Seeking Advice from the Pros

[PAbowhunter10]

I grew up hunting the PA woods and have never left the state to hunt elsewhere. Approaching the age of 30 and not wanting to wait any longer, I finally decided I would venture out of state. I will attempt to hunt southeast Ohio during the last week of October. Hopefully hitting that pre-rut sign and action all while missing the rut hunters who take over the woods in November. I haven’t had anytime to put boots on the ground and scout because of work and family commitments. I have been trying to do as much scouting online with the use of OnX and google earth. It appears that the public area I will be hunting is mostly hill terrain with some open bottoms and marshes mixed in. Lots of small streams and ponds as well. I guess what I am asking for is some advise on what to expect and be prepared for on my first out of state freelance hunt. I understand not having scouted the area previously puts me at a disadvantage right of the bat, but my strategy will be to scout the first couple of days and try to find the freshest sign. If anyone had hunted southeast Ohio I would love to here about your experiences and advice. Thanks for taking the time and God bless!

[Boogieman1]

I don’t know what your true intentions are. But if pure, I will say this. Scrap all the cyber crap and out work the other guys. Does absolutely zero good cyber scouting the areas every swinging “D” knows to look for. I atleast can’t see pressure and over-hunted stands from the comfort of a computer. You gotta beat the other guys with legit (non sitting in the ac) effort. If that isn’t an option then lower your expectations and shoot whatever. If you truly want a good en Imo u got 2 choices.... Out work em our out bid em!

[PAbowhunter10]

I don’t know what your true intentions are. But if pure, I will say this. Scrap all the cyber crap and out work the other guys. Does absolutely zero good cyber scouting the areas every swinging “D” knows to look for. I atleast can’t see pressure and over-hunted stands from the comfort of a computer. You gotta beat the other guys with legit (non sitting in the ac) effort. If that isn’t an option then lower your expectations and shoot whatever. If you truly want a good en Imo u got 2 choices.... Out work em our out bid em!

Thanks for your honesty. I understand that I will be busting my tail everyday to get on some good sign. I’m just trying to get some advise from guys that do a lot of out of state hunts. The only reason I am cyber scouting is to become familiar with the terrain and create a list of areas I wanna scout upon arrival. Not entirely sure what you mean with your statement of, “I don’t know what your true intentions are. But if pure”. And I won’t have AC considering that I’ll be camping in a tent every night.

[brancher147]

You should be able to search here or any hunting forum for info on SE ohio. It never hurts to call the DNR wildlife manager for the area either. I haven’t been hunting there in a few years so I won’t say much but sounds like you got the right idea. Contrary to what Boogie says I find cyber scouting incredibly helpful and what I find usually pays off combined with other research.

[PK_]

You have the right idea. Be ready to burn thru ground. If you want a big one you are going to need to be more precise than you would in Nov. push close to the bedding and pay attention to scrapes.

Leave no stone unturned especially if you plan on going back in years to come. Believe me there is nothing more frustrating than looking back at the map and wondering why you didn’t check that one spot when you were already so close... Don’t be afraid to get into his world and mix it up even if you don’t get him this year...

Hope this is making sense trying to condense a lot of info...

Have fun and be safe.

[PAbowhunter10]

You have the right idea. Be ready to burn thru ground. If you want a big one you are going to need to be more precise than you would in Nov. push close to the bedding and pay attention to scrapes.

Leave no stone unturned especially if you plan on going back in years to come. Believe me there is nothing more frustrating than looking back at the map and wondering why you didn’t check that one spot when you were already so close... Don’t be afraid to get into his world and mix it up even if you don’t get him this year...

Hope this is making sense trying to condense a lot of info...

Have fun and be safe.

Thanks for the helpful advise PK. This was the type of information I was looking for. I’ll have a good pair of rubbers and hiking boots ready to put on some miles. My hopes are to make this an every year trip. So if I eat tag soup this year, at least I’ll have some scouting in for next year.

[PAbowhunter10]

You should be able to search here or any hunting forum for info on SE ohio. It never hurts to call the DNR wildlife manager for the area either. I haven’t been hunting there in a few years so I won’t say much but sounds like you got the right idea. Contrary to what Boogie says I find cyber scouting incredibly helpful and what I find usually pays off combined with other research.

Didn’t even think about calling the DNR for advise. Thanks for the insight.

[seazofcheeze]

Expect low deer density. I think you are on the right track with spending 1-3 days scouting, that is the single biggest thing you can do to give yourself a chance to succeed. Take your bow anytime you are in the woods and it's legal shooting light.

