Scouting 101

[johnnie blaze]

I go out to the unit 1-2 weeks before the hunt and blow on my deer call, sight in my rifle into a few likely looking canyons, listening to loud hard rock music, bang pots and pans, then get on a high spot and watch which way the deer go.

 

so that was you I saw the other day.....

[GotBowAz]

Personally I don’t get why anyone would put in for an area they have never stepped foot in unless they are putting in with a friend that knows it and is invited to be with them. They know up front they are going to need help, and then wait until the last minute to ask for help to boot?

 

I hope this don’t sound too harsh but IMO, if you don’t know an area you just don’t put in for it. If you don’t have the time to scout it's only because you aren’t making the time. College sounds like a lousy excuse to me. I can’t believe they can’t come up with a day or two on a weekend to scout. I don’t mind helping someone out, if they are willing to help themselves and show me they have been earnest about it but to put in for area get drawn for it and they haven’t stepped in it seems kind of irresponsible to me.

 

 

GBA

[Coues assassin]

Personally I don’t get why anyone would put in for an area they have never stepped foot in unless they are putting in with a friend that knows it and is invited to be with them. They know up front they are going to need help, and then wait until the last minute to ask for help to boot?I hope this don’t sound too harsh but IMO, if you don’t know an area you just don’t put in for it. If you don’t have the time to scout it's only because you aren’t making the time. College sounds like a lousy excuse to me. I can’t believe they can’t come up with a day or two on a weekend to scout. I don’t mind helping someone out, if they are willing to help themselves and show me they have been earnest about it but to put in for area get drawn for it and they haven’t stepped in it seems kind of irresponsible to me.GBA

I'm gonna assume part of this is directed at me considering I'm the only one in this post that mentions anything about college. I'm gonna also assume you stopped reading after I mentioned I'm in college so it's hard to scout with lack of time and money and I didn't say that I "can't come up with a day or two on a weekend to scout" I actually said I ask for a little help so when I do find that weekend or two to scout its worth while.

[johnnie blaze]

Get em billy....get em!

[reganranch]

I feel your pain Billy, I'm in college, which equals no hunting ( sad face).

[BeardownAZ]

 

Personally I don’t get why anyone would put in for an area they have never stepped foot in unless they are putting in with a friend that knows it and is invited to be with them. They know up front they are going to need help, and then wait until the last minute to ask for help to boot?I hope this don’t sound too harsh but IMO, if you don’t know an area you just don’t put in for it. If you don’t have the time to scout it's only because you aren’t making the time. College sounds like a lousy excuse to me. I can’t believe they can’t come up with a day or two on a weekend to scout. I don’t mind helping someone out, if they are willing to help themselves and show me they have been earnest about it but to put in for area get drawn for it and they haven’t stepped in it seems kind of irresponsible to me.GBA

I'm gonna assume part of this is directed at me considering I'm the only one in this post that mentions anything about college. I'm gonna also assume you stopped reading after I mentioned I'm in college so it's hard to scout with lack of time and money and I didn't say that I "can't come up with a day or two on a weekend to scout" I actually said I ask for a little help so when I do find that weekend or two to scout its worth while.

Perhaps he'd like it even more if Game and Fish enacted a policy stating you may not get drawn for a unit you live more than 75 miles from that way we wont have a bunch of people roaming all over the unit trying to learn it or god forbid, ask someone for info on it that's hunted it before. It's not hard, If you don't want to give advise don't. If you don't want people knowing what and where you hunt and how, keep off public websites advertising your stories and kills. If I know an area and someone else wants help, I give it.

I don't learn an area for them, but if I gain knowledge and can help some else, what's the big deal. I wouldn't give a trophy location away and wouldn't expect anyone else to either. Either way, the person hunting and asking for help still has to get out there and hunt, do the work and there are still no guarantees even if I gave every intimate detail about the unit, that they'd be successful.

[6ANut]

As mentioned Google earth helps to get a good lay of the land in a particular area you are hunting but nothing can beat getting on a dirt road and exploring the unit you were drawn in. I spent a whole summer few years ago, soley looking for roads I had not been on in 6A, what a summer.

 

I too get my fair share of " I got drawn for 6A and I dont know anything about the unit" I tell them kindly to go pound some sand. My words of advice if you are asking for help on this site, its best to have certain areas you want to hunt in mind, BEFORE asking for help. heck G&F will give you good spots to hunt right off the website. My favortie PM's respond to start with " I plan on hunting this area ................., What are your thoughts?" When I say this area I dont mean general areas like Stoneman Lake rd either.

 

It has taken most of us generations to learn about a particular unit and when you come on here, asking for help, on your first or second post, personally you are insulting most of us that have put in countless hours, miles on a dirt road, and probably lost the person( Grandpa/ Dad etc.) that taught us the unit.

[Str8Shot]

I agree with you 6ANut... I have no issue sharing with others in the sense of pointing in a general location and to be honest the G&F where to hunt gives ample starting points to anyone who takes the time to get out of the truck and put some leather to the ground ... With youth Hunters I have shared a little more specific info, and it is always good to hear back that the youth tag went filled...

 

I would also add to the my list, that A good GPS , marking way points being combined with a journal is IMO a must for people starting to get out and learn were to hunt ... Also sticking to a unit even if unsuccessful often pays off better in the long run...

[6ANut]

With youth Hunters I have shared a little more specific info, and it is always good to hear back that the youth tag went filled...

 

 

Yeah thats is my weakness, when I hear a kid is involved.

[Explorer]

Scouting? I drew a tag and don't have the time to scout? Where should I go? I never hunted the unit? This is my first hunt ever, where should I look? Do you have a GPS coordinates to a spot I can find game at big buck at?

I have recently received a PM just about asking me every question in the book about a unit. My first thought was wow? Really?

Seems like these questions come up right before the hunting seasons open. Instead of being negative and being a jerk I thought I would start a thread to help others out in what to expect. I am no expert, and have asked close friends where should I start looking in a unit that I have never hunted. I think the the best advise though is boots on the ground with a good pair of Binos in hand. What other advise can you all give?

sounds like they should sell their hunting gear and grow vegetables.

[43F]

Look at all the different terrains and elevations the unit has to offer and focus on areas that might suit your style better.

I think this is a great piece of advice, especially for hunters from back east. I've had a rough go of it the past couple of years as I've tried to learn how to hunt in Arizona as its quite different than Illinois -AZ units 18B, 21, 22. In addition, growing up I hunted the same private land from the ages of 8 to around 22 not public land like I've hunted here. I know I'm doing something right because I see other hunters in the area, but just haven't seen many deer and have never had the chance to even try to stalk. Of course when I'm up on the rim camping and hiking I run into nice mule deer and elk all the time. To bad I can't draw a tag in 4A or 4B. But getting back to GJs advice, I think that it might be better for hunters coming from the east coast to first try and hunt units that have a a good amount of forest or areas that are better suited to the eastern tree stand style of hunting. I've been thinking about trying that out this December and January. As soon as I get some new tires on the Jeep I plan on taking a drive up to the Flagstaff region to check it out.

[naturegirl]

Don't be afraid to ask for help. People are more than willing to help if you ask. I've helped people and people have helped me. This works much better if you have been a CWT member for awhile and didn't just register to ask for help.

 

When I had my Coues hunt last year, I had lots of people offer help, but what I didn't like was when a new member gave me the exact same information that a long-time member gave me. The new guy who posted for help for the same hunt as me took the info given to him through PM and gave it to me. I called him out on it because I didn't think it was his info to give.

 

My advice is read G&F's website on where to start in the unit, then branch off from there. Get a good map. Use your feet and binos and spend time in the unit.