Scouting: Indications of an area being hunted or overlooked

[Poser]

When you're checking out new areas, particularly when you're looking for areas that are overlooked for various reasons, do you find it relatively easy to determine whether or not an area is receiving regular hunting pressure?

-no fire rings
-no cairns
- no stonemasonry windbreaks at the obvious glassing areas
-no flagging or bright eyes
-no trimmed limbs or cut logs
-no stacks of timber for wall tent structure
-no trash or shell casings
-no bones/skulls wedged in tree/limb forks
-no horse tack laying around
-no horse poop

You go into an area and see no sign that anyone has been there in a long time, do you find that reliably translates into not seeing anyone there during hunting season?

Likewise, do you find it relatively easy to determine that an area is being actively hunted or not?

Seems to me that any area to that is getting even somewhat regular use by people/hunters possesses all of the predictable sign in all of the predictable locations. Do you find empirical consistency in that observation?

 

[Jimmy]

Seems pretty easy to tell, if you're hiking around and cover a decent amount of ground.

Not many places get no people, I'd settle for few people.

 

[Stalker69]

When we leave a camp site, other then maybe the grass being bent down if one or all of our tents were on a patch of it. And iam sure that grass grows right back shortly after we leave. But that's the only thing we leave as evidence we were there.

 

[Poser]

When we leave a camp site, other then maybe the grass being bent down if one or all of our tents were on a patch of it. And iam sure that grass grows right back shortly after we leave. But that's the only thing we leave as evidence we were there.

Same. How much of an exception do you expect this is?

 

[TaperPin]

Your list reminded me of some scene from Game Of Thrones. Throw in a burned down lodge, some goat bones eaten by dragons, a few Wildlings, a Whitewalker, one of those curved swords the horse guys liked, and some rusty armor.

If you thought it looked like a good hunting spot, 20 other guys each year think the same thing. Only half will visit in the summer and a few will hunt it. Gone are the days when a small tent is rarely seen in remote areas. Also as rare are guys who know enough to not camp out in the middle of a big open bowl that actually contained big deer a few weeks prior.

 

[cnelk]

Rarely do I hunt from where I camp so there wouldnt be hardly any evidence where I hunt.

 

[Stalker69]

Same. How much of an exception do you expect this is?

Most likely, pretty rare. Should be the norm though. The best way, is to get as far from roads, trail heads in the roughest country you can find. Wilderness areas up your odds also. But this Seems to be the best way to be alone. Still not a guarantee, but as good as it gets, most of the time.

 

[Poser]

Most likely, pretty rare. Should be the norm though. The best way, is to get as far from roads, trail heads in the roughest country you can find. Wilderness areas up your odds also. But this Seems to be the best way to be alone. Still not a guarantee, but as good as it gets, most of the time.

I’ve done the “deep and steep” extensively. Lately, I’ve been looking into more “overlooked” areas that may be too obvious for many hunters to consider and I’ve been turning up more and more of such locations. Made a play on two of them opening weekend of archery season last year and was immediately in elk with no hunters. Some of these locations I’ve been keeping tabs on, going out there multiple times during the summer and fall, seeing no hunters and finding no evidence of hunters being in or around there. Not giving up the steep and deep anytime soon because I enjoy that, options are nice, but also developing the skill to find such spots on the map, go out there and find little no evidence of human activity.

 

[Yoder]

This advice is more for whitetail hunters. How many times have you scouted a new area and found amazing sign right near the road or access areas? I used to notice it and keep on walking at least a half mile before I would even consider hunting there. The sign is there for a reason. Now, most of my best hunting spots are within 200 yards of major roads. My biggest buck to date, died within sight of the road. Anymore I look at areas and when I see something that makes me question, what kind of idiot would hunt there? That's where I look.

 

[LostArra]

This advice is more for whitetail hunters. How many times have you scouted a new area and found amazing sign right near the road or access areas? I used to notice it and keep on walking at least a half mile before I would even consider hunting there. The sign is there for a reason. Now, most of my best hunting spots are within 200 yards of major roads. My biggest buck to date, died within sight of the road. Anymore I look at areas and when I see something that makes me question, what kind of idiot would hunt there? That's where I look.

Some of the deer studies using GPS collars are pretty amazing. They show changes in deer movements beginning the day before the season opener. The studies I saw were in Pennsylvania (rifle season).

 

[JF_Idaho]

I'm always amazed at how when you're way deep in the wilderness, you're never more than a couple hundred yards away from an old dilapidated Coors can.

 

[JohnnyB]

I'm always amazed at how when you're way deep in the wilderness, you're never more than a couple hundred yards away from an old dilapidated Coors can.

Very true. I love finding arrowheads but nothing beats a faded Coors pull tab can.