Spotlighting

[Dewey]

Nobody shines deer around here until a week before bowhunting opens. That's fine with me because then I have nobody else harassing the deer this time of the year and they move naturally. The bucks I do see in the summer are mostly in the soybean fields feeding and don't seem to mind the light on them and rarely spook.

Just got back from making my rounds on my mountain bike to check some the federal lands I hunt. I found this is a great way to check areas just before dark while paying attention to wind direction and not tip them off. I cannot legally scout on foot or shine here so this is the only option I have this time of the year. Road my bike just over 15 miles and didn't see a deer due to being pretty warm yet I'm sure. Usually I see a number of nice bucks and glass them from a distance.

Waiting till later this evening to do some shining on some state land. Hopefully better movement then.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

There are a lot of people who would like to outlaw trailcams, or other great scouting tools cause they personally don't use them... looking at deer with a spotlight is a great family past time, as well as a scouting tool. Its not much different to look at deer in a private field in the evening just before dark, and just after with a spotlight. Do you also want to ban anyone from looking in the direction of your property? I think in most areas shining is more percieved as a poaching tool than it really is. Granted, there are probably some remote areas where you could get away with poaching with a spotlight, however, if guys are driving around with rifles and spot lights and even shooting from there vehicals and then thinking they can come back and get what they shot it just ain't happening in most areas.... I get pulled over constantly and have my vehical searched for guns when shining. If a guy is shining with a gun in the vehical its a huge fine and a poaching lable and everybody knows they will check every vehical they see shining, and not just wardens, cops too.
If you fire from that vehical the property owner will hear the shot and be right out there. I can't imagine shooting a rifle and then thinking you can have time to load a buck in your truck. Sure it happens, but pretty seldom around here.
Bows don't make noise, people "could" be hunting at night with them... Soooo, maybe they should outlaw bows?
Its kind of sad the way hunters will turn on other hunters because of there style of hunting or in this case scouting.