I was drawn for my first deer tag this year (out here in AZ) and I went on my first scouting trip today.
I realized very quickly that I didn't really know what I was doing. But I think I had a pretty productive day anyway.
I got a whitetail tag in unit 34B so I headed down to check out the area. I got up rather early and got down there as soon as I could. Most of the land owners have closed their gates to hunters so it took me a while to figure out how to get to the national forest land. After a while I got back there and my little 2 wheel drive truck didn't have any trouble with the road. It's a GMC Sonoma (same thing as a Chevy S-10) with a 4 cylinder but it didn't miss a beat.
I got out to one of the drop tanks and parked. It was in a small valley with steep sides. Both sides had a combination of heavy scrub and open grass. Arizona has some very dramatic changes in vegetation. A ridge will change from scrub to grass for no apparent reason.
I got out and check out the drop tank. Not very full, but it did have water available. I started walking and headed into the scrub. I was less than 1/4 mile into it when I scared up a doe. I didn't really expect to see anything so soon so it caught me off guard. It was exciting though and I'm glad to know there there are deer in the area. I kept heading up the ridge so I could glass the other side. The ground was steep and mostly covered with loose rock so moving quietly was impossible. About 1/2 way up the ridge I heard something else moving in the brush. I never got a look at it, but by the noise and the number of rocks moving, it had to be big.
There was lots of wildlife in the area. I saw white wing doves, mourning doves, Gambel's Quail, condors (I think), scaled quail, and lots of bunnies.
I got to the top of the ridge and sat down to glass the other ridge and quickly realized the my little 4x15 binoculars are not good enough. I'll be heading out soon to get some 12x50s or bigger.
I had wasted a lot of time trying to find the way back there so I headed back to the truck to go home, my wife was expecting me at noon. Didn't see much else on the way back, except lots of deer poo and a bunch more dove and quail.
All in all, it was a great morning. I saw a deer which is pretty good, even if it was a doe.
I'll head back there in a few weeks with a new pair of binoculars and a GPS unit. Any advice on what I could do differently? Any scouting tips?
Thanks,
I realized very quickly that I didn't really know what I was doing. But I think I had a pretty productive day anyway.
I got a whitetail tag in unit 34B so I headed down to check out the area. I got up rather early and got down there as soon as I could. Most of the land owners have closed their gates to hunters so it took me a while to figure out how to get to the national forest land. After a while I got back there and my little 2 wheel drive truck didn't have any trouble with the road. It's a GMC Sonoma (same thing as a Chevy S-10) with a 4 cylinder but it didn't miss a beat.
I got out to one of the drop tanks and parked. It was in a small valley with steep sides. Both sides had a combination of heavy scrub and open grass. Arizona has some very dramatic changes in vegetation. A ridge will change from scrub to grass for no apparent reason.
I got out and check out the drop tank. Not very full, but it did have water available. I started walking and headed into the scrub. I was less than 1/4 mile into it when I scared up a doe. I didn't really expect to see anything so soon so it caught me off guard. It was exciting though and I'm glad to know there there are deer in the area. I kept heading up the ridge so I could glass the other side. The ground was steep and mostly covered with loose rock so moving quietly was impossible. About 1/2 way up the ridge I heard something else moving in the brush. I never got a look at it, but by the noise and the number of rocks moving, it had to be big.
There was lots of wildlife in the area. I saw white wing doves, mourning doves, Gambel's Quail, condors (I think), scaled quail, and lots of bunnies.
I got to the top of the ridge and sat down to glass the other ridge and quickly realized the my little 4x15 binoculars are not good enough. I'll be heading out soon to get some 12x50s or bigger.
I had wasted a lot of time trying to find the way back there so I headed back to the truck to go home, my wife was expecting me at noon. Didn't see much else on the way back, except lots of deer poo and a bunch more dove and quail.
All in all, it was a great morning. I saw a deer which is pretty good, even if it was a doe.
I'll head back there in a few weeks with a new pair of binoculars and a GPS unit. Any advice on what I could do differently? Any scouting tips?
Thanks,