Scouting in the dark

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
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hunter_mike
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Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:50 am

Well I think most of us can agree that we have had much less time to hunt and scout ever since daylight savings time. However tonight is one of the first few really good snowfalls and I just got off work. I'm considering going out to scout and look for tracks in the dark. The only thing holding me back is it makes me a little nervous though going out in a new area in the dark when its much easier to lose your bearings even though I know I cant really get lost because as long as I keep walking in one direction I will eventually get out, but I'm wondering if the effort will be worth it. I feel like even if i find some good sign, it will be hard for me to remember exactly where I found it because I do not have a gps and only a compass.


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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby whitetail007 » Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:16 pm

i just got back from doing some after dark scouting. this was urban scouting though. found a good buck bed in the least likely of spots, and the first food source he hit before heading to a picked corn field.
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:41 pm

whitetail007 wrote:i just got back from doing some after dark scouting. this was urban scouting though. found a good buck bed in the least likely of spots, and the first food source he hit before heading to a picked corn field.


Thats awesome! I chickened out haha its nice and warm in my house
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby whitetail007 » Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:55 pm

wasent to cold out and really peaceful with the fresh snow.
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed Dec 19, 2012 4:03 pm

Well whitetail007 got me all jacked up when he said he went scouting in an urban area and I suddenly realized I had a similar area I wanted to check out. I can not believe how far I walked and did not find a single deer track. At least a mile and a half loop. Only found coyote and bunny tracks. At least I know where not to hunt now. However on my drive out, I got bout half mile closer to the housing and sure enough there were about 5 of them standing in a lawn. Guess the jokes on me :doh: !
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby PLB » Wed Dec 19, 2012 4:30 pm

Compass, Gps, backtrack??

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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Thu Dec 20, 2012 3:16 am

I wish we got more snow down here in Mo. The option to backtrack and find bedding must help you North boys out a lot :D
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby PK_ » Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:42 am

Just wait for the full moon, it will practically be daylight out there, especially if there is snow on the ground...
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:15 am

Yes scouting in the dark is definitely worthwhile when theres fresh snow even though i didnt find a single track, i gained some knowledge by being out there and then seeing deer in those lawns a half mile up the road

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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:58 am

MOBIGBUCKS wrote:I wish we got more snow down here in Mo. The option to backtrack and find bedding must help you North boys out a lot :D

Haha i will take any advantage i can get up here. I only wish i woulda found this site years ago so i woulda known to use that snow effectively!

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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Dec 20, 2012 7:14 am

PalmettoKid wrote:Just wait for the full moon, it will practically be daylight out there, especially if there is snow on the ground...
Right?


Thats for sure i love it when its snow and a full moon like that. The place where i was last night is near a highly populated area and it was overcast, giving the same effect, i could see even better thru the binoculars. Might have to do some night coyote hunting out there.

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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby seeds » Thu Dec 20, 2012 9:19 am

Ha...I went last Friday,headed into a large tract of public that was just opened up this year. Left the truck at 4:30,I didn't even dive into the thick stuff until I was a mile back. Had to be back for the couple's bowling league Christmas party by 7.

No compass,no GPS,just lots of confidence that I never get turned around in the woods....I knew I might be screwed when I saw a reflection and realized there was a small lake where I didn't expect one. Nice marsh on the N end....And I thought I'd be able to find a way to cross the small river besides wading. I suppose the wading was good - it washed the black muck off my legs/boots from the walk thru the marsh.

Made it to bowling just 5 minutes late wearing clean,dry pants. I printed a map of the area while I changed and studied it during the party....I think I found a nice area that won't get hammered by other hunters,and my internal compass was right on. It was the internal distance guage that was a little optimistic.

I would'a been so screwed if the headlamp batteries had died. It was that last 1/4 mile thru the hills and hardwoods where I'd'a been in trouble. Couldn't see stars or the glow from the nearest town.

BTW,the wife is not from an "outdoors" family....I'm taking the boat out tonight to run stabil thru/cast a bit for walleyes tonight before the storm. I know they'll be biting.... She refused to go along even though she has nothing else better to do.
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby whitetail007 » Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:46 am

i think i might hit the lake later tonight for some walleyes. it will be my last open water fishing for the year and the bite should be on before the big snow storm.
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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:06 am

Good luck fishin hope the bite is on for ya. I am going back out scouting i refuse to get skunked on finding tracks tonight.

Seeds thats an awesome story haha i bet they were all lookin at u funny when u showed up all soaked. Yah the only reason i was nervous about going out is im living in a new area now where my list of people to call is pretty short for a ride if i ended up on the wrong side of the swamp but some good planning with maps fixed that

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Re: Scouting in the dark

Unread postby hunter_mike » Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:34 pm

Well wednesday was not extremely successful because so much of the snow had melted. I didnt find any beds in the dark but did follow a bunch of tracks to an area that I am assuming must be a doe bedding area.

Tonight on the other hand was really awesome. With the foot and a half of new snow here and clear skies tonight i could literally see tracks from the road in the truck. When I got to an area that had a few tracks, I got out and parked on the side of the road and started following the biggest set of tracks. It was easy visual tracking and even though its not easy walking thru a foot and a half of snow, it kept me from sinking into the marsh and was a heckofalot easier than trudging through muck.

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Somehow when the bucks tracks merged with another deers track, I ended up following the does track instead. Probably cuz I was excited and not taking my time. Anyways, I found the doe's bed and her little tracks in there. and I took a bad picture of it.

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After I realized I had gotten off of the buck's track, I backtracked and got back onto him. Where I found his bed just made so much sense. I wish I had a daylight picture but he was bedded in an area where there were no trees around at all and from his bed, he could watch a big open area as well as the only huntable tree on an approx 20 acre area which someone has a tree stand in it. That was really cool to me because I have walked through that open area many times and I can just imagine him laying there watching me. As far as his rack size, I have no idea but his track was not that huge but not small either

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Anyone who is not out scouting with this fresh snow is either missing out on some good intel or already knows their areas well!

I wish I knew where these spots were before the season so I could hunt them but thats the name of the game. Hunting tomorrow.
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