Unconventional Reconnaissance Methods

[dusky]

How do you get up to date intel local to your hunt area when you can't put boots on the ground and you have done all you can e-scouting, reading weather reports, analyzing hunt statistics...

I joined some Facebook groups related to wildlife, nature photography, and neighborhoods near my hunt area. I may get on some hiking forums. I check local weather cams. Looking for more ideas!

I'm looking to put a second cow in the freezer so I picked up a very low success rate, late season, Colorado B tag in a hunt area with minimal public huntable land that is surrounded by what appears to be far better habitat on private land. Not sure why I like to abuse myself with such low odds. I may need help with my hunting addiction.

I absolutely love boots on the ground scouting but with two young ones at home, a cow already in the freezer, and a wife who doesn't give AF whether or not I get a second cow for us, I've got to be efficient!

 

[RufusB.Marion]

You might have already done it, but call the game warden assigned to the unit. Idk what info exactly you are looking for, but they have always been a great resource for me.

 

[Weldor]

Sounds like a scout while you hunt. It works.

 

[Dos Perros]

If you meet someone tell them how awful you're doing and how you haven't seen anything and both the genuinely helpful people and the egomaniacs will spill their guts trying to either help you or let you know how smart they are.

 

[KsRancher]

I found a guy on Rokslide that lives VERY close to where I hunt and he drives by it every day. So I just msg him and ask how things look. Really good guy.

 

[wyosam]

I like to use a system that is pretty archaic apparently. It involves making my family ok with it (much harder when the freezer isn’t on E), then going for a drive, then a hike typically. It’s been pretty effective over the years. Could also take the kids for a drive to just have a look, and give your wife a day to herself.


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[Mojave]

A cool trick we used this season was the 24 hour cameras on YouTube for ski resorts. To get an actual weather report of fog.

 

[Marble]

My best intel has come from locals in the zone where I hunt. Seems like most people are not likely to provide info to someone via on line methods, but if you are in person, people tend to open up. If you have a friendly face and little bit of a sob story (or something that motivates them to want to help) people will do amazing things for you.

The grocery store clerk put me in a drainage where I chased bulls for a week. All it took was a nice smile, a compliment to her and her town and she wouldn't stop talking.

I met a guy this year who put me on two different bulls and then volunteered to buy my tag for me when they go on sale.

I know you have other obligations keeping you from being where you need to be, but if you want the best chance at success you'll have to be creative.

 

[RockAndSage]

Try to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

I've gotten some my absolute best scouting done for one thing, while hunting other things. Scout/hunt mule deer, find tons of quail on the way up some two-track, or glass up remote waterfowl holes filled with birds. Hunt sage hen, find antelope and chukar. Etc, etc. The more you diversify your hunting, the more you'll naturally see more territory, and get better acquainted with it.

 

[dusky]

I appreciate all the ideas, guys. I may have just one day out there to myself, maybe a couple half days with my 3.5 year old. Sometimes luck is a great strategy as well.

 

[Weldor]

Best tip I had years back was from a log truck driver. He put us right on top of them. Chased him down a few days later and presented him with a case of beer and a offer of some elk steaks. Usually if your cool, their cool locals I mean LOL.

 

[mdp22]

Not real time reconnaissance but I've used for sale ranch listings to locate areas and see the lay of the land and quality of game running around.

 

[cnelk]

Talk to the mailman.
That person is there 6 days a week driving around.
Sure it may not be right in the hunt area, but they will definitely know where the animals are at different times of the year.

 

[Silveroddo]

While hunting deer a few years ago I was out scouting new areas mid day and saw a smoker white tail buck chasing does on private. I got a few good pictures and video of him with my P900, but he wasn’t huntable. I took an 8 mile drive around to get to a public section a mile away and determined I really didn’t have a play. On the way out I ran into a farmer feeding cows and stopped to talk to him. I decided that buck wasn’t anything I could do anything about so I showed the pictures to the farmer and told him where it was. He lit up, turns out he was a bus driver and an avid deer hunter and that was a buck he didn’t recognize. He was tagged out, but he offered to let me hunt his adjacent land and showed me 4-5 other spots on public to check out. One of those spots has the potential to really be a honey hole, we hunted it this year and didn’t connect but had some good opportunities.

 

[Gobihawk]

Was going to check my baits one day. The was a guy patching the holes with blacktop. Told him what I was up to. He told a couple of places to bait.

Just have to be in the right place at the right time and talk to the right person(s).

 

[Marble]

I appreciate all the ideas, guys. I may have just one day out there to myself, maybe a couple half days with my 3.5 year old. Sometimes luck is a great strategy as well.

Make sure to dress yourself and your boy in hunting type clothes and frequent a local diner a few times.

Be friendly

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[svivian]

Pay a kid $100 to fly a drone around and send you the video