Hunting a property you have never scouted

[DhD]

I heard Dan talk on a podcast interview (can't remember which one) about how to approach hunting a piece of property where you have never had boots on the ground. I've scouted a lot of pieces this year, but I am afraid I may run out of good stuff during the season and have to go in blind to some public. Hoping some of you experienced beasts might lay out the things you look for and the way you approach a brand new piece. Thanks in advance!

[brancher147]

I am guessing you mean what to look for when cyber scouting. I look for habitat diversity, terrain diversity, bedding diversity-specifically multiple bedding areas for different wind, areas with no designated access, cliffs or really steep stuff or water obstacle. If it’s rut I look for doe bedding and buck cruising areas. Lots of people probably look for food sources but those are harder to find for me hunting mature timber.

The specifics of each spot will change based on terrain/ habitat. What type terrain are you hunting?

[Brian1986]

In addition to the things Brancher mentioned, when I'm cyber scouting new places I like to try to find terrain features that are similar to those in spots that have worked for me in the past- both topography and land features.

[<DK>]

Just rut hunt it and use terrain features to choose spots or scout w a bow in your hand. Find out the story on the neighbors to use it to your advantage. Doesnt matter where i go, property lines are always great spots.

[DhD]

Just rut hunt it and use terrain features to choose spots or scout w a bow in your hand. Find out the story on the neighbors to use it to your advantage. Doesnt matter where i go, property lines are always great spots.

That's the sort of thing I was looking for, Dan was talking about how he scouts with a bow in hand until he figures out where to set up. Just looking for more details into that process

[Matt Gill]

Just rut hunt it and use terrain features to choose spots or scout w a bow in your hand. Find out the story on the neighbors to use it to your advantage. Doesnt matter where i go, property lines are always great spots.

That's the sorry of thing I was looking for, Dan was talking about how he scouts with a bow in hand until he figures out where to set up. Just looking for more details into that process

I would focus on walking the down wind side of the transition line, looking for buck sign around suspected bedding and set up and see what happens. Cyber scout first and identify the transition line, and take your best guess at where the bedding will be then get boots on the ground and hunt it

[rfickes87]

I did it this past November in Ohio on public. I had my buck down in 45 minutes of hunting. Got there at 5 am and walked back in the dark about 3/4 of a mile and set up on a military crest. The 1 mile long ridge I set up on started on private ground and ran onto public. I set up my stand where i suspected buck bedding to be on either side of me. My sit was perfectly leeward for that breezy sunny day. My buck wasn't huge but 16 inch inside spread, he was at least 3 y/o and I was tickled to death. Blind hunts work great if you take the time to understand the area the best you can via cyber scouting. Total surprise is a great great advantage.

[tgreeno]

The obvious stuff like transitions & foliage changes are good.

But You need to focus on areas people don't or won't go! That's where the bigboys will likely be hanging put. It may be a wet area. Or an area difficult to get to because of water or some other barrier.

[ThePreBanMan]

I do a lot of this kind of hunting truth be told. Outside of the rut I will hunt the AM in an area I'm familiar with. Then get down and have lunch. Then scout out a spot for the evening hunt. Usually I have an idea where I want to go and how I want to get there. Sometimes I make it there. Sometimes not. Depends on what I find along the way.

[greenhorndave]

I might have mistakenly posted this in the wrong thread which was very similar, but I was thinking about this one...

The only other thing I would add is something I will be working on this year is something Dan talks about and that is to grid-hunt it. Break a property down into a grid, then hunt the best areas — and you need to be seeing sign in places that something is worth pursuing there— within each grid block until you get on something or not. If the sign is hotter in one of the grids, hunt it until you kill something. There was a video on the YouTube channel where Dan did that two or three seasons ago. It wasn’t exactly a grid hunt per se, but you can see how he moves around the property, He knew from Mario and others that there were good bucks there, one in particular. He grid hunted it. The observations of his and others kept him on the move. Got to the last one and sign lit up, activity was high and he nailed a slob.

Ha! I found it quick...
https://youtu.be/dXpXH1yxeB8

[Kraftd]

Boots on ground scouting is always best, but is much more time consuming and not generally practical to hit everything you want.

Cyber scouting on the other hand can be done pretty quickly when you start to develop a good feel of what you're looking for.

After hunting season through the summer is always very busy for me, and I never get a chance to scout literally 1/50th of the spots I'd like to. That said I have thoroughly cyber scouted every public piece within 60 miles of me, most many times.

I have lots of places I'd head to if I thought all of the leads I had dried up. Will likely never get a chance to hit 10% of these. Even with that, usually I'm scouting my way in to new spots, and I'd say 50% of the time I end up getting swayed by sign and ending up somewhere other than where planned.

Something that took me several years to get over and move to is that i will now NEVER make and actual set going in blind until I'm on fresh sign. Too many times when I started on the beast I'd off-season scout, or cyber scout a spot that looked great and set-up there despite a lack of sign. If the sign isn't there, I just use it as a scouting chance. With my bow of course. I'll generally try and set-up on something, even if marginal, for the last 30-45 minutes, but otherwise scouting. That almost paid off last year as I came close to pulling off getting a shot at a good public land buck after my intended spot was a bust and I scouted until I finally hit a worn trail coming out of a point with 20 minutes of light left.

[Ranger Matthews]

Definitely challenging but it can be the most exciting and rewarding hunts of your season. Something to be said about the unknown! I was lucky enough to make it work last season on public. Had an idea we’re I wanted to be from maps and you go from there. Biggest thing is be prepared to adjust from your original plan if the sign just isn’t there. Best suited for an afternoon hunt

[DhD]

So pretty much cyber scout, follow transitions, walk very slow with the wind in your face, set up when you see good sign?

[UofLbowhunter]

So pretty much cyber scout, follow transitions, walk very slow with the wind in your face, set up when you see good sign?

Yep you got it!
Watch the Hunting Public deer challenge. All of those guys except garret had never step foot on that place before. Its a good break down of what had to happen to get on deer!