How Do You Define A Successful Scouting Trip?

muleyfool

Member
Jun 7, 2018
112
34
Falling away from the spotting scope after too many "sodas"
means cactus in your Azz in Az!!Scope eye,or cactus Azz? :cool:
LOL.
You make a valid point.
When ur by yourself a guy can usually patch his own eye after getting bit, getting cactus barbs out of your butt not so easy (speaking from experience).
 

Ikeepitcold

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 22, 2011
10,022
1,608
Reno Nv
The thread on not seeing many deer on a scouting trip got me thinking. How do you go about defining a successful scouting trip? Is it the number of deer seen? Is it the sheer number of bucks?

And go!

I think they re all successful I guess it would depend on what’s your wanting in your scouting trip.

If your looking for deer and you don’t find some then it would be successful because you know where not to go. If you do then you know where to go to keep looking for the one you want to hunt.
 
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KHSRanger23

Active Member
Apr 14, 2016
198
79
Utah
Not being at work makes a scouting trip successful for me. I like to see lots of animals and big bucks and bulls on a scouting trip but I don't focus to much on what I do or don't see. In the end just being in the mountains for any reasons is great and means it's getting that much closer to hunting season.
 

ScottR

Eastmans' Staff / Moderator
Staff member
Feb 3, 2014
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Not being at work makes a scouting trip successful for me. I like to see lots of animals and big bucks and bulls on a scouting trip but I don't focus to much on what I do or don't see. In the end just being in the mountains for any reasons is great and means it's getting that much closer to hunting season.
Being out is a huge piece of it for me!
 

ColoradoV

Very Active Member
Oct 4, 2011
819
935
Know the "good" spots I want/need to go but gotten to the point I just cant get to them all now. I still make it a point to make one trip somewhere in a unit I have never been. Took that trip over the past 3 days and saw like 13 deer total w one maybe 150" type buck - but hey thats scouting. It was a successful trip.

It is a success if I am sitting on my pad, optics set up, at 12.5k chomping on seeds. Or if that happens it means that nothing broke, the drive is over, then the atv ride is complete, the hike is over, there is no artillery like lightning blowing up, clouds gave way so I can see, and my batteries are charged or at that point the work is over and time to enjoy it for a couple hours until time to start the work again.

I guess I consider success the ability to continue the process as the process or work of it is what I enjoy and even this year as I dont have a tag I will be continuing the process for 3-4 days a week all of August and at the end of that time with or with out a tag the year will be a success.

One last edit is that it is success if you come home safe... The big mountains are a very unforgiving place and mistakes are amplified. I had a atv roll over me last year alone, in a rain/hail torrent, and pin me under the machine. Very close or inches from not coming home and in the end getting back home to loved ones is the biggest success.
 
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dirtclod Az.

Veteran member
Jan 26, 2018
1,637
446
Arizona
LOL.
You make a valid point.
When ur by yourself a guy can usually patch his own eye after getting bit, getting cactus barbs out of your butt not so easy (speaking from experience).

Muley,been there done that over and over again. Once had a Cholla Cactus
in the back of my arm.Ripped it out with Leatherman. I only cry when alone.
I coulld hear the meat ripping. almost passed out.! :cool: