Planning a Scouting Trip

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
Jonny
500 Club
Posts: 5755
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:11 am
Location: In a van down by the river
Status: Offline

Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Feb 07, 2017 8:27 am

How do you plan a week long scouting trip? I have a place to stay, but want to make the most of my trip and cover the best ground possible. I know what I am looking for, and what areas to hit, and areas to avoid. How do you make the most of the trip if it is your only scouting trip to the area before hunting season? I will be doing this trip the last week of this month (2/27-3/3) barring some bad weather coming in, or something falling through.

Right now I am planning on taking 4 days to cover ground and find spots, and the last day to prep kill trees. Can take more days if needed, but 5 days alone seems like enough for me. Dark to dark each day in the woods then coming back and uploading everything to my computer. I also will be bringing my stand and sticks with me to prep stands with, and if I get bored, can get some practice in with the set up.

For those of you who have done this, any advice? Feel like I am biting off more than I can chew (which for me is saying something) :lol:
But how long do you give yourself to look at an area? What do you carry with you while scouting besides a gps/compass and a phone?

I have one aerial in my journal that shows an area I hunted last year a bit up in the hardwoods and really feel like there is some special areas back in there. I am thinking this area will take me about 2 days to really dissect well and find a couple trees to hunt out of. From my view, I should be able to find multiple spots to hunt with any wind given the size of the area and the amount of access points from southwest and south southeast.

Hoping to hear how you guys have done this and any pointers you might have. I'll make sure to post lots of pictures once I get back and update my stalled journal.


You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
User avatar
seazofcheeze
500 Club
Posts: 3860
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 1:13 pm
Location: Billings, MT
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Tue Feb 07, 2017 8:43 am

If it's hill country, 4 days dark to dark is optimistic.

I plan out my scouting trips in advance. I look over maps of the areas in question. I'm looking for terrain features in hill country, transition lines, food sources, funnels, etc. I mark each point of interest in Google Earth. I then connect the dots with the shortest route possible and create a track for my GPS.

I use my cellphone to take pics, but you have to have a system to know which way points go with what pics. For example, take a pic of your GPS screen with your cell phone at way point number 1, then all pics after that are related to that area. Take another pic of gps screen at waypoint 2. Whatever works for you, it's just important to be organized.

This year I am going to carry a notepad. It's a lot easier than trying to write notes on my gps touchscreen or even my phone for that matter. Plus you can draw minimaps for access routes or other details.

Depending on the area and number of locations, tree prep could definitely eat up more than one day. Unless they are close together, it will be tough to prep more than 6-8 trees a day. You have to figure stick setup, possibly your stand, any trimming, tear down, pack up and then hike to next spot.

Take plenty of water and something decent to eat mid day.
User avatar
Jonny
500 Club
Posts: 5755
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:11 am
Location: In a van down by the river
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:01 am

Yes I am definitely carrying a notepad and pen with me. I am bringing up my laptop so at the end of the day I can upload all my info right to my computer while still fresh in my memory. There aren't any real hills here. Some smaller ones but typical big woods with swamps, hardwoods and clear cuts.

I can adjust the days for each task, and can tack on a day or two on each end if I there is more I want to do. 5 days just seemed like a good number for starters.

There really isn't much area up here that I consider worth looking at. So much of it is intertwined with forest roads and absolutely hammered by road hunters who don't walk more than 100 yards from their trucks. Then the other stuff is all old mature pine plantations which is a huge waste of time in my experience. Gun might be different but I already have that figured out for a few years.

Right now what I am looking at is secluded and hard to reach hardwoods that border swamps and the transitions between them that I don't expect to see anybody near. The pressure in the area is very low compared to what many here see in their home areas, so I don't think I need to bury myself in the thick and nasty to see deer. There isn't much of this area, but I feel like I have enough possibilities for stands that will require jungle boots or knee/hip boots that I won't see anybody during the season.

I should try to post more aerials to make more sense of it. Just need to black out some identifying features :lol:
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
Jeff G
500 Club
Posts: 2077
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:17 am
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jeff G » Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:13 am

bring my gps, my muck boots and off i go. scout transitions and mark buck beds and kill trees on the gps.
Start at the spot i park, scout an entire transition loop, back at the car. Move on to the next spot. Then I stay out of there till go go back in season to kill. Keep adding new spots each year to the list.
User avatar
Dewey
Moderator
Posts: 36727
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:57 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Feb 07, 2017 12:13 pm

Scouting trips are great fun and I enjoy them as much or maybe even more than actually hunting.

