Hypothetical scenario:
You move to a new state in the beginning of the year and have to start your search for new hunting grounds from scratch. Public land is plentiful, but fairly high pressure. What would your process be in terms of finding potential hot spots to hunt that fall, and in future years? Would you pick one property and spend a few years learning it like the back of your hand? Would you bounce around multiple properties with boots on the ground looking for hot sign and take notes? Or would you cyber scout and pick the best looking spots regardless of location and dive in?
Just thought it'd be interesting to get some different viewpoints on the quickest way to get onto some mature bucks when in a new area.
Finding potential spots in a new area
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
I would cyber scout and then I would put boots on the grounds
- JAK
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
Depending on what type year class you want first thing i would do is make sure there is that calibur deer around. Shineing if legal or cameras.
Then i would pick a property or two and try to really learn them well. Be easy to spread yourself thin. But also if you get in a property and dont find what your after dont be afraid to travel. Some of my better looking stuff is a hour and a half drive one way.
Like always if its fairley pressured look for the over looked spots.
Then i would pick a property or two and try to really learn them well. Be easy to spread yourself thin. But also if you get in a property and dont find what your after dont be afraid to travel. Some of my better looking stuff is a hour and a half drive one way.
Like always if its fairley pressured look for the over looked spots.
- FRH
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
For the first year I would definitely hit the cyber scouting hard and have more stops lined up than I could hunt. I would then hit as many spots as possible to get a feel for the different type of terrain in each. By comparing the hunts that I've done to the cyber scouting I could then start determining whether any of those spots are worth checking out during a hunt or if some of them can wait till the offseason. If I did find a property or two that has more sign or I had an encounter with a deer that I would want to go after I would spend some more time on those properties.
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
I would pick a spot and stick with it for a few years as long as you are seeing sign. I was told by a seasoned hunter that it takes at least 3 years to learn a property. In my experience this year being my 3rd season I am way more confident in where I will be scouting and setting up as opposed to 3 years ago.
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
Thanks guys. Part of me wants to just focus on one property and learn the ins and outs of it, another wants to bounce all over and see what I can see. I guess there's no right or wrong way, just need to follow the sign.
- seazofcheeze
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
jhenrich wrote:Thanks guys. Part of me wants to just focus on one property and learn the ins and outs of it, another wants to bounce all over and see what I can see. I guess there's no right or wrong way, just need to follow the sign.
In the scenario you describe (high pressure) I firmly believe you NEED to do the following to be successful:
1. Harvest research/statistics on new state's game agency website. Also, research on state record books, P&Y, and Boone and Crockett (assuming you are after trophy class animals in the area). I would pick the 2-4 best counties within 2hrs drive.
2. Cross reference #1 against available public land on OnX. Also, don't completely overlook county and local parks, or urban zones, which sometimes allow bowhunting only and don't always show up as public online.
3. Light cyber scouting. I'd be looking for terrain on satellite and topos that correspond to #1 and #2 and look to potentially hold big buck lairs.
4. It's almost June and bucks are already sporting enough growth to differentiate between shooter and scrub. After I completed steps 1-3, I would spend AT LEAST 2-3 trips in each area identified as a result of steps 1-3 with binos/spotter/spot light (where legal) to get a good general idea what's in each area. Personally, I don't want to waste time in average or below average areas.
5. After finding the better areas available to me within the 2hr radius, I would go back to the cyber scouting and really pick apart those areas on the map That have potential based on glassing/shining trips.
6. You MUST do some in season scouting, at least this season. You are way behind the curve without already spring scouting the good areas that you will identify in steps 1-5. It's just a risk you have to take this year.
This will get you in the ballpark, but unfortunately, if you are bowhunting, I think you will still be relying pretty heavily on luck, until the following year, when:
7. Boots on the ground...lots of them before green up. This may be an unpopular opinion, but cyber scouting alone only increases your chances of success marginally, in my opinion. Lots of great looking map areas are duds, and the fine tuning of kill tree setups requires boots on the ground, and experience in those woods to really get dialed in.
That's my 2 cents anyway.
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
Going in blind can be a very successful tactic. Personally, I would 1. Cyber-scout to determine 3 or 4 properties to key in on. 2. I would make a trip there in the end of july and hide some cameras on the edge of food sources. 3. Check them after 4 weeks, you should be able to get an idea of what kind of bucks the property holds, and generally chances are low of having a camera stolen at this time of the year. 5. Intensely cyber scout the best properties and formulate a game plan for likely looking areas for various winds. 6. Hunt those areas with the idea of going to your predetermined areas, but do not walk past hot sign!!
- Hawthorne
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Re: Finding potential spots in a new area
seazofcheeze wrote:jhenrich wrote:Thanks guys. Part of me wants to just focus on one property and learn the ins and outs of it, another wants to bounce all over and see what I can see. I guess there's no right or wrong way, just need to follow the sign.
In the scenario you describe (high pressure) I firmly believe you NEED to do the following to be successful:
1. Harvest research/statistics on new state's game agency website. Also, research on state record books, P&Y, and Boone and Crockett (assuming you are after trophy class animals in the area). I would pick the 2-4 best counties within 2hrs drive.
2. Cross reference #1 against available public land on OnX. Also, don't completely overlook county and local parks, or urban zones, which sometimes allow bowhunting only and don't always show up as public online.
3. Light cyber scouting. I'd be looking for terrain on satellite and topos that correspond to #1 and #2 and look to potentially hold big buck lairs.
4. It's almost June and bucks are already sporting enough growth to differentiate between shooter and scrub. After I completed steps 1-3, I would spend AT LEAST 2-3 trips in each area identified as a result of steps 1-3 with binos/spotter/spot light (where legal) to get a good general idea what's in each area. Personally, I don't want to waste time in average or below average areas.
5. After finding the better areas available to me within the 2hr radius, I would go back to the cyber scouting and really pick apart those areas on the map That have potential based on glassing/shining trips.
6. You MUST do some in season scouting, at least this season. You are way behind the curve without already spring scouting the good areas that you will identify in steps 1-5. It's just a risk you have to take this year.
This will get you in the ballpark, but unfortunately, if you are bowhunting, I think you will still be relying pretty heavily on luck, until the following year, when:
7. Boots on the ground...lots of them before green up. This may be an unpopular opinion, but cyber scouting alone only increases your chances of success marginally, in my opinion. Lots of great looking map areas are duds, and the fine tuning of kill tree setups requires boots on the ground, and experience in those woods to really get dialed in.
That's my 2 cents anyway.
This is spot on. Good write up!
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