I thought it would be cool to have a summer scouting thread for everyone to postsummer's scouting insights,information,preperations, observations, pictures,pictures and more pictures!etc.

here we go..June8th...the boys and I went out yesterday evening about 1/4 mile from the house and glassed. We stayed back a good distance from theglades and meadows on a high vantage pointand watched 3 elk, (cows) 3 bucks, all 2.5 years and younger and very ready to pop doe! We also videoed up close and personal a momma with TWO brand new baby fawns! It was a cool night..



The boys found elk tracks, elk beds, deer tracks and got to watch the momma and babies up close..also right at dark we sat for 20 minutes taking turn on the spotting scope watching two nice looking younger bucks..(looked like 4x4's to be) feed about 200 yards out..we snuck out in the dark...

I want my childhood over,I want to grow up being one of your children! Great idea for a thread! Great pictures of the boys!

Sounds like a good idea but, my camp is 87 miles from my house. I will be going down next weekend. This is my busy time of year at work up til about lateOct. I start taking vac. in Oct.

Great idea!! Once we start... we will be sure to add. Great pictures!!

Tim

Tim, I'll be looking forward to some pix from you guys forsure.. and everyone else.. I got out this afternoon in a good rain, I was clean, scent lok'd head to toe, rubber boots, rubber gloves you name it ....all the garb and snuck into a good bedding exit area route about 500 yards above a big alfalfa field..bucks are pounding right now... hung my first trail cam of the summer... got out in 15 min..and the rain poured ....well heck its still raining.. should have some pix in 2-3 weeks.. hopefully old johnny-longtines wont be too ruffled... I hate to be mean..but the kids had to stay home on this one...

No pics here as i am behind in digital technology but took some video last night after i got done cleanin the barn. Tons of elk around on every field as i am starting to plot my late august assault. There is a pea field which is 3/4 mile from the park which i saw 6 cows moving towards last evening which i know is going to be dynomite in late season once the crop closer to the park has been taken off. The elk will have to travel longer for food keeping them out later and causing them to leave the park sooner. Going to be a good year for rifle hunting that spot and i am pumped cause i am taking my dad on is first elk hunt or any hunt for that matter. As for the archery scene things are looking really good as per, i am building a stand today on a little horse shoe shape extension of the bush where the elk seem to use for an access point to the field. I hung a stand there last year and it was hot hot hot so i am going to put up a permanent so i can sleep over. Soon i will put out the salt as well and let the rain beat it into the soil to keep them in the general area. That particular field is canola which is primo for elk however the season is a week later this year and it will be done blooming by then. It will most likely be swathed however if it happens to rain while being swathed/combined there will be alot of second growth coming which can also be good. The next 2 fields over are wheat and the last one canola again so should be good eats just we will have to do some moving as harvest will be in full swing at that time. As for deer well i have not seen my big boy yet this year. Seeing lots of bucks but nothing of his caliber. Just by loooking at some of the photos from guys on here it seems our deer are a bit behind in growing bone but coming along still quite nicely. I would put out a trail came now but am gone from home working for weeks at a time howver will be home full time for july and august so will hang one up in july in that bucks area over a grain pile. Will not hunt him over the bait because i know he is to smart to comin into it in daylight just using it right now to see if he is still alive or not.

Got the stand built yesterday and it looks pretty tight. 16 ft 9 inches up is the platform built on one tree with a y using the wooden ladder as another support. I put up my gaurd rails but have to go back yet with my camo burlap and staple it up for the walls as well as cut some more shooting lanes but it is one comfy stand good for a sleep over. Leaving for work today and taking some 1 inch box iron with me to my boss's place to get him to bend it up for me to make the platform for 3 more hangers. Will weld them up when i get back. Also i am going to make 2 big box blind stands this summer so i can rifle hunt all day in the elements in late Nov. Going with 1 inch box frame and plywood that slides in. Ladder and trap door on the bottom, winch it up with the quad then chain it up. Not sure how this is all gonna get done with tinning all the buildings on the farm, work, and scouting but will try.

Good stuff guys. Fine looking youngsters you got there, 33.

Hia - if I knew half as much about agriculture as you do, I'd be dangerous. Instead, this dummy will glass soybean fields all summer, watching buck after buck after buck wade through the beans. Then, once season comes, the beans are brown, dead and cleared, and I'm left with a hanger stand rusting to piecesover a desolate wasteland of brown, dead soybeans and combine tracks. No deer for miles and endless hours of glassing down the tubes. LOL

Tim - definitely looking forward to seeing some pics and hearing about your travels.

So who wound up winning the shed hunting title this season? I heard that Pottenger was spreading Agent Orange all over the mountains behind his house - to keep the foliage down so that he could extend the shed hunting season for an extrafew months. [X(] That's just a hot rumor that's been going around.

...as for my scouting - hasn't really begun yet. Still pouting about turkey season ending and waiting for my bow to arrive. For the first time this season, I was home last night (bored) and the thought of heading out spotting deer danced through the synapses of my brain. Car was low on gas and I was sore from this week's hockey game, so I 86'ed the idea. So, I guess the fact that I entertained the idea ofstarting is enough to say that I have officially started, just not actually done anything yet. If that makes sense...

Troy,
Great to see the boys out there and having fun. They are going to know more by the age of 8 than many guys will know in 10-12 years of hunting.

As for my scouting adventures, I haven't really started since turkey season ended. I made one trip to my local spot to watch the fields before dark. 3 bucks with nothing more than large nubs for growth several of last years unpregnant fawns and 2 ready pop big does. I do need to head to my main spot to check out some logging operations from earlier this spring.

I wish I could scout during the summer here, except the season starts Aug. 15th and its to dam hot. Not to mention the critters we have to deal with. So I thank you for your summer scout log at least I can read them.