NEWBIE!! any helpfully advice or tips on scouting

[jrbchunter]

Hi i been looking for more forums that talked about archery hunting and scouting in either region 3 or 2 in the most recent years .
Im a complete newbie so i been going to hit targets and been doing as much reading as i can im pretty excited for this year season but not really sure where to scout ..i have kinda an idea what to look for and where to look but if any one has tips or helpfully advise please share !!!

cheers!

[HarryToolips]

Welcome to the site....look for deer or whatever your after, if ya don't see much of the game that your after, look for sign sign sign...

[Ourea]

jr welcome to HBC.

What to look for?

Once a hunter (new or old) learns to identify habitat and "why" animals seek these areas.....
well, the game (pun intended) gets much easier to play.

You will know where to go and why.

[Backwoods]

Welcome to HBC! The best info I can pass on is get some map books out, open google earth up, find an are near your location that's crown land and go for drives, atv rides, hike around look for game, trails, tracks, rubs, ground scrapes, wallows for elk, bedding, food/ water sources, YouTube videos on species your wanting to harvest, get out now and learn a winter range for game so next November you have a "go to" spot and knowing game migration etc... The best you can do is get out there, find sign and document
-Backwoods

[jrbchunter]

thank you all for the quick reply .....yes i been out a couple times but maybe looking for the wrong things in the wrong places .... my "hunting buddy" that was supposed to show me the ropes and his "places" passed away and i would like to continue learning and exploring the world of bow hunting .... do you guys think its worth investing on trail cams ?

[Fella]

thank you all for the quick reply .....yes i been out a couple times but maybe looking for the wrong things in the wrong places .... my "hunting buddy" that was supposed to show me the ropes and his "places" passed away and i would like to continue learning and exploring the world of bow hunting .... do you guys think its worth investing on trail cams ?

100% yes it is worth it to invest in trail cams but before you do it you need to find your spot that has good sign. Just a word of advice if hunting Region 2, you'll mostly be hunting blacktails which are known as grey ghosts. Do not get discouraged if you don't see many (or any) especially the first little while. They're incredibly sneaky.

[untilthelastbeat]

Luckily your coming into a great time to scout. Give the animals a couple more months to rest up and recover from the winter and then start hiking around areas that you think "look" good and see what you see. If you don't feel like it's a good spot don't waste time on it.
Look for track, rubs on trees, bedding areas, water sources, game trails.
If your not seeing sign or animals in the spring time you probably won't see them in the fall when they are more on edge.
It's not easy in the beginning. You will second guess yourself until you start to get results but just stick with it until it pays off. It's all a part of learning. Good luck welcome to the addiction

[Wild one]

jr welcome to HBC.

What to look for?

Once a hunter (new or old) learns to identify habitat and "why" animals seek these areas.....
well, the game (pun intended) gets much easier to play.

You will know where to go and why.

^^^this research about what kind of habitat each species prefers is huge.

Don't think big area think small pockets. Worry less about where hunters go and more about where the animals are

[Fella]

^^^this research about what kind of habitat each species prefers is huge.

Don't think big area think small pockets. Worry less about where hunters go and more about where the animals are

Good advice! In the fall we shot 2 bucks and missed a third all within 200 yards of each other.

[brian]

Don't think big area think small pockets. Worry less about where hunters go and more about where the animals are

So true, 10% of the land will hold 90% of the game. You could be in a barren deer waste land and then just step into the pocket and it will all change. Maybe not so dramatic but that's what it feels like. Scouting is like doing a puzzle, only you have to go out and find the pieces and then try and put it all together.

Now I might be biased but I don't think trail cams are necessary. I am always so worried about them being ripped off. You can glean a lot of information just analyzing sign, but a trail cam would be real nice for confirming what is really using the area and when. It would take some of the guess work out of it. But its not needed. I would hold off with the trail cams until you have a spot of land that could really use them.