Does anyone actually scout anymore?

[Mint]

My hunting spot is 1 hour and 15 minutes without traffic so 40 minutes seems like paradise to me.

[WidowEater]

What can I say?

I grew up hunting behind my house in the back 40.  If I cant do that, I dont do it.

Exceptions can be made of course (obviously Im gearing up for the Hill Hog Hunt, but that is more for meeting folks and commradrarie really) but my hobbies have to be convenient or I dont enjoy them.  I switched from hunting to wood and leather work.  Still shoot the bow in the back yard though.

I still choose to contribute here even though I am not a Trad Bowhunter necessarily.  I have done it and I can still speak the language.

[UrbanDeerSlayer]

No need.  Most all of my hunting occurs in small pockets of timber between houses/ housing plans.  I already know where the deer are, the hard part is sneaking up on the deer or getting to your stand without being detected.

[Arwin]

Originally posted by WidowEater:
What can I say?
  I still choose to contribute here even though I am not a Trad Bowhunter necessarily.  I have done it and I can still speak the language.

If you've ever drawn back on a critter with a stickbow in real life or in your head, you'll always be a tradhunter at heart.        
 
 Heck, I shoot at bee's and mosquitoes in the backyard, LOL!  I hope my suggestions did not offend, I have had limited opportunities myself and am anxious to offer any help I can.  

[WidowEater]

No offense taken ever my friend.

We all make different choices for different reasons and I even find myself taking pot shots at the occasional squirrel or raccoon in my back yard.

[Barry Wensel]

I just gave a couple talks at the QDMA national convention in Nashville last week. I might have ruffled a few feathers in the fact I'm of the opinion there are more ways to hunt bucks than sitting over a food plot. Don't get me wrong, I'm in favor of food plots in order to nutritonally help the herd during rough times and/or to keep some local deer out of sight in order to discourage drive-by shootings, etc. But I fear many of todays young hunters are bypassing the fundamental woodsmanship skills  learned only through time spent in the woods. We all need the practical experience. There's no substitute for it. It's fine to read all the books, watch the videos and listen to the seminars, but then get out in the woods for the practical application of what you've learned. You'll likely learn something new and develop your own opinions. Your greatest weapon is your mind. It will turn shooting into hunting. And in doing so you will develop a more personal relationship whether intended or not. You'll feel a special bond during the pursuit. This bonding with nature is a closeness I feel a lot of hunters are cheating themselves out of. And some modern technologies are eroding these basic woodsmanship skills along with the foundations we need to be nurturing. The future of our sport will depend on it. BW

[snag]

Amen to that Barry. "Turning shooting into hunting"....you miss soooo much of what hunting is all about unless you learn the ways of your prey and just the experiences you encounter being in the woods. It is getting to be more about the kill than the experience. "Immediate gratification" comes to mind.

[Bill Carlsen]

I am very familiar with the area that I hunt and the deer's behavior. It doesn't take me long to determine what foods are available and I can almost predict how the deer will move given that info. I am also becoming more convinced that the use of trail cameras, while they offer really useful information, can be detrimental to your hunt if you check them frequently. I used to believe that checking the cameras would get the deer "used to me". However, I am more convinced as time goes on that they pattern me better than I pattern them. It also doesn't take me very long to check on the major trails to determine how the deer are using them. Despite all that, as the season progresses and variables change so does the deer movement. So, how and where my stands are on day one may be very different by the last day of our 3 month long season. Things are very different on Dec. 15 than they were on Sept. 15.

[jonsimoneau]

Ryan. I am with you on that one too. I normally do very little scouting in the summer. But I do scout new public areas in the summer simply because I have never been there before and I figure some familiarity with the area will be beneficial. Mostly my scouting in August consists of glassing food sources to see what is in the area. Barry. Great post. That answer is perfect!

[ChuckC]

I find that in the swamp that I typically hunt, every year there are changes and you need to walk it to see them.  Things grow out, things die, things fall over.  The neighboring farm plants corn, or beans or alfalfa and that changes things.  Oaks have acorns aplenty, or none, and that changes things.

ChuckC

[Iron Man2]

Well, IMHO, all valid reasons Pro and Con. In my case I use one really good camera and set that camera after I scouted an area. The camera is my tool to record and capture the game species or activity I expect is in the area. Sometimes the camera confirms what I expected and sometimes I am pleasantly surprised of what the camera captured. Oh, and I do not go and check every day...I have left my camera out for weeks, months and even two seasons, before I get the SD to view the pics. And lastly, I use the pics to have a rough inventory of the wildlife for my own use and part of my management plan for my property.

JL  

[hitman]

I scout a lot whenever checking out a new area but normally hunting old haunts very minimal.

[frassettor]

I try and do my scouting in the winter/ early spring. Love walking around then. Then I go in about 2 months before season opens, hang my stand, trim shooting lanes and get out till the season opens. I use scouting cameras as well and is a very useful tool. I agree, nothing like doing a little walking

[Hoyt]

I did a little looking around yesterday and this morning..in the 50's this morning. Found some white oaks dropping in S. Il.

[Bernie B.]

I'm with Ryan R. on this one.  My scouting schedule is just about the same as his.  I hit it hard after deer seasons are over until greenup time.  I hang my stands in July and stay out of the timber until I'm ready to hunt.

I'm blessed to have a farm to hunt here in Iowa where I'm the only bowhunter allowed to hunt it for the past twenty nine years.  I'm also very fortunate to own my own piece of paradise in Wisconsin that gets zero pressure except by me and my son Jay.  I'm very, very thankful for these hunting opportunities.

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[Steve D]

Barry, not only did you hit the nail on the head you "hammered"
it with your comments!!!!

[Cwilder]

The Federal land I hunt does not allow camers to be left out. and they only let scouting from Sept 1 from noon until sunset till the end of bow season which is Jan 31.
I normally walk in to areas that have been good to me in the past and find acorn tree that are dropping.

[RC]

I was in a bit of an arugument with a fella last year concerning baiting deer in Ga. Its legal and nothing wrong with it if thats what you want to do but i believe a lot of bow hunters here will now trade their scouting skills for a bucket of corn.RC