Scouting & hunting public land that you've never been too

[djw5250]

I'm highly considering going to Ohio for a public land hunt this fall for about 5 days. I've never been to the public land I'm looking at and probably wont have time to scout it this spring/summer given how far away it is. I was hoping to get some people with experience doing these types of trips to give me some info on how they scouted and hunted. I have picked out a possible bedding areas but have no clue how close I can get without scouting. Should I go scouting for beds the first day or two and start hunting the rest of the week? I think scouting beds would hurt me more than help me if I was wanting to hunt them the same week.

[whitetailassasin]

Watch bowhunter15s video on here about scouting, should help with some resources you can use.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Schubox1265]

Knowing what I know now, I would definitely NOT scout it the day before. You'll only educate the deer.

I would cyber-scout the crap out of it and take my shots based on entry and wind direction.

Use a GPS to get to these predetermined locations, and take your chance. Have back-up plans in the event that you run into another hunter.

Hunt each spot once, and move on.

[bowhunter15]

Depending on what time of year the trip is and how that corresponds to the rut... If you can get in and scout it sometime long before then, I'd say go for it. Otherwise I would, like Schubox said, go in blind based off of cyber scouting. If it's during the rut it would make life a bit easier because you could focus more on funnels which are often easier to pick out than which bedding site a buck might be using.

[hunter_mike]

good advice, I would also practice for it if you have some public land available closer to home that you have never been to. Might be able to work out a few kinks in your approach that way.

Either way sounds like you are going to have fun, I love hunting new areas which is mostly what I have been doing since jointing the beast, but now have a half dozen or more pre scouted bed hunts planned.

I would not intrude on any bedding areas the day before I plan to hunt them unless you are going to try a bump n dump type of strategy which I have never tried.

[Schubox1265]

This is from one of my current projects for an out-of-state hunt.

You can mark all of these 'guesses' on CalTopo and download them right to your GPS (or a gpx / kml file)

[hunter_mike]

This is from one of my current projects for an out-of-state hunt.

You can mark all of these 'guesses' on CalTopo and download them right to your GPS (or a gpx / kml file)

That is too cool schubox! I gotta revisit your Caltopo thread soon. Very efficient way of cyberscouting.

[Ridgerunner7]

I've had great luck hunting public on my out of state trips without setting foot and only cyber scouting. I try if at all possible to get down there in the spring though. It really saves you to be able to go straight to pre scouted trees. Otherwise I look for terrain funnels and downwind sides of likely bedding for hunts during the rut. Usually takes me couple hunts to key in on nice deer.

I tagged a 13 pt two yeas ago on public I'd never set foot on in the early season. I scouted with a stand on my back and found some remote water a ways in. Saw him on the first hunt but I was just off on stand placement. Adjusted and killed him the next evening.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[djw5250]

I'm kinda torn between going during the rut or early season. I like your idea hunter_mike of hunting unknown spots around me to get some good practice, I'll definitely be trying that out this fall. The land I'm looking at to hunt in Ohio is partially marsh and all flat, here in PA is hill country. I think the transition will be interesting but I feel confident.

That's a of a hunt Ridgerunner7, were you scouting around his bedding area and noticed the water? or did you noticed the water was getting a lot of attention and decide to set up?

[Ridgerunner7]

I'm kinda torn between going during the rut or early season. I like your idea hunter_mike of hunting unknown spots around me to get some good practice, I'll definitely be trying that out this fall. The land I'm looking at to hunt in Ohio is partially marsh and all flat, here in PA is hill country. I think the transition will be interesting but I feel confident.

That's a of a hunt Ridgerunner7, were you scouting around his bedding area and noticed the water? or did you noticed the water was getting a lot of attention and decide to set up?

It was two years ago when we had the extreme drought conditions. After two days of not seeing any action I set out to find a water source. All the creek beds were completely dried up except for a few deep holes that still had trace amounts of water. These pockets were getting hit hard.. I set up about 60 yards downwind of the waterhole. Most of the bucks that approached circle downwind of it before entering. Saw several actually but the circumstances were unique. I actually enjoy going out-of-state in the early season because the pressure is so light especially compared to Michigan standards. The hunting can be tough or it can be really good depending.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[keb]

If I had only 5 days, November 5 to the 10th, I'd get there see where everyone else is hunting by watching vehicles in an am drive by pull out my maps find the best overlooked funnel, put my stand on my back slip in hope you see what you need sign wise or terrain and sit it from daylight to dark and turn 5 days into 9 days by doing that.

My best hunt this past fall was on a place I never been to, did not even have a map, pulled into the parking lot, saw zero boot tracks, remember what I saw in google earth, went in slow, made and educate guess and had a shooter at 25 yards at last light.

I'm almost to the point with gas prices and stuff, that just showing up and hunting where nobody is is about the smartest effective way to rut hunt theses days. Sounds to simple to be true big it's not.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[keb]

If you do it in the right states and places it works.

[ Post made via iPad ]