Finding a well-used deer trail is a great way to increase the chance for success

One of the most important things I look for when I am preparing to locate a tree stand, ladder stand, or ground blind before deer season arrives is a well-used deer trail.

Usually, several months before the season opens, I have placed my Browning trail cameras in the woods, and they keep me informed on which trails I need to concentrate on. I prefer to use trail cameras because in extremely dry conditions, it is difficult to see deer tracks on the ground, and I am sometimes limited on the amount of time I can spend in the woods.

Deer trails are normally rather easy to locate, and they can indicate the direction the deer are heading. I usually walk around the outside edge of a field next to the woods and look for deer tracks entering and exiting the wooded area. That will normally indicate the travel trail of the deer.

A well-used trail will have the grass and weeds pretty mashed down, and it is not uncommon for the dirt to be rather bare. Once I locate a few trails, I will follow them back and many times this will lead me to a bedding area. Often times, the deer will use this same trail back out of the bedding area to their feeding area in the afternoon and evening.

This is when I start placing my trail cameras. The cameras will give me proof positive that the deer are using these trails, and I will receive information about the date, time of day, the air temperature, the moon phase, and also the number of deer using the trail.

If the evidence I get from my cameras indicates the trail is active, I will concentrate my efforts on the trail. If it shows infrequent use, I might have to search for a different trail that is active.

Once you have satisfied yourself that you have, indeed, found the hot spot, you need to get your stands or blinds erected several weeks in advance so the deer can adjust to seeing something different.

I prefer to follow the deer travel trails back into the woods quite a distance rather than place a stand or blind at the edge of the field and woods. The reason for that is once the crops are harvested, when a deer crosses an open field, they will be moving -- often running -- because they realize they are wide open and subject to being seen, and that means danger.

When they enter the woods, they are moving quickly, and oftentimes they will not offer a quality shot opportunity. They will oftentimes slow down after traveling 20-30 yards inside the woods and stop to survey the immediate area for danger. That is why I suggest locating your stand or blind maybe 50 yards inside the woods along the heavily used travel trail.

Some trails are travel trails and other trails are escape trails. Deer like to travel along trails of least resistance, but in the event of danger, they will practically run over trees and bushes into thick cover for safety.

I am often asked, "Do bucks and does use the same trails?" In my opinion, yes, the does will use the trails, and often, just a slight distance away, there will be a slightly less obvious trail running parallel that the bucks use.

But, when the rut starts, the bucks will seek out the does for breeding, and if a doe comes down the trail and her tongue is hanging out, there is a high possibility she is being followed by an amorous buck. So, always look behind any doe in late October and mid-November.

If you locate a highly used deer trail, it can be a gold mine not only this year, but in the future as well. The photo with this article is a deer travel trail that I discovered many years ago. It leads from a crop field, and if you follow it back, it leads along an oak ridge, down into a ravine, and into a creek bottom where the deer spend time bedding down then they use the same trail leading back to the crop field.

I have harvested nice bucks and several mature does as they approach my ladder stand. I would estimate, over the years, I have taken well over 50 deer on this very same trail, and many of my hunting buddies have enjoyed success as well.

Travel trails such as this one are extremely rare, but I have placed many beginners and youth hunters here. They were fortunate enough to take their first deer there.

Like anything and everything when it comes to deer hunting, there are no guarantees and no easy way for deer hunting success, but locating deer travel trails can be a step in the right direction. If you dedicate enough time and hunt often, you are certainly increasing your odds for success.