OK, it's Thursday and I'm on way home. Got 2 days (2 mornings, 2 evenings) scouting in. Didn't turn over a great buck, but did find EXCACT country I'm going to be hunting. The best buck I saw was that mid-upper 20's buck I mentioned above in post #45. I would settle for him but am still going to hunt for better.
It's a total relief to know where I'm going to be hunting. That is the problem with out of state hunting, you could have a great tag but if you don't know where to focus, you waste days, energy, and then the bad phychology starts to creep in: "maybe I should be hunting somewhere else, maybe there is a lion in the area, maybe other hunters got here before I did, blah blah blah, on and on". You're almost done before the hunt gets going if you're thinking those thoughts (trust me, I've made that mistake WAY too many times.)
So by this scout, I narrowed down a big unit to a few square miles, I know where to camp, how to get into the buck country (a great piece of information!), how to access local services (important when you're miles from home), and even found a back-up area if the country I found doesn't pan out; and finally, got to talk to a few locals face-to-face. This last part can really help correct your thinking about a unit. We get so excited as hunters during our long off season, sometimes we create a reality in our heads about an area that isn't right, and that totally sets us up for dissappoinment. Talking to these other hunters can really help you know what to expect once the season rolls around. In nearly 20 years of out of state hunting, the reality is always different than what I expected. Just how it is when you're a stranger in a strange land.
Got to also meet a fellow Rokslider from Grand Junction, Gabe (coloradoultramag) when I came through the Junction last night. He was just heading up the mountian to set some trail cameras (sounds like a Rokslider), but dropped his plans to grab a bite at Boston's. Good conversation on God, bucks, and Colorado!
Thanks Gabe
I've got a little video from the trip I'll try to get up here ASAP.