ORIGINAL: _Dan
How many of you actually have a plan when you go out to scout? Always, I use and rely on Google Earth these days for all my shed hunting/scouting endeavors. I like you Dan hunt huge woods, big forest land whitetails.
Do you just wing it or do you study the area with maps and images before you go in there? I used to use maps..Google earth only now.
Do you think about the impact that scouting trip may have on your fall's hunt, in terms of pressure? Always, thats why I invade a bucks core bedding areas only in the winter nad early spring...(which can be hundreds of acreas in big woods even more if snow levels push him around the mountains) After June...I back way off, set up distant observation points/stands to spy on his area all summer, usually near the best food sources he has available, whether it be a mountains side of cenotheous, a clear cut or in the odd occurance a distance alfalfa field. Teaching and having my summers off is really my ace in the hole for scouting big woods bucks, I need a lot of time to pattern them and I get 85 days off a summer to do it!
Do you think you could be overscouting? No because I learned the hard way in the past..now I know when to back out and leave him alone or bucks alone..I get back away from their tolerant zone...by staying back in regards to comfortable yardages.., always using the wind to OBSERVE..just as I would if i was hunting him, no different in regards to wind....it doesnt matter what time of the year it is here if I would spend too much time in a big bucks core area spreading my scent all over, he'd not tolerate it. Thats why when I invade in the winter and early spring for sheds, I get in and cover it inch by inch then get the heck out till I hunt him in the fall. Everything after that one invasion will be distant until I try to kill him. Many of my observation stands are at least 300 yards or more away..some up to 1000 yards or more..Optics are crucial for this type of low impact spying.
Does the type of woods you are hunting determine your scouting tactics? Yes. Big woods is completely different than from scouting/hunting ag land and river bottoms. I've whitetail hunted them all. AG land offers up solid/distinct destination food sources and less cover than big woods or big bushfor deer to hide in. River bottoms offer up great funnels, very congregating condensed cover and often desitantion food sources in irrigated country.
In big woods I have to get to know a buck personally if I want to try to kill him, if I dont, I can hunt the 3-4 week period of the rut where bucks actually get up and move in conjunction with doe family groups. Outside of November the big boys here have nothing to do with doe family groups, there is just so much space here, they are not forced too and the opt to live as loaners. I personally would rather hunt a whitetail for 4 months instead of one..so scouting and getting to know a few bucks hangouts and tendancies is the only way to see them in the early and late season.
No bait here or farm fields in the mountains. Just feed available everywhere in the form of natural browse species.
Old/Big bucks in this country do everything fora reason, and they move very little outside of the rut from their core areas, because they can find all the feed, cover and water they need in a 50-200 acre patch of forest.