Scout Activity
Posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Scouting- An Important Part of Every Successful Hunters Regimen
It is a common misconception that practice shooting alone will bring a hunter great success. Practice shooting alone is good for honing skills and is an important part of a regimen, which should including scouting. A person can be the best shot in the world but without game to shoot at they will not be a successful hunter. Conversely a person who finds the game but can’t hit the broad side of a barn does a great disservice to himself, those in the woods with him as well as the name of hunting.
Scouting is defined by Webster Dictionary as “the action of gathering information about enemy forces or an area.” When scouting for game the hunter should be considering the area first. This means simply spending time in an area to become familiar with the terrain and the animals within that area.
Scouting begins with selecting an area to hunt and most importantly having permission to hunt the area. Next do some research before setting foot on the land you want to hunt. Google Earth and Google Maps are amazing tools for scouting. Google Maps now have a terrain detail, which is a virtual topographic map. Unfortunately the free version maps are sometimes outdated. Nothing beats the good old tried and true laminated topographic map. These can be taken in your pack as well for study in the field as well. Determine from the map, water sources, food sources, and areas of cover as well as open areas. Search for any natural or man-made barriers. On your first visit you can use these features to orient yourself while in the area. If you are carrying a topographic map you can mark your map and make any changes you find to an area.
Begin by searching open areas through binoculars or from a distance and observe the activity. Some hunting areas will not have these types of terrain so simply search as much as you can from a distance. These are soft scouting techniques meaning they are non-invasive.
Hard scouting means slow methodic and deliberate travel into the area observing the terrain, and movement of the animals through sign. When hard scouting an area look for trails that usually run just inside the cover around all sorts of open areas, as well as trails that extend into mature wood lots, heavy cover. Identify bedding areas and resting locations and trails that lead into and out of these areas.
Secondly as we scout we are considering the “enemy”(our game animal of choice) and how to set up for ambush. Consider the animal and its needs. Food, water, secure resting location and an annual sexual drive are all things to be considered. Trails leading to and from open fields where animals can congregate some seasons may see little activity compared to trails between food and water sources and bedding area. These sources may change with the season so the more familiar one becomes with an area year round the more successful of a hunter they will become. Familiarity will help the hunter to decide where to set a stand at any given time of the hunting season, which in some areas can last 4 months for bow hunters. Sneaking into a bedding area while that big buck is eating and then ambushing him on his return to a common resting area can be a great plan.
Now we have our location(s) chosen for ambush, it is time to find our route(s) of egress. The goal is to find a routes that are non-invasive upon the trails that the animals we are hunting will be traveling. A good route can be traveled with little noise and clearing the occasional branch or pile of tree leaves for quieter entrance and exit of an area is a good idea. Be sure to ask landowner before removing anything living or attached along your trail. Leaving quietly can be just as important as gaining entrance quietly. The less the game animal knows that the hunter is around the more likely the animal will present itself for a well placed shot.
Any person who hunts is already a success in my book, because they’ve found something wonderful even without harvesting game. With the proper combination of practice shooting and scouting the hunter can hone his skills and apply them in the proper manner to become more successful in harvesting game.
Happy Hunting!
Greg Bruning
About the Author
Hunting and Fishing are my passions. Working on the internet is how I find the time to pursue my passions.
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