It all starts for me with research. If the area doesn't hold the caliber of buck you are seeking why waste your time? Once I get a feel for the quality of bucks I then turn my attention to aerials and topos with the latter especially important in hill country. I like to get a good feel for the land well before I actually place my feet on it. Cyber scouting has been huge for me and saves so much time exploring non-productive land. Thinking back to the old days I when I would walk for days covering mostly unproductive lands with minimal deer numbers. So much wasted scouting but I sure did get a lot of exercise. Scouting now for me is so much more focused.

Once I have potential spots marked out on paper maps I then head directly to the focused areas. Usually when I get to a new spot I feel like I have already been there because I cyber scout the heck out of them and know everything about the lay of the land including parking areas and other access points or trails. In the bigwoods logging roads are sometimes the key to getting in certain areas. Do your homework ahead of time. It makes it much less intimidating breaking down new lands. Another key is don't try to learn too much land at once when you are first starting out. You are better off breaking it into smaller sections and learn each one very well.

Usually first day I speed scout and cover some ground rather quickly with focus on getting a feel for deer numbers and bedding areas. There have been days I walked 10+ miles just taking it all in. The entire time I have my gps on tracking every movement and marking any sign I find like beds, rubs, scrapes, trails, food sources, etc. This is key to figuring out patterns. After the first day I download all my walking tracks and gps markings and pics/videos into my laptop to try and piece the puzzle together. I continue to do this every single day I scout to lay down my tracks so I can easily see at a quick glance if there are spots I am missing.

I notice my second day scouting an area is when I find the best intel and narrow spots down to hunt. Taking into consideration what I learned the previous day based on lay of the land and how deer travel the landscape I can make some very good assumptions to assure that I am setting up in the perfect spot when the time comes. As far as prepping a tree I cannot trim shooting lanes or anything like that so I try to choose trees that give me the best opportunity with zero change while paying attention to possible foliage cover issues that may impact in early fall.

I also take a lot of pictures. My memory is still pretty good so I can remember details of each picture. Usually when I mark something in my gps I add notes in the comment section for each waypoint if needed.

One thing I find extremely useful is the Onxmap chips for Garmin with property boundaries and especially topos for hill country. That has been huge for me to have live topos in my hand while scouting. I also like to print out paper topos and aerials for each area I scout to carry in my backpack with a pencil or pen to write notes on the maps.

Above all entry and exit is probably the biggest thing to pay attention to with entry the biggest concern since most of us hunt moblile so it's normally one and done. If you have low odds entry to the spot your hunt will likely be over before it starts. I am constantly seeking those spots that have an almost bulletproof access so my first hunt provides the highest odds.

As far as what I bring I like to keep it simple.

1)GPS
2)Smartphone (for taking pics or video)
3)Extra compass
4)Backpack (to carry my water bladder, paper maps, pen, 3-4 rope steps, lunch if an all day scout.
5)Quality pair of boots( you will be doing a lot of walking)

My laptop is by far my biggest help when scouting on the road. Having access to everything is huge. WIFI is nice but I can also use the hotspot on my phone to link up if all else fails. Even without internet access just having my maps and pics wherever I go is so valuable. Also a laptop when on the road is awesome for cataloging pics when running cams but that is an entirely different topic.
User avatar
Jonny
500 Club
Posts: 5755
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:11 am
Location: In a van down by the river
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:29 pm

Thanks Dewey! That really helps.

The area I am hunting does hold nice bucks. I am certain of it, I have seen some dandies, and I don't think I have any big buck serial killers in my area. Plus I am pretty confident the majority of the deer shot are fawns and 1.5 year olds. Rarely get anything older. Even the 6 point I shot last season was old for what we have gotten. However, at this point in my hunting career, I don't see it worthwhile to hold out for a mature buck the way some people here do. I'm young, hopefully have a lot of hunts left in me so I am really looking for something that will make a good memory and make me proud of my hard work and drive me to work harder. Can't just jump to the top of the ladder. Ideally I am shooting for a 2.5 year old or older, but if something else tickles my fancy, no point in passing it up.

