How long do you stay in an area?

[MuleyFever]

I was thinking of this the other day while looking at maps. The same question was asked in the elk forum but I think deer may be different. I assume elk move more than deer do and may be easier to know if they are in the area.

I am planning a scouting trip to CO over the 4th. I will only have 2 days to scout in a unit I have never been. My goal is to get a good idea of the land area and ways to access. I figure it will help me get to where I want to be faster on the opener and I wont waste time discovering what areas and where I can access when I should be hunting.

This is a ML hunt, so mid September. I will not have much knowledge of the area so how long should I give an area before moving on? If I find an area to glass do I give it one full day or maybe 2 then move?

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

If you have a good vantage you will see every buck in an area in 2 days during August.
Assuming you have good weather of course. Obviously there will be a couple here or there you will miss, but you should get a good idea of what the area holds for sure.

 

[tttoadman]

If the area is totally new, I don't know if trying to see animals would be my key goal. I would try to see as much ground as possible so I could locate the heavy use trails and bedding areas. I guess I would focus on finding the "bucky" areas and assume they will be there in the fall. Locate the water sources. Locate the open feeding areas on a south slope that have a great bedding area on the adjacent north side. If I can, I will travel the area to find the campsites with meat poles and try to imagine how heavy the areas are hunted. I think we(roksliders) are generally out of bed on in the woods a little earlier and "on time" compared to beer drinking hunters in the campgrounds. I will tag what i think are the escape paths of the deer after the hunters start filling the area.

 

[MuleyFever]

Yeah, I have no real intention of looking for deer on my 2 day scouting trip. Plus it is a bit early. I am going to get familiar with the area so I know where I want to go on the opener. That is where my question is focused is hunting. I wont know if there are deer in the area so I have to decide how long to give an area before I move on.

From my experience at home I have hunted an area one weekend and not seen the deer I was looking for then come the next weekend they are there. I think maybe 3 days of staying in one area may be ideal but I was wondering what you guys did. I hope Robby chimes in.

 

[larryschwartz]

I am assuming that you have already done, or plan to do, some pre-scouting using topographic maps and aerial photos or Google Earth to find good glassing points, benches, meadows/parks, springs and seeps, and so on to save you time for when you actually get your feet on the ground.

 

[The John]

I do what others have said, take a look around and find the areas that "seem" to be great habitat (water, food, bedding, and safety areas). Then I look for trails (not the human kind), and take notes. Most of us (who live more than an hour away from our hunting grounds) cant spend lots and lots of time scouting before the season opens. I am a rifle hunter, so whats there in Sept may be dead or pushed out by October.

Good luck on your trip and your hunt, its always exciting when hunting a new area for the first time.

 

[robby denning]

LOTS of good tips here.

No real formulas as everywhere is different and why you just gotta get out there, like you are

 

[Upcountry]

I don't know that I have any insight to give, but this is something I can relate to... I've struggled with knowing how long to give an area as well. Being only 5 years into big game hunting, it was always easy for me to get hung up on a certain area. If I saw a buck/deer in a certain type of terrain, I'd look only to that type of terrain the next day. While this can be a good place to start, it also limits what you'll see. I've gotten a little better at "diversifying" the terrain I glass, and trying to cover more of it.
Yet still, I struggle with "falling in love" with a certain area largely based on looks. Two weeks ago I took a trip out to scout my deer zone for this years October hunt. It's a new mountain range(three actually) for me, so I want to get a lay of the land before the season gets too close. It's really big country, and gets up to over 11,800'. There are tons of springs and creeks, thick aspen groves, great feed opportunities, and it's absolutely beautiful. I had done a ton of google earth browsing, and stared at maps for hours developing multiple ideas for where to start my searches. I ended up doing an 8 mile overnight loop around a large canyon, up to the ridge line and back down, and didn't spot a single deer. I managed to see 50+ Bighorn Sheep, including some large 150-160+ Rams so this area really makes me feel good, but I have to remember not to lie to myself and put too much commitment into somewhere that just might not hold the deer you hope/think it would.
You obviously can't rule an area out based on only a day of two of glassing, especially months ahead of when you'll actually be hunting it, but you have to find that fine line of balancing the reality of what you're seeing, or not seeing, versus what else might be over the next ridge or across the next valley, and trying to not limit yourself without justification.
With all that said, next weekend I'm heading out for three days into the next mountain range over, which is way different terrain... Really for me, this tag I'll be carrying in my pocket in October is just an excuse to get out there and do what I'm doing now; see some beautiful terrain and sleep in the dirt!