ScoutingTopic

[lpcjon2]

1.When you post and pre-season scout,do you focus on the areas you already hunt(just out farther) or only new areas?

2.What are you primarily looking for?  

3.How far do you like to be from civilization(houses and roads)?

4.How often do you scout the same area?

5.When do you do you set-up(blinds and stands)?

6.Does travel time or distance from home,parking area,or general population of other hunters determine the area or set-up you hunt/scout?

I know for me time plays an important part of where I hunt and my main focus is on areas I can get to with little time and still produce good hunting.I do have a few areas farther away but they are hunted a lot less.

  For those that are going to be scouting I think some good tips and advice could help others get the most out of scouting.So thanks for all the anticipated reply's.  

[bendbig]

1. I always scout my hunting areas then move out after I have covered my original area, just to see what I might have missed during the season.
2. I like to look for rub lines and well used trails
3.Here I don't have much choice I'm not too far from the road anywhere I go. Just no way around it. lol!
4. I am lucky I own my normal hunting grounds so I have a good pattern on my animals I hunt but I do get out and look around.
5.I like to setup blinds/stands in the late spring (after turkey season) gives the critters time to get use to them plus some limbs will have leaves on them to help cover some holes.

If you can access the farther away spots I would focus on them as in the past I have been on public land and had lots better luck when I get FAR off the beaten path because most hunters will take the easy route and not venture too far from the truck.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Hunting is a 365 day a year job.
Scout around Your areas You hunt now, look for this seasons rubs, well used trails.
Scout new areas and look for the same things plus water and food.

[Nathan Killen]

I scout both areas I hunt and new areas, never know what you might find thats better. Im also a avid shed hunter. I do most of my scouting in the winter and early spring, then run trail cameras in the areas I plan to hunt to confirm any suspecions. Also I hunt deep in some places and within sight of the truck in others, just depends on where im hunting and where the deer actualy are. Time spent in any given area depends on how much time i have to hunt, most of my better spots are between 2-5 hour drives from home which require overnight stays most of the time.

[twitchstick]

1.My pre-season scouting starts in June and ends quickly in mid August. That means hitting proven areas frist then I will explore new ground.
Post season I go push through areas I don't disturb during the hunts. Elk I have been going out on rifle hunts with friends to help learn herd movements.
2.I scout hunters alot. I like to hunt areas that people are not willing hike to or are over looked. I look for areas I can set up ambush spots,good vantage points to spot & stalk from and areas to still hunt. Elk I look for old rubs and last years wallows.
3.I like to be as far from people as I can but sometimes the best hunting is close to civilization. Yes we have urban deer/elk here too. The biggest Mule deer I seen killed last year was next to an airport.
4. If I'm glassing from a distance I will scout alot just because of the short time to scout before the season. If I am disturbing the area at all I will only scout when I have to or when conditions are good.
5.I like to set them up as early as possible. I start at lower elevation frist because they will settle into their summer patterns the quickest.
6.I think they all play into my scouting/hunting plans. Like I said I scout hunters as much as the animal. I always find a spots that I can hunt from the house,before and after work or if I sleep in. One of my best elk spots is a 15 min drive and a super easy mile hike. I can be in good country within 1/2 hour of home. Some areas I hunt take a good day of hiking just to reach let alone the drive. Most of my scouting is close to home just because of time. Some high elevation spots I hunt will have snow into July most years that only give me a few weekends to scout before the hunts start in mid August.

[Stumpkiller]

I hunt my own property so I am scouting year round.  In the winter it's easy to see where they bed - so I make a mental note of that as a place I might find them coming or going (though they never bed in the exact spot twice - they do "trend" over time).

I look for travel routes; especially where those have rubs or scrapes.  Deer can be like bass and trout - a good spot remains in play over generations and generations.

I place stands in the summer (or leave them all year) but work on blinds in the spring or as I'm out cutting wood.

[jonsimoneau]

I like scouting as much as actual hunting.  When I was younger, I had the good fortune to attend college at Southern Illinois University.  The Shawnee national Forrest is huge and nearby.  I scouted relentlessly, covering miles of ground...always looking for "the spot".  I did this year round, except during hunting season.
    When I graduated, I had to move home, to northeastern Illinois.  With little private ground to hunt, and not much in the way of public ground around here, my scouting decreased alot.  This kind of depressed me.  
     Since I now pretty much have to lease land to hunt, my scouting is now limited to those areas.  I prefer to do most of it in the offseason.  February and march are best in my opinion.
    I mostly look for edges, terrain features, and funnels.  Read the books written by Gene Wensel to get an idea, about what to really look for.  Most of all...have fun doing it!

[lpcjon2]

I know guys have more tips for others to gain knowledge of scouting.So please add your tips and tricks.

[44charlie]

I draw maps and make notes because at my age by fall i can't remember.
I always carry binoc's, nippers, and and old spool of video tape!

Binoc save my walking 50' to see if that really is a rub or not!

nippers because if i find a good location i set it up right then. ( i mostly ground hunt). I cut my shooting lanes and hide spot. I'll bet i've built 1000 blinds i've never hunted  but they're there if i need them! and yes mark it on my map.

video tape? i tie streamers on trees all over the place! i learn how the wind moves by them. the black tape is both easy and hard to see. try it you'll see what i mean.

I have tools i leave in the woods,shovel, hard rack, machette, ect. all good for clearing entry paths,shooting lanes and making small food plots.

[tradshooter]

I do a lot of map recon for new areas for elk and pick out springs and heavy timber and small grass parks. I then try to access the area in late summer and glass to see where the animals are feeding and bedding. Locating wallows and trails to the wallows for set-ups is also on the list. I try to locate the dark timber where the elk will go when the pressure gets heavy and lay up and start going nocturnal. Getting to know the local ranchers and giving them a headcount on free ranging cattle locations when they gather up livestock in the Fall has also gotten me some information and invites. I don't overlook areas that other hunters are passing through to get to their honey holes either. We have arrowed elk within a half mile of camp after hunting hard several miles away. We bump the mule deer in most of these areas also. Just some thoughts that have worked for me.