How to Scout Deer on Public Land

[@majohnson73]

I've been a deer hunter for 30+ years and consider myself better than average. Your style and mine are very similar except I've always been "old school". No cameras, gps, topographic maps etc.......until now that is! You've taught this old boy how valuable these tools really are, thank you!....I really like your videos, they're very hands on.... I guess an old dog can learn new tricks after all.......good luck this fall, be safe and God bless!

[@DIYSportsman]

Good luck to you too!

[@fishingmikew3329]

majohnson73 jn

[@BasicAmericanMale]

yep, what this guy said. really appreciate your style.

[@garydudley4888]

Girls fucking husbands

[@2Imperius5]

My mouth dropped and went dry during the first half of your video. I had zero idea this was even available. Thoroughly impressed and instantly subscribed!

[@flogrunt1399]

As a new hunter, this video was suggested to me before last season. I was able to utilize the techniques shown and became successful filling two tags on Florida public land. Thanks for the info and great content. 🤘🏻

[@DIYSportsman]

Awesome congrats!

[@jgeolingo]

I'm fairly new to the world of hunting and will be entering my 5th season this year. I read a ton and watch videos all the time as I didn't grow up hunting nor do I know many experienced hunters. Most of the time when I go out scouting or even hunting on public land, I have no clue what I'm actually doing other than looking for the basics(droppings, scrapes, tracks, and trails). Your video is the best I've seen online, hands down! Very informative and well thought out. I appreciate all the tips. If you ever decide to start teaching your skills in a classroom setting, I'm sure you'd have them lining up. Hell I'd come up from NE to sit in one. LOL. Great job and keep the videos coming

[@DIYSportsman]

+Jason Geolingo Thanks!

[@allysdaddy03]

I no how u feel Jason...I was raised by my mom...she was no hunter...been hunting since 2010/2011 haven't got myself a deer yet...I put a lot of time sweat blood n even a tear now n then into "hunting" (not to mention the money) n it's never paid off for me...I no I'm doing something wrong after 10 years of hunting n nothing to show for it...I'm almost to the point that I'm ready to give up...watch all the videos I can but for me I need to b in the woods hands on to learn something...keep on keeping on...I'll get one one day...I hope that ur luck has been better than mine...best wishes n delicious deer dishes...

[@xallthatremains8339]

@@allysdaddy03 You'll get there Mike. I'm on my 4th season and have come closer than ever before so far this season and am determined to get my first deer. Just keep learning and putting lots of time in the woods and it will happen. Good luck!

[@Aleval1512]

Hey man, just felt obligated to thank you for awesome and informative videos! It may seem simple but I know how much effort goes into producing videos that are clean, precise, educational and are please to watch. Really appreciate your work and hope to see more soon. Cheers!

[@dajahvue]

10 years later i am now watchig this again. Very good information

[@LogicallyCompromised]

the least i can do after the time you invested into this production is make a public thank you, in addition to the thumbs up. your delivery of information is professional and your editing is great. thanks again.

[@DIYSportsman]

Thank you and you're very welcome!

[@LouStoriale]

I have watched this video 4 times over 2 years and I pick something up everytime

[@jmh8743]

after surveying for 50 yrs cant believe i didnt use these. thank you.

[@skcuf1]

It's rare that I actually give a video a like, but you sir, have earned one. Very well done and informative. Thank you.

[@DIYSportsman]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful!

[@m4nap4rt20]

Goodness. This is hands down the most incredible video I've seen. Great job. So far you're the only other person I've ever encountered that also knows about the Bing mapping app's ability to change images with direction changes. I thought that was my little secret. Next year I'll be hunting on public land as the property I live on doesn't hold many deer. This video will go a long way to helping me be successful. Thanks!

[@neilyaremchuk6798]

Thanks for the tips. As a newbie hunter from a non-hunting family who doesn't own property, this was a lot of help. The mapping websites gave me great insight to the area I have been hunting on.

[@stevefellers9349]

Agree with the last guy, very detailed and edited. There is a lot of time involved in the scouting process you provide and for good reason. Most people will not take the time to do any caluations or scouting before a hunt and wonder why they are not successful in their hunt. Anyways thanks for sharing the secrets in your scouting. Wish you the best.

