Offseason Scouting Frequency Question

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Rich M
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Re: Offseason Scouting Frequency Question

Unread postby Rich M » Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:52 am

I'm in a similar situation as you - work too much and then also have "responsibilities" and also there is summer offshore fishing to do. Scouting usually takes a back seat.

Just today drew some hunting permits here in FL and need to scout. Last permit was 2018. Same spot tho. Gonna try to base my scouting efforts off knowledge gained in 2018.


It's like everything else we do - we do what matters most, the most. See what you can do. I'm going fishing this Saturday. LOL!

Worst case might be best case with scouting into your hunt area with that stand on your back. If you know where the deer are/should be, it's a good option.

If you're in my shoes, gonna have to take a few days to go and familiarize yourself with the area.


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Drenalin
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Re: Offseason Scouting Frequency Question

Unread postby Drenalin » Thu Jul 01, 2021 1:09 am

I've covered a ton of ground off season scouting the last couple of years, but haven't been able to get out nearly as much this year due to work and family. Instead of being able to really digging in scouting at the ideal time of year, I'm more making trips when I can and getting familiar with an area. Last year most of my off season scouting got me in a very general ballpark, but in season scouting and adjusting to what the deer were doing the day I was there is what got my tags filled. This year will be a similar approach - cover ground during season - but with a little less background information.
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Re: Offseason Scouting Frequency Question

Unread postby Johnathon » Fri Jul 16, 2021 1:20 pm

Same boat, like y'all.

I'm married with a young son, who is yours an age where you can bring him scouting with you? This Spring / Summer it's been fun brining our little guy along with to hike some trails and do some exploring. My backpack is full of snacks, water, some old apples that he throws in the woods for the deer, and we use an APP that he loves called "Merlin" that identifies birds by their sounds. He thinks it's such a blast to find a bird in the woods.

Granted, there are a lot of times where I've got to give him a shoulder ride to keep going; but it's worth it to spend as much time in the woods especially with him!

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Re: Offseason Scouting Frequency Question

Unread postby A5BLASTER » Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:14 pm

OP I'm in the same boat as you really when it comes to spring/summer scouting.

Either work is in the way. Are it's our typical spring/summer weather, hot,humid, raining all most non stop not to mention the poisonous snakes spiders, ticks, wasps, bees, hornets, poison ivy/oak.

Spring/summer scouting just doesnt work for me. So I do my scouting with my stand on my back and weapon in hand.

Luckly I live very close too a wma and easily in driving distance of several others, and keep cameras up running year round. Only checking them when season starts and right when it ends. Doing it this way over the last 10 plus years has let me learn each area with extreme detail and let me learn each areas deer herd.

I'm not one of the old timers to this fourm are this method in general. My grandfather taught me how to deer hunt and just so happens it is almost exactly how Dan teaches his methods.
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phade
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Re: Offseason Scouting Frequency Question

Unread postby phade » Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:46 am

I haven't yet read all of the replies, but I do have a suggestion.

I might try to redirect your scouting focus to gaining small private access in the Atlanta burbs. There are crazy big deer down there; it's not well publicized but there are some "Youtube" channels for reference. So, you get into the weekend, and instead of having to spend 90 minutes driving to find public, take that time and go find access locally. Write/Call/Knock. People are bowhunting on postage stamps and having rewarding experiences. Once you land a few smaller parcels in the burbs, it'll give you some ability to monitor and scout more easily and more controlled and likely get a few more hunts in without being nearly as disruptive to the family and other pursuits.

I like you work alot as a senior leader in a Fortune ranked company. Time is precious. Hunting is my hobby/passion, and I look at time as the key thing to manage and spend effectively. When you do that, you'll enjoy it more and have more success.
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