I don't have internet available to me during the week, which is fine, don't need it. I can upload pictures and put info into spreadsheets without internet access. I think I will try your tactic out. Spend a day speed scouting and walking around getting an idea of the area and then coming back in to dissect it. Really excited to go walk some of these areas due to the fact that I really believe nobody ever goes back that far. I can't trim anything either but might try out lockdown's method of zip ties and paracord, especially during the season.

I have a couple other things I am looking to do to help me out during the season. I know JoeRE uses a reflective tack to mark kill trees, might work well for me. Not expecting anybody to find it besides me.
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
User avatar
justdirtyfun
500 Club
Posts: 2973
Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2013 4:10 pm
Location: Misery, previously Hellinois
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:41 pm

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your trip.

Dewey starts by speed scouting and it is a good plan. Finding a needle in a haystack or a deer honey hole take some serious effort. See as much of the good potential ground as you can.
My personal experience in one area has been more spread out time wise but shows what can happen. I scouted multiple trips and have learned a lot BUT...
One nice spot that could be prime has not been scouted. I am to blame and am learning decent spots but have somehow left it on the table.
Maybe if I was on a trip such as yours I would be forced to hit all the spots. Being close to a property can do weird things to a good plan.
You don't have to be the best, just do your best.
User avatar
Jonny
500 Club
Posts: 5755
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:11 am
Location: In a van down by the river
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:46 pm

Jeff G wrote:bring my gps, my muck boots and off i go. scout transitions and mark buck beds and kill trees on the gps.
Start at the spot i park, scout an entire transition loop, back at the car. Move on to the next spot. Then I stay out of there till go go back in season to kill. Keep adding new spots each year to the list.


Man you make it sound easy jeff.

I think my issue is going to learn what transitions will have the deer sign and which ones are worthless. I could spend every day scouting transitions here and maybe I will finish them all in a couple years. Hunting large tracts of county and state forest with decades of logging operations, transitions are simple to find. Heck I could draw them all on an aerial and you probably would get nauseous looking at them all. There are lots of transitions that from my experience hold very little sign due to the fact there simply is no deer in that area. My issue is finding these from my computer so I don't waste time walking them when I am up there. Right now I am keying in on food sources which is predominantly oaks in this area. So I am looking at transitions from oaks to swamp, oaks to river bottom and transitions that connect swamp to oaks, oaks to oaks or something that looks like there should be deer there. Way too many transitions of pines to pines to more pines which rarely have any sign in them that shows anything more than a roaming deer browsing for food.
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
User avatar
Jonny
500 Club
Posts: 5755
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:11 am
Location: In a van down by the river
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:54 pm

justdirtyfun wrote:Good luck and I hope you enjoy your trip.

Dewey starts by speed scouting and it is a good plan. Finding a needle in a haystack or a deer honey hole take some serious effort. See as much of the good potential ground as you can.
My personal experience in one area has been more spread out time wise but shows what can happen. I scouted multiple trips and have learned a lot BUT...
One nice spot that could be prime has not been scouted. I am to blame and am learning decent spots but have somehow left it on the table.
Maybe if I was on a trip such as yours I would be forced to hit all the spots. Being close to a property can do weird things to a good plan.


Yeah I am four hours from this property. And due to the fact there is nothing to do in the area during the other 9 months of the year, I never have a reason to go up there that justifies a trip. A week long scouting mission is about the only reason I could justify the trip. And the fact the property is over 100,000 acres, I know for a fact I will never have enough time to scout out the best spots. But for a young guy like me, that just makes for a lot of area to try things and learn things without the fear of ruining a spot or anything like that. I'm hoping that a week will allow me to effectively cover a large portion of what I think is a good area and find some good spots in it. It will let me know how much I have learned here and how good I am at cyber scouting.

If I learn something new and see some new ground that I hunt this coming season, it will be a very successful trip. I think that is a pretty reasonable goal to reach. If I end up with a deer next season because of this, then I know I have learned something from the beast, which would be awesome and a huge confidence boost for me.
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
Jeff G
500 Club
Posts: 2077
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:17 am
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jeff G » Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:18 pm

I gets easier the more you do it. We took a bunch of video yesterday on this very subject. Maybe dan will put it together and show how we find the sign, backtrack, pick the kill tree.

