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Scouting 2020

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Scouting 2020

Postby Elkhunttoo » 04 21, 2020 •  [Post 1]

Work is pretty slow right now and so today while brain storming all I could think about is getting my trail cameras up. I have 6, my brother in law has 2, and I want to get 2 more. We have 5 wallows that we found last year and some trails around them that are just calling my name to get cameras on them. We found them mid season last year and got our cameras on them for the last two weeks. Got a few good pictures that have me ready for this season. We will be working on natural ground blinds for each location this summer and hope to be ready in just over 4 months :D
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby wawhitey » 04 21, 2020 •  [Post 2]

Im trying to decide if im going to go out in the rain tomorrow to hang a half dozen or so cams, pick out a few treestand locations, and do a couple calling sets for lions. Ill probably wake up early, look outside, and decide to stay in my pajamas all day instead of going out and getting wet. :D
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Indian Summer » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 3]

Must be nice to live where you hunt. I’m 2000 miles from anywhere worth hanging a camera. Plus my buddy in Wyoming said it would take a snowmobile just to get to the trailhead.
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Swede » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 4]

Elkhunttoo: Wallows are fickle. Unless there is more to a spot than a place to wallow, I would find somewhere else to hang my cameras. A spring where several trails come together is one of my favorites, but it could be a narrow piece of cover between to larger blocks or a saddle with well used trails.
A hunter can come in after a wet place gets hammered by a bull wallowing and think, "this is a great looking spot." The problem is that it may not get used again for years.
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Swede » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 5]

When I received my Game Planner Map for my hunting area, it came in a plastic envelop. That envelope is now stuffed with note pad sheets showing the coordinates of points I want to investigate.
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby 7mmfan » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 6]

I too would like to get out and do some scouting. The areas I hunt locally are DNR land and firmly closed for business until further notice. Can't use the trailhead to go high into my alpine hunting areas, to much snow anyway. I'd love to go to Idaho and scout right now, but don't have the vacation time and can't work remotely there. Sigh... I'll just keep doing yard work.
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Indian Summer » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 7]

Swede wrote:When I received my Game Planner Map for my hunting area, it came in a plastic envelop. That envelope is now stuffed with note pad sheets showing the coordinates of points I want to investigate.

When you order your maps you should ask Ed to add the water layer. It makes all of the water sources bright blue and bold. Not only does it help to show the big picture but it can also reveal water sources you didn’t know about.
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Swede » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 8]

Indian Summer wrote:When you order your maps you should ask Ed to add the water layer.


I thought about that, but because there are so many water sources and so many errors on the quad maps, I decided against it. I have been adding some myself. I go out and check water sources. If they are good, they go on my map. Often I find water that is not mapped. Often mapped sources are dry.
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Elkhunttoo » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 9]

Swede, I agree about the wallows. One of these isn't really much of a wallow but top spring in the canyon with lots of trails to it. The other 3 are around top water with good wallows next to them. The last one is a decent wallow but one we are not planning on sitting unless the cameras tell us otherwise. We will for sure put a camera on it because we have to walk right by it to check the others.

Probably won't get the cameras up until the end of may or June. I used to put most of my cameras on busy trails and we have got some really good pictures that way but lots of pictures of does and cows. I love the pictures of bulls so therefore the wallows definitely get cameras on them :D
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Swede » 04 22, 2020 •  [Post 10]

I often post about some observation I have made over the seasons just in case someone is not familiar with what they are dealing with. Often my post is unnecessary. Sometimes the person I addressed the comment to is as familiar with what I said as I am, but someone else gets a benefit. We can call it forum chatter. ;)
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Elkhunttoo » 04 23, 2020 •  [Post 11]

933944A0-D3FD-415F-8DBC-0B350F766928.jpeg
933944A0-D3FD-415F-8DBC-0B350F766928.jpeg (34.56 KiB) Viewed 3504 times


I just figured out how to post photos :D
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 04 23, 2020 •  [Post 12]

Hey, hey. Dandy bull!
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Elkhunttoo » 04 23, 2020 •  [Post 13]

Can never be 100% sure but we had what I think was this bull the morning after this picture was taken 24 yards from my brother in law and 37 from me...he was straight on for me and he was standing prefect broadside for my brother in law, only as always there was one little line aspen that saved his life. 37 is way to far for my straight on...we were about half mile from where this picture was taken the evening before. It was one of those great mornings where you have bugles ringing in your ear all day
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 04 23, 2020 •  [Post 14]

Elkhunttoo wrote:It was one of those great mornings where you have bugles ringing in your ear all day


It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Lefty » 04 25, 2020 •  [Post 15]

Indian Summer wrote:Must be nice to live where you hunt. I’m 2000 miles from anywhere worth hanging a camera. Plus my buddy in Wyoming said it would take a snowmobile just to get to the trailhead.

Wednesday we had to park 5 miles and 2000 feet below the trailhead, The snow was getting soft. Fellows that tried to get up to their property kept sinking and getting stuck with their sleds.
We parked at 6.200 as we stayed on the trail packed snow and under 4 feet of snow we could go.
No elk this high. They hadnt even made it to the pass at 6,200, elk still staging below
A few elk

IMG_2610.JPG
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Re: Scouting 2020

Postby Marble » 04 28, 2020 •  [Post 16]

I'm planning a 2 to 3 day backpacking trip with my wife in July where I hunt in Idaho. Sheet that wrap around through Montana and wyoming and into utah for TAC. If it's still going....
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