Preseason Scouting, the Key for Success

It has been said a lot of times, but never it's enough; preseason scouting is the key to successful hunting, especially when you are going to hunt in a new area.

Moreover, even when this season you will hunt in the usual land you use to, certain things and details may change season to season, so scouting is the best way to see what's going on in the bushes, how general conditions changed respect to the year before and get ready to face potential new challenges in the area.

Certainly, time is the big enemy, especially when we are hunting out of our home state. In this case, a preseason trip to the area would be the best choice but, if it's not possible because of time and even economic issues, at least try to reach the area one week before the hunting season starts and go out for scouting as much as possible before the first day.

Obviously, if you are hunting near your home, try to go out into the mountains as much as possible before the season begins. The effort is worth it!

Nowadays many hunters, particularly the youngest ones, rely on apps, online information, and digital maps to plan their hunting trips but even when such technologies are quite useful when they are used together with the old art of scouting, results are remarkable.

After all, there's no better way to have a good idea of terrain characteristics, weather conditions, and local fauna behavior than being out there looking at everything with your own eyes.

Or... Would you say that you know how Paris is only because you have seen a bunch of photos on the internet a made a virtual trip on Google Earth?

Of course, you won't! And the same occurs with a hunting ground.

It's not the same to see something on your cell phone or PC as strugle with a big slope in the mountains facing a windy day while you check for feeding and bedding areas, furthermore, there's no better way to know what kind of animals live in an area than just hicking around there before the season starts, without human presence and without the hunting pressure that probably will change animals' behavior.

Preseason scouting is an extra effort for sure, but when you don't like getting back home with your hands empty, that extra effort will pay.

After all, the hunt begins stalking, and there's no better way to do it than when nobody is around there. That's the best opportunity to get familiar not only with animals in the area but with the terrain itself.

Regarding scouting, never forget what experienced hunters state... "going out for preseason scout increases your success odds dramatically"