[@babamachljuhl]

Thank you for sharing this information. Lots of great tips, strategies, and the thinking behind them. It's encouraging to see how one can have good hunting opportunities on public land, even that which is relatively near an urban area. I appreciate the quality of your videos; clear, concise, well edited, etc. Keep up the good work!

[@shannonmerrill312]

Thank you so much! As a new hunter, you answered so many questions I had about scouting. You introduced me to online tools I hadn't even considered but now see how helpful ,actually indispensable, in preparing my scouting trip. Good job presenting the info in a clear, articulate, understandable manner.

[@BelowAverageRazzleDazzle]

One of the very best videos on the topic I have ever seen. Thanks for your time and information man. Seriously.

[@scottbrammer8275]

Old video but still a lot of useful information to extract.

[@kimzengly]

Very educational. I like it how you were open about some of your hunting location. You show a prime examples of the lay of the land and how you hunted and showed the end results. I love it, keep it coming...

[@AustinKy2323]

Garrett, like always you're definitely good at what you do! Thanks for putting together such an in-depth production for everyone.

[@jme0321]

Thanks. Very well done. For a regular guy who hunts crowded public land in southeast Mich, you video had very applicable tips.

[@11062726a]

Thank you so much for this information! I had no idea so much information is available. I am relatively new to deer hunting and the information you presented is going to help me more than I can express here. I almost always hunt public land and am a true novice at figuring out where to hunt. Thanks again!!

[@danielmasunungure]

Great and insightful video man..this was hands down one of the best videos l have watched as a new hunter

[@AimSmallOutdoors]

You are just full of knowledge man. There is a reason why I am subscribed to you. Thanks again for the great video. I am getting a gps soon that is probably the same one you got by the looks of it and I am going to be doing this as well.

[@DIYSportsman]

Thanks! The GPS I'm using is a Garmin GPSMAP62s. I was going to get the GPSMAP62st, with topo lines, but then I found that there's open source topo downloads on gpsfiledepot.com that have basically the same topo line overlay for free. I can also overlay aerial images on the GPS screen for free. I'll be going over both of those in more depth in the "going in blind" video.

[@SSHitMan]

Great video, I plan on deer hunting for the first time in my life this coming fall (provided my permit lottery number gets picked) and pretty much have to teach myself because I live in the big city and don't know any deer hunters. This is one of the most informative videos I've found yet! Especially since the area I want to hunt is 3 hours away so I need to take as many scouting shortcuts as possible since I can't just pop over there every week to walk around. Thank you for this!

[@CLove511]

This is me. (Except my "big city" isn't that big). I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing... Let me know how it works out for you!

[@johnthomason1984]

I've been hunting 350 acres of private land since I was 10 I'm 16 now. the lake flooded over and made my lease a swamp. so I guess I'm hunting public land now. the video was very helpful

[@noahsarklol1741]

welcome to REAL deer hunting

[@NeffTattoo]

Good information! I've only been hunting 6 years, and found myself on public land a lot. To me, the best scouting is watching what happens in an area during a couple seasons, but that seems like an unreasonable time frame, and I'm still trying to learn to approach it the way you do. It seems like you can decipher what is happening with the terrain and make better decisions about stand sites ahead of time. This helped me a lot! Thanks for the video!

[@DIYSportsman]

+Stephen Neff Glad it helped. Observations in the woods still teach a lot, particularly where others like to hunt at various times of the year. The scouting outside of the season certainly shortens the learning curve though.

[@craiglandon7571]

Thanks for showing the managed land part! I didn't even really know that was a thing. You just quadrupled my hunting land opportunities.

[@osilekpl79]

Great Job! Thank you for sharing all that great information. This will help me alot, last year I got my GPS and been trying to learn to scout the land as well, but mostly I find spots by busting thru the woods all day long. I will try to use your points next time I go out.

[@j.knutson3486]

Very impressed right now. Nice work.

[@michaelpaige4032]

Michael is my name checked out your hunting link today 6/9/2015 thought it was very insightful and helpful will be using some of your tactics. thanks again keep up the good work.

[@gregorypiasecki1589]

Super cool. I am a beginning to begin hunting deer . This is very informative and sets the tone for my learning. Thanks!

[@jimmywallhanger8402]

Figured it out. Like your videos as a new bow hunter they have helped me.