While I normally agree with Boogie, I'm going to partially disagree on the cyber scouting comment. When I hunt public out of state, I like to look at 3-4 larger areas. Let's say an area is 5 miles by 5 miles. I pick out every potential area of interest on a topo and every area of interest on an aerial map. Anywhere topo and aerial points overlap or are close, those are the areas I definitely want to check out on foot. Then I cover ground, lots of it. Do not stop covering ground until you have really high confidence in a spot. Even with all the cyber scouting, I'd say only 10-20% of spots that look good on a map will be worth hunting based on boots on the ground sign.

Going back to the 5x5 mile areas. I might have 20 points of interest cyber scouted, but only 2-4 will be worth a hunt after seeing them in person. Sometimes, whole areas will be a bust, so I think it's really important to have a plan B and C, at a minimum. Dont settle for mediocre sign. There will be good sign, but you will have to cover ground to find it.

I also agree with what PK said about taking good notes. I ALWAYS write notes now in OnX or my Garmin. Dont rely on your memory or waypoint icons. Use the notes section in OnX, take pics, note the mast crop or lack there of, wind direction any time you bump a bedded deer, etc. Think of the first trip as an investment in future success.

Good luck and enjoy the experience whether you shoot one or not.

[PAbowhunter10]

Expect low deer density. I think you are on the right track with spending 1-3 days scouting, that is the single biggest thing you can do to give yourself a chance to succeed. Take your bow anytime you are in the woods and it's legal shooting light.

While I normally agree with Boogie, I'm going to partially disagree on the cyber scouting comment. When I hunt public out of state, I like to look at 3-4 larger areas. Let's say an area is 5 miles by 5 miles. I pick out every potential area of interest on a topo and every area of interest on an aerial map. Anywhere topo and aerial points overlap or are close, those are the areas I definitely want to check out on foot. Then I cover ground, lots of it. Do not stop covering ground until you have really high confidence in a spot. Even with all the cyber scouting, I'd say only 10-20% of spots that look good on a map will be worth hunting based on boots on the ground sign.

Going back to the 5x5 mile areas. I might have 20 points of interest cyber scouted, but only 2-4 will be worth a hunt after seeing them in person. Sometimes, whole areas will be a bust, so I think it's really important to have a plan B and C, at a minimum. Dont settle for mediocre sign. There will be good sign, but you will have to cover ground to find it.

I also agree with what PK said about taking good notes. I ALWAYS write notes now in OnX or my Garmin. Dont rely on your memory or waypoint icons. Use the notes section in OnX, take pics, note the mast crop or lack there of, wind direction any time you bump a bedded deer, etc. Think of the first trip as an investment in future success.

Good luck and enjoy the experience whether you shoot one or not.

Awesome advice. I am doing a very similar strategy with the cyber scouting and picking 3 to 4 large public lands within an hour drive of each other. I have begun to pick out the points of interest and am marking each on OnX and basemap. Good idea about matching the Topo and Aerial maps. I use google earth for aerial since the imagery is so detailed and, OnX and BaseMap for the topo. I think the key for me will be finding the areas with the most diversity in terrain features based on location and proximity to public roads and access points. I am ultimately looking for those overlooked spots or the spots that are simply a challenge to access. I would assume that the pressure on public in Southeast Ohio is fairly high based on the amount of attention Ohio receives. I would hope to get on something sooner than later in the week but if it takes 5 out of the 6 days to find what I’m looking for then at least I have completed some scouting for the following year. Do you know that area to have low deer density from past experience? Thanks again for the great info Seaz.

[Public Prowler]

I grew up hunting the PA woods and have never left the state to hunt elsewhere. Approaching the age of 30 and not wanting to wait any longer, I finally decided I would venture out of state. I will attempt to hunt southeast Ohio during the last week of October. Hopefully hitting that pre-rut sign and action all while missing the rut hunters who take over the woods in November. I haven’t had anytime to put boots on the ground and scout because of work and family commitments. I have been trying to do as much scouting online with the use of OnX and google earth. It appears that the public area I will be hunting is mostly hill terrain with some open bottoms and marshes mixed in. Lots of small streams and ponds as well. I guess what I am asking for is some advise on what to expect and be prepared for on my first out of state freelance hunt. I understand not having scouted the area previously puts me at a disadvantage right of the bat, but my strategy will be to scout the first couple of days and try to find the freshest sign. If anyone had hunted southeast Ohio I would love to here about your experiences and advice. Thanks for taking the time and God bless!

