How to Scout Deer on Public Land

diy-sportsman.com
Scouting for deer on public land can seem like a daunting task. For many hunters, the idea of scouting is walking on public access trails or deer trails aimlessly until they find deer sign a week before the season, oblivious to the "big picture" of deer patterns or how hunter pressure has been affecting the land. With this video, I hope to shed some light on my process of scouting efficiently. By getting the most of your time in the woods, you can cut years of experience off of the time it takes to really learn what's going on in an area.
-Wind Statistics
www.windfinder....
-CalTopo Aerial and Topo Maps
caltopo.com
-Google Earth
www.google.com/...
-Bing Maps (click on Bird's Eye)
www.bing.com/maps/
-MN WMA maps for Google Earth (click on "WMA Boundaries")
www.dnr.state.m...
WI Private Forest Lands Open for Public Use
-dnrmaps.wi.gov/...
WI Voluntary Public Access Program
-dnr.wi.gov/topi...
"The Hunting Beast" Forum
thehuntingbeast...

[@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]

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[@scottbrammer8275]

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

[@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!

[@LouStoriale]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@jme0321]

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

[@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!

[@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!!

[@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.

[@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.

[@AustinKy2323]

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

[@j.knutson3486]

Very impressed right now. Nice work.

[@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.

[@jonathanyant2985]

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

[@derekprice1627]

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

[@zccooley]

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

[@jjmckay6man1]

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

[@scottalee1]

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

[@jonathanhudson711]

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

[@clintonthomas4949]

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

[@MrGuitars8]

Great Video , I really thank you so much.

[@britonio2660]

Needed this vid! Thanks