[@wibowhunt]

I enjoy all your videos. My local bow tech turned me onto the beast 2 yrs ago because of all the public land hunting I do. I just recently bought a Canon Vixia camera like yours to start filming also. Would love to get some reviews from you once I start laying down some footage. Keep up the great work.

[@DIYSportsman]

Awesome, I'll be keeping an eye out for the videos!

[@jamesfreddyc]

You did a great job on the video and while my ground (the cypress swamps of WMA's in Central Florida) are wildly different, the scouting techniques and processes are exactly the same. Most of my stands are established already but I am going out in 2 weeks as I do each year to setup cameras and monitor the activity and gauge expectations for September. Keeps me active and interested! Great video!

[@jacobhopp2638]

OnX allows you to drop pins with videos and pictures embedded in them now, very useful and similar to this.

[@Jason4Star]

Thank you for this cool video. This video is almost as much an instruction on how to use modern technology as it is to scout deer. Haha. But your tactics are sound as far as topographical interest points and vegetation transition as a means of finding markings and trails. I use technology also at the house to visually scout an area, but when I am done I print off multiple maps and bring those with my in the field to make physical markings on. Because 1) I don't have the money for GPS locators and 2) I like to lay out a visual (the maps) on a table to arrange and review and 3) GPS triangulation is not perfect in some of the areas that I scout, especially in the mountainous regions. With that said I am very thankful that you made these videos as they are a reminder of what to prepare for and you have made these interesting and informative. Dude, you rock - seriously.

[@zccooley]

Great video and great use of available web resources! Really thorough job. Thanks!

[@joehorton01]

Funny watching this now. This was your first video i ever watched. Times change fast

[@LouStoriale]

I've watched this more than 6 times in the past 2 years. I love this video.

[@jbrooks101]

Great video, Garrett. Just went out today up in Virginia, MN. Still quite a bit of snow unfortunately. Saw more deer today than all of last deer season though, so pretty pumped about that. I've seen a lot down around Cotton as well, in places I rarely see any. I believe you hunt around there sometimes.

[@DIYSportsman]

That's great to hear! As hard as this winter was, I had been reading a lot of reports of dead deer. Glad to hear you've been seeing some up there. I usually do some hunting around there during the rut.

[@jonathanhudson711]

Just got OnXhunt, it puts most of your computer and GPS scouting all in one place. Pretty cool app.

[@stevec4396]

Great Job. Lots of great ideas in here.

[@greiner7414]

Great video appreciate your analytics. I think the same way but you've turned me on to some sites and methods I wasn't aware of...Thanks

[@boomerrangerron]

Great video and lots of updated new scouting tips that I can't wait to try!

[@derekprice1627]

Thanks a lot! Appreciate the time you put into this and sharing your knowledge.

[@michealplummer8329]

This is a great informative video, I have learned a lot. The only thing is the topo map wasn't real accurate on the property that I hunt, but is good for a general use.

[@jonathanyant2985]

extreamly helpful. exactly the things i wanted to know. and showed me what i need to do more of!

[@robertforss8881]

Great job on another well done, super informative video.

[@MaloneNYDeerhunter1]

Great production man. Keep em coming !

[@jjmckay6man1]

Great video! You gave me some great ideas how to improve and organize my scouting!

[@matthewhampel1554]

This is a great video. Looking forward to getting out and scouting. Thanks.

[@ConsummateSportsman]

Another great hunting video, sir. Well done.

[@PrimalOutdoors]

This was great information. I did not know about CalTopo and that website is awesome. For your FYI you can use a free program called GPXTimeStriper to strip the time information out of your tracks so you don't have to worry about the time slider in Google Earth. I also use a website called MyTopo.com if I want weather proof topo maps of a certain area, but they are not as detailed as what I am finding on CalTopo page. One other thing about MyTopo is if you make a custom GPX file with either Google Earth or Caltopo you can upload the information to MyTopo and your way-points and tracks will show on your custom map. Jason

[@DIYSportsman]

Thanks Jason! I never knew about the GPXTimeStripper program. I had heard of mytopo.com but never ordered from them. Wasn't aware that they can print with your waypoints and tracks. That's pretty cool. The most detailed topo's I've ever seen are for Carver County in MN. They have 2 foot contour lines.

