When is it to soon to start scouting?

[1shotgear]

I just started scouting two weeks ago for the 2019 season. I love getting into the woods and getting back into new ground before anyone else. I have been seeing lots of elk and great hiding spots for the rut and even into the rifle season. But am I jumping the gun on getting into the back woods and looking for elk and new elk honey holes. I have had lots of great season doing this and would love to know what you guys do for scouting, what times of year to scout ,and what your looking for when your out to compare notes with you guys to try and improve my early season game.

Thanks in advanced

 

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I’m betting on July before I can even get into my area due to snow pack and then runoff this year

 

[Swede]

The best scouting time is actually right in the season, but that is not practical, The next best time is as close to the season as possible. That said it is never too early to scout an area if you can get there and see the country. I have scouted for archery season in a Fall snow storm and waded down through waist deep snow to go into a canyon in the Spring I wanted to check out. I was back there before the cattle were turned in the for the Spring or Summer. The closer to the season you can get, the more relevant the information you gather.

 

[Raghornklr]

Best to never stop, certain areas I try to keep tabs on the herds year around.

 

[Topo_trekker]

Before they start to drop their calves.


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[WYCFM1]

Never. You can never know the land you hunt enough. Just stay out of winter range in early spring


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[Salmonchaser]

Yep always scouting. I keep track all year, mostly at real long distance during the deep snow. I’m in Alaska all summer so I start again in late September. The three days before rifle season are most important.

 

[trophyhill]

Never too early whether you are seeing animals or not. There are plenty of other things to be looking at. Things that are all part of the grand scheme of things. For instance you may just find an easy pack route and much more while you're "stumbling around aimlessly"

 

[5MilesBack]

I generally don't scout for the animals, I scout for specific camping spots, terrain, trails, etc. I'll find the elk when I get in there during the season. I just want to know where I'm setting up camp and then what all my options are in the unit for the season. So units I already know are easy. I don't need to be stomping around in there until it's hunting season.

 

[cnelk]

Im with 5 Miles - I scout for consistent thermals, terrain and pockets.
I know what elk look like - I dont need to see them.

This will be my 30th year hunting my OTC areas. Each year I make it a point find something new

 

[mountainman406]

I usually am not able to get back into my spot until mid June due to the snowpack but I hike in that area from July until I fill my tag during the season. The area I hunt is odd though, I only see cows/calf’s during the summer and the bulls don’t seem to move into the are until mid September. Short answer to your question, scour all year and search for cows.


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[1shotgear]

Thanks guys for all your reply's. You guys gave me some stuff to think about next time I'm out.

 

[MROTS96]

Good info

 

[westslopelaker]

There are a lot of aspects of on-the-ground scouting that you can do year round, just like internet scouting. If hunting or scouting a new area, I usually don't even get out of the truck on my first scouting trip. I will drive roads and look at the topography and vegetation of the unit. I look for old camp sites, pull-offs, trails, how many trucks can fit at a trailhead, access points, etc. I usually will time drive times from certain areas to help in the planning process. For example, a road may only be 5 miles in length but those five miles could take 10-15 minutes to drive or it could take 1-2 hours depending on the road conditions. Its almost impossible to determine that from google earth. Access is a huge part of hunt planning for me.

 

[Labdad]

All good advise and I agree you can never know an area too well.

In season pressure is also a key to success. On public land I use all the other hunters. Knowing how/where the elk go comes with experience. A good reason to know your area better than the competition, be it bear, wolf or man.

 

[HondoArcher]

I like to be in the woods around June 15 after the calves have dropped. The tables are turned and you can generally find the cows out in the open with their calves near by. You can run around in the woods for cover. I like to see the routes they like to take and where they like to bed. Generally these locations are great for the Archery hunt. If it is later in the season I look for exit corridors from these locations that they can use to safely get to their winter range. They will be somewhere along those routes during the rifle hunt.

Here is a good example of a trip I took to a new unit in June:

 

[sillystvie]

It’s never too soon if you are trying to learn the area. But if you are trying to locate cows expecting bulls to be there in September, then you are better off waiting until the cows are settled in which varies depending on the area. Once the snow is gone I would say go for it!

 

[Torrell]

I generally don't scout for the animals, I scout for specific camping spots, terrain, trails, etc. I'll find the elk when I get in there during the season. I just want to know where I'm setting up camp and then what all my options are in the unit for the season. So units I already know are easy. I don't need to be stomping around in there until it's hunting season.

Scout for where other hunters are or aren’t!