We go very fast, the spots we find only get a few stands per year so there has to be a long list.

Good luck. If you can I suggest attending one of the local workshops. I know we will be having one more in se wi and a hill country as well.
User avatar
Jonny
500 Club
Posts: 5755
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:11 am
Location: In a van down by the river
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:35 pm

Jeff G wrote:I gets easier the more you do it. We took a bunch of video yesterday on this very subject. Maybe dan will put it together and show how we find the sign, backtrack, pick the kill tree.

We go very fast, the spots we find only get a few stands per year so there has to be a long list.

Good luck. If you can I suggest attending one of the local workshops. I know we will be having one more in se wi and a hill country as well.


Bummed I had to miss the last one. If I can make the next one, I will definitely come. Any rough idea on dates? Specifically the se wisconsin one?
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
User avatar
hunter_mike
Moderator
Posts: 8294
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:24 pm
Location: south central WI
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby hunter_mike » Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:43 pm

Sounds like a heck of a good time Jon. On a multi-day hunting or scouting trip, I have learned that one of the most important things it to keep a good mental attitude. Like you were saying make sure you don't try to bite off more than you chew. 4 days is a lot of time so I think it will be worth it to really slow down and get in tune with the swamp. I do like the idea of speed scouting, looking for big rubs, active scrapes and getting to know the lay of the land especially this time of year since so much stuff is covered in snow. And it is so much fun covering lots of miles, and getting that feeling of accomplishment afterwards. I would plan lots and lots of detailed routes ahead of time, maybe twice as many as I could walk, lots of plan b's and plan c's. And then let your scouting instincts take over. Plan out some good food/meals too if you plan to go dawn to dusk! Don't forget a boot dryer!
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
User avatar
Jonny
500 Club
Posts: 5755
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:11 am
Location: In a van down by the river
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jonny » Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:55 pm

hunter_mike wrote:Sounds like a heck of a good time Jon. On a multi-day hunting or scouting trip, I have learned that one of the most important things it to keep a good mental attitude. Like you were saying make sure you don't try to bite off more than you chew. 4 days is a lot of time so I think it will be worth it to really slow down and get in tune with the swamp. I do like the idea of speed scouting, looking for big rubs, active scrapes and getting to know the lay of the land especially this time of year since so much stuff is covered in snow. And it is so much fun covering lots of miles, and getting that feeling of accomplishment afterwards. I would plan lots and lots of detailed routes ahead of time, maybe twice as many as I could walk, lots of plan b's and plan c's. And then let your scouting instincts take over. Plan out some good food/meals too if you plan to go dawn to dusk! Don't forget a boot dryer!


Yeah I am trying to plan out the food part now. I do have a couple pieces of public I want to look at in a higher deer density area of the state that I could do on the way up and way home as well to change up the scenery a bit. One semi hill country spot I haven't hunted in a few years, some mfl land surrounded by miles of QDMA, and a new area I just found that is some river bottom I know has lots of deer in it. Drive by the area in the winter a few years ago and it looked like herds of cattle in the woods. Nice to know that I can go hunt that area now :D

Lots and lots to do
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
Jeff G
500 Club
Posts: 2077
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:17 am
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby Jeff G » Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:15 pm

Jonny wrote:
Jeff G wrote:I gets easier the more you do it. We took a bunch of video yesterday on this very subject. Maybe dan will put it together and show how we find the sign, backtrack, pick the kill tree.

We go very fast, the spots we find only get a few stands per year so there has to be a long list.

Good luck. If you can I suggest attending one of the local workshops. I know we will be having one more in se wi and a hill country as well.


Bummed I had to miss the last one. If I can make the next one, I will definitely come. Any rough idea on dates? Specifically the se wisconsin one?


Once the snow melts out that we have. It will be way easier to see beds and sign.
User avatar
<DK>
500 Club
Posts: 4484
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 10:02 am
Status: Offline

Re: Planning a Scouting Trip

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Feb 07, 2017 4:04 pm

seazofcheeze wrote:If it's hill country, 4 days dark to dark is optimistic.

Depending on the area and number of locations, tree prep could definitely eat up more than one day. Unless they are close together, it will be tough to prep more than 6-8 trees a day.
Take plenty of water and something decent to eat mid day.


I agree w this!


  • Advertisement

Return to “Scouting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 31 guests