[@caesar8591]

Great video for a newbee such as myself.

[@mattpkp]

Great video, can't wait for this season.

[@fender1130]

Great tips thanks, will use this info with my new scout weather app from mossy oak. love that caltopo site too.

[@bada-bingbreakersclub9141]

Excellent video! I should say all of your videos have great information for public land hunters like myself. I'm learning more and more on how to use maps and etc to gain a advantage on pre scouting.. Would love to send you a topo map of some public land that I am completely blind to and see if you can help me out in pointing me to a good general location to start? that would be awesome. .

[@scottalee1]

Great job in all of your content... i appreciate your thought process and organization... keep up the good work

[@BFGtheAC]

Very, very informative and inspiring. Thanks!!

[@clintonthomas4949]

Wow man Very thorough lot of good info in this vid thank you

[@arielsetnomariv7675]

thanks very usefull info for a guy getting into DIY pub hunts, subbed.

[@toddmalczewski2395]

A+ on this instructional video for the modern day outdoors hunter. I am very impressed on your knowledge of these tools and your ability to use technology to aid in scouting for your next season. What are your thoughts on a drone for scouting? I have used my gps to find some really amazing places but am seriously considering investing in one. Thanks again!

[@AntlerAddiction1000]

Hey man, another awesome video! Keep it up... Very informational.

[@clavy5420]

Great video, man! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@WarriorsIntelect]

Nice video man... I am really looking forward to using some of the info. Much appreciated...

[@MrGuitars8]

Great Video , I really thank you so much.

[@markmalcolm9070]

I enjoyed this video. Good Job

[@mr.rogers9319]

You're pretty slick brother! thanks for the info.

[@jojojo1128]

Another great video! Good work!

[@nado411]

Love your channel man

[@marchsoutdooradvent]

Great video thanks for the tips. Looking forward to what you have next.

[@britonio2660]

Needed this vid! Thanks

[@SwampDonkeyEnt]

Great video! Earned my subscription! Look forward to future vids.

[@bigwaywardbill]

Good Info, new ways to use maps

[@snipergear7885]

Really good info. Learned a lot. Thank you for sharing man!

[@kenmoran4496]

Great video, thanks!

[@carolinagreenhead1]

Well done. All good information.

[@Awesome_GuyB]

Big time helpful! Thank you so much!

[@jesselittle214]

Amazing detail! Thank you for the info!! Good stuff.

[@55mossburg]

there's a website called huntstand.com. they have a mobile app to that's really useful for marking trails, stands, or anything you want. the mobile app just undated recently and now has the same features as their website were you can look at property outlines over a satellite image and click on a property to get parcel information. it tells you the owners name and acreage. the property outlines it shows are not 100% accurate. I found the property markers on the property I hunt and it's way off from the markers in some areas. but it'll give you a decent idea of the layout and you can find out who owns the property around you.

[@whistlindiesel]

So the tufts of deer fur mean its a bed? I always thought it meant the animal died or was attacked there.

[@whistlindiesel]

USwhitetail Some spots will have fur scattered 15 ft all around but there will be no blood or bones

[@DIYSportsman]

USwhitetail Generally fur with no other remains in the spring = shedding winter coat. Most often I find the hair confined to a deer-sized oval right in the bed. If it's spread around a larger area, it could be multiple deer, or perhaps the normal moving around of things from wind/rain, etc.

[@whistlindiesel]

DIY Sportsman thx a lot

[@ryanshine8082]

Finding your comment after seeing monstermax in the gulf lol

[@carloscervantes364]

I thought your account was fake till I clicked on it 😂

[@habitatplace9473]

Great video!

[@jimhenderson57]

Great How-to video. Being a computer geek myself, I'd like to see how you organize all this data on your computer. What do you use, Excel MS Access, similar?

[@DIYSportsman]

I keep it all on Google Earth, OnX, and named file folders on my hard drive. So I can look up a waypoint on the map, then find the corresponding video file on my computer to refresh my memory of the spot. I do wish I kept better notes on what I saw when and where, which something like access might be good for. But often I'm moving around so much that I might hunt a spot and not get back there for another couple years. I just really enjoy learning new land.

[@cnmckenna]

This was Awesome!

[@josephthompson2775]

Awsome video man.

[@raymondflower9133]

well done video my friend.

[@DTS419]

Great video. A couple questions... 1) When you scout public land, do you pay much thought to avoiding where other hunters might be, or do you just try to get in early and wave them off? Often times I have found a great spot on public land only to later find out that the same features that made it look great to me were also recognized by other hunters. 2) You keyed in on slopes and prevailing wind direction. Do you worry much about thermal currents rising and falling on those slopes?

[@DIYSportsman]

+DTS419 Yes to both questions. Good looking spots are often no longer good once they get excessive pressure. Finding overlooked spots while scouting can be key. That said, there will be some funnels, especially in the rut that could be good regardless of pressure. Thermals are critical on slopes because they create mixing zones on leeward sides of ridges and can take your scent to areas you wouldn't expect based solely on the prevailing wind direction.

[@dollarbillsportscards5455]

Thanks for making this video. I am a beginner hunter, hunting on a WMA in South Carolina. I've only been doing this for 3 years and have not shot anything yet. I notice you are using google earth. Do you see any advantage to using google earth pro instead? You should make a video on how to read a topo map, and what to look for on it.

[@OoLIK3AB0SSoO]

very helpful! quick question. the state land im hunting has a prevailing wind of WNW or SSW but there is no slopes/ ravines for me to pick out. The only slope available is facing west. What should I do?

[@DIYSportsman]

Just because the prevailing winds are most often from those directions doesn't mean you won't get the occasional east wind. Wind directions and hills are based on best case generalizations. In your case, the deer will still utilize the area even if they don't get the "perfect wind". The biggest buck will likely have found a bedding area that can use the prevailing winds and eyesight to its advantage, even if it doesn't utilize the slope at all. Part of the challenge is figuring that out, and sometimes it takes a couple seasons of observations and spring scouting trips.

[@OoLIK3AB0SSoO]

ok thanks man

[@B1NT1]

Thanks so much, I wish I would've had this info a long time ago!

[@adammccollough6391]

Very well done

[@Geopati727]

Well done! Thank you very much!

[@vincentorlando5388]

Need more info on how to use your GPS software in conjunction with google earth!

[@DIYSportsman]

I go into much more detail in this video. I start talking about the GPS at 9 minutes go through the entire process of adding free topo lines and aerial photos with Google Earth. Deer Hunting Strategy - GOING IN BLIND . I will add an annotation link in this video, too. Thanks for mentioning it!

[@jasonreel4801]

Great information on this video. In the words of Forest Gump. "I like it a lot"

[@DIYSportsman]

Jason Reel Glad it was helpful!

[@jasonreel4801]

Not sure if you mentioned it in the video, but USGS.gov offers free 1:24k color topo maps for download. I downloaded them and put them on a thumb drive then took them to a local fedex store and had them printed on 8x17 sheets for $.60 ea.

[@DIYSportsman]

I believe Caltopo uses the USGS maps. The thing I like is that you can put other layers over the top, like slope angle shading, then you can print right from Caltopo, adding grid lines and lat/long lines if wanted. I'm lucky in that my work has an 11x17 printer. Those big maps are nice!

[@kingsofkhan]

Great video

[@Pokemonballers87]

Nice video thanks

[@jimmywallhanger8402]

One last thing. If it says wind direction north west does it mean the wind is blowing from south east to north west or from north west to south east. Thanks Garret

[@DIYSportsman]

It lists the direction as the direction the wind is coming from. So if it says NW it's coming from the NW and going towards the SE.

[@jimmywallhanger8402]

PERFECT! !!!! The wind will be perfect for a stand I had in mind with a river behind it for gun season. The parking lots are on the other side and the gun hunters will drive the deer right to me, with the wind in my face

[@DIYSportsman]

Awesome. Another thing about rivers, if they are in more flat lowland... outside corners tend to create funnels and inside corners tend to create bedding.

[@knobstonestickbows4962]

Great info!

[@koreywilliams4570]

Is it better to take a day and just hike around or should I plan a couple day camping trip?

[@DIYSportsman]

Take as much time as you need to hit the key areas. It could be a day; it could be several depending on the size of the area.

[@raeyymymsi]

What is it about the transition lines that make for good travel routes?