea of the terrain. I use google maps to look for natural funnels or swamp/bedding areas. You need to understand where the deer are coming and going from. During the rut the females will tend to stay in their home range but bucks may travel and move through different areas.

Big question is going to be is this public land or private land?

If it is private land I would buy some game cameras to set up on these trails you suspect the deer to be working. If there are deer working those trails then you could bait them if you wanted to. I am not sure how your season goes over there in PA but here in Indiana the deer will be coming into the rut any time and their patterns will change completely.

It is public land. A full 1/3 of this county is either state forest or state gameland.

I have topographical maps from the usgs. These things tell you way more then just looking at treetops on google earth. I always have one with me and believe me, i study these things when not in the woods.

I don't see sign or trails. All i am doing is blindly walking around occasionally kicking up a deer without any way of predicting where they will be. Very frustrating!

If you're bumping deer, more than likely you were in a bedding area.

Try to find a field or open area. You should be able to find where the deer come in/pass through the field. If there isn't a lot of those in your area try to find a swampy area/creek. It's a lot easier finding tracks and trails in areas that are constantly wet. Most trails lead from bedding areas to feeding grounds. If you find a trail that leads to some real thick/high ground, chances are it will lead to a bedding area. IMHO I'd stay out of that area and go the opposite way to the feeding areas. No need to bump them.

Also, deer will only eat what they are accustomed to. If there are no apples in the area and you place apples, well you get the idea.

Any apples or corn around the area?

take a topo and hop in your car.

Drive to the area and look for oak trees. ( assuming there are no farms) White is better than red.

now look for a stream or a ridge close to the oak trees.

look for a trail to the stream or ridge. Look for tracks.

also look for a thick area, something good for bedding

Look for the easiest way terrain wise to get to each area. like a lull or pass between 2 hills. The hills only need to be a couple of feet higher, not talking mountains here.

Look for tracks, rubs and scrapes and deer crap.  Deer take the easiest path. They will follow edge of anything, streams, marsh, oak /pine tree edge, fence, rock walls, anything that is a boundary between one thing and another, field edges etc.


Doe are probably moving from the stream area and bucks are probably moving from the ridge area, assuming each have thick bedding areas.

They will travel the low areas and thick areas to keep from being seen.

Look in these places too.

that will get you started.

Are there a lot of acorns on the ground?  If so, the deer will walk right past your corn to get to them.

Here's old trick from the days before trail cameras.  Tie thread across the trail. It should be high enough that raccoons, coyotes, etc. will not break it.  But low enough for deer to break.  If it is broken then deer or people are using the trail.

Another trick is to find a spot of soft dirt. Rake off all the leaves and sticks and rake the dirt smooth.  This will make it easy to find tracks.

Remember the more often you visit an area, the less of often the deer will visit it. I had a trail camera set up along a trail. Every time I checked the card, I found that no deer had passed by for 3 days after my last visit.