ForwardFlight
FNG
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2022
- Messages
- 18
I have been scouting and e-scouting for several months now in preparation for our first ever Mule Deer hunt. I have put boots on ground for 3 separate days dedicated to scouting in our Mule Deer unit and covered the 3 main areas I e-scouted. Out of all the time I put into dropping points on my maps for glassing points, possible bedding/feeding areas and camp areas while we are out there, I would say 90% of my work proved to be a waste upon arriving and hiking through the areas due to timber.
The hunt is 3rd rifle and the areas I chose were in the few spots of public, 7000' to 9000' feet in elevation, the furthest away from roads/trails we can get, with what looked on the maps to be mixed timber/open areas. However, the timber was much thicker that GoHunt/Google Earth/OnX showed. The highest glassing points I could get to were still surrounded by tall pines that blocked my view and even through what small windows I had, the areas I could glass on opposite ridges or basins were all covered in timber so thick, I can't see the ground.
Glassing is stressed so much for most western hunts, mule deer especially, and I get it. The last thing I want to do is sit or walk through the woods waiting for the chance that we happen upon a deer. But if the terrain is covered in THICK timber, how do you glass or change your strategy to successfully tag a good buck?
Looking forward to learning from the knowledge and experience the members of this forum have to offer.
**I am still e-scouting more of the unit (much smaller areas left and much closer to roads/civilization) to go back and scout but this is still a topic that isn't covered in the books, courses, articles, podcasts and videos.
The hunt is 3rd rifle and the areas I chose were in the few spots of public, 7000' to 9000' feet in elevation, the furthest away from roads/trails we can get, with what looked on the maps to be mixed timber/open areas. However, the timber was much thicker that GoHunt/Google Earth/OnX showed. The highest glassing points I could get to were still surrounded by tall pines that blocked my view and even through what small windows I had, the areas I could glass on opposite ridges or basins were all covered in timber so thick, I can't see the ground.
Glassing is stressed so much for most western hunts, mule deer especially, and I get it. The last thing I want to do is sit or walk through the woods waiting for the chance that we happen upon a deer. But if the terrain is covered in THICK timber, how do you glass or change your strategy to successfully tag a good buck?
Looking forward to learning from the knowledge and experience the members of this forum have to offer.
**I am still e-scouting more of the unit (much smaller areas left and much closer to roads/civilization) to go back and scout but this is still a topic that isn't covered in the books, courses, articles, podcasts and videos.