Hey! If you’re seeking advice from pros, post a question on my mentor thread! It’s a place where pros and average joes share mistakes and experiences and what they’d do differently. The thread has a few experts following it closely to help answer any questions you may have. Here’s a link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=55881

[buttonbuck]

You could watch the “Public Land Challenge” on you tube that the Hunting Public guys put on. Id just do exactly what they do and you’d probably get somewhere with it.

[brancher147]

You should be able to search here or any hunting forum for info on SE ohio. It never hurts to call the DNR wildlife manager for the area either. I haven’t been hunting there in a few years so I won’t say much but sounds like you got the right idea. Contrary to what Boogie says I find cyber scouting incredibly helpful and what I find usually pays off combined with other research.

Didn’t even think about calling the DNR for advise. Thanks for the insight.

You got some really good info on here. If you look online on the wma area maps there is usually contact info listed for the area manager. The manager can tell you stuff like mast conditions this year, where pressure usually occurs or doesn’t, hard to access areas etc. Some managers are more helpful than others but I have had one actually send me maps with spots marked and I hunted those spots for years it was really good info. Good luck.

[JakeB]

Have a few different places lined up to hunt. If the first spot you stop at isn’t working out, cut ties with it and hit the road. I try to have at least 4+ wmas lined up and start with what looks like the best one.

Read through all the regulations and know every little rule. Different states sometimes have crazy rules that you aren’t used too. Have a plan to comply with the states CWD rules, even consider states you are just passing through.

What’s your plan if you get one you would like to mount? Try to locate a taxidermist that would cape out and salt your hide.

I personally try and talk with people around the area. Sometimes you can get some great tips or leads from a simple conversation at a gas station.

If you are set on staying in a tent just be prepared for bad weather and crappy conditions. I’d personally at least have a hotel lined up Incase weather came in. You want to be focusing on hunting, not dealing with a few hours of miserable wet sleep in a tent and drenched gear.

[seazofcheeze]

Expect low deer density. I think you are on the right track with spending 1-3 days scouting, that is the single biggest thing you can do to give yourself a chance to succeed. Take your bow anytime you are in the woods and it's legal shooting light.

While I normally agree with Boogie, I'm going to partially disagree on the cyber scouting comment. When I hunt public out of state, I like to look at 3-4 larger areas. Let's say an area is 5 miles by 5 miles. I pick out every potential area of interest on a topo and every area of interest on an aerial map. Anywhere topo and aerial points overlap or are close, those are the areas I definitely want to check out on foot. Then I cover ground, lots of it. Do not stop covering ground until you have really high confidence in a spot. Even with all the cyber scouting, I'd say only 10-20% of spots that look good on a map will be worth hunting based on boots on the ground sign.

Going back to the 5x5 mile areas. I might have 20 points of interest cyber scouted, but only 2-4 will be worth a hunt after seeing them in person. Sometimes, whole areas will be a bust, so I think it's really important to have a plan B and C, at a minimum. Dont settle for mediocre sign. There will be good sign, but you will have to cover ground to find it.

I also agree with what PK said about taking good notes. I ALWAYS write notes now in OnX or my Garmin. Dont rely on your memory or waypoint icons. Use the notes section in OnX, take pics, note the mast crop or lack there of, wind direction any time you bump a bedded deer, etc. Think of the first trip as an investment in future success.

Good luck and enjoy the experience whether you shoot one or not.

Awesome advice. I am doing a very similar strategy with the cyber scouting and picking 3 to 4 large public lands within an hour drive of each other. I have begun to pick out the points of interest and am marking each on OnX and basemap. Good idea about matching the Topo and Aerial maps. I use google earth for aerial since the imagery is so detailed and, OnX and BaseMap for the topo. I think the key for me will be finding the areas with the most diversity in terrain features based on location and proximity to public roads and access points. I am ultimately looking for those overlooked spots or the spots that are simply a challenge to access. I would assume that the pressure on public in Southeast Ohio is fairly high based on the amount of attention Ohio receives. I would hope to get on something sooner than later in the week but if it takes 5 out of the 6 days to find what I’m looking for then at least I have completed some scouting for the following year. Do you know that area to have low deer density from past experience? Thanks again for the great info Seaz.

Yes, and friends that have hunted the SE Ohio area.

[Evanszach7]

I hunt SE Ohio and am a resident. Cat's out of the bag for the last week of October and it'll be as pressured as the first couple weeks of November. The deer density is lower in that area, at least compared to the central part of the state.

You should be able to get on some action that week with a couple days of scouting. Id avoid 95% of obvious terrain features that look good on a map, because they'll be pressured. If you're not dead set on that week, id go between 11/15 and Thanksgiving. Far less action, but a much higher chance on a truly mature buck, as long as you find the does. Best of luck!