How to Scout for Hunting Season: The Necessities to Success
It's Scouting Season!
Scouting season is almost as fun as hunting season, and if done correctly, requires a ton of work. Every year I watch guys on social media do everything right to be successful. Except one thing…they don’t scout. I’ve seen it time and time again. Influencer one shoots his bow every day, hits the gym, meditates, you name it…he’s done it. Then the season rolls around and he hikes all over the mountain and never finds success. All those things that he did in the summer are great, but if you can’t find animals, you can’t kill them. Let’s break down an effective scouting strategy and the tools you’ll need for success.
There are a bunch of ways to go about scouting, but none of them are as effective as getting boots on the ground. E-scouting is great and can provide a clear picture of what to expect, but it almost always looks different when you step foot in the area. I like to use E-scouting as a tool for my scouting trips. I’ll sit down in the evenings with my laptop and spend 15-20 minutes breaking down an area that I believe has potential to hold animals during hunting season. As I roll through the area, I’ll make notes and drop pins on different features that catch my attention. Water holes, stock tanks, potential bedding areas, and pinch points are all things that I want to be aware of. When I feel like I have a good starting point I’ll transition into the actual scouting side of my research. I’ll mark every possible glassing point, where I want to hang trail cameras, and make notes of how long it will take me to move through an area without blowing it up. Is this area a one-day mission? Or should I set aside 3-4 days to ensure I cover it thoroughly? I usually don’t know the answer to this question until I get eyes on it. So now we’re into scouting season.
Armed with the information from my e-scouting and research, I’ll plan as many trips as possible to investigate my hunting spot. Sometimes I only have time for a day or two but that’s still better than nothing. If time is very crunched, I’ll save my “scouting” trip until right before the season. I’d rather get there a couple days early and scout than spend my opening day running around trying to figure things out. The goal of a scouting trip can be different for everyone but at the very least I want to learn access points, glassing locations, nearest water sources, and hopefully see some sign from previous years. I don’t care if there are animals in there during the summer…I can’t kill them in July. It’s more important to me for there to be animals in September, and sign from previous years is the only way to know that if I’ve never been there before.
Prior to leaving for a scouting trip, I need to make sure I have everything necessary to be efficient and not get myself in a pinch. Here’s a quick rundown of the things I need for a quick one-day scouting trip:
If I’m wearing these items or have them in my pack, I know that I can spend a day covering country and looking for signs of life without worrying about inclement weather or anything else. There are plenty of other things you can throw in your pack to make sure you’re prepared, but for a quick day trip, these are necessities. Don’t overpack for the what-if’s. Focus on efficiency and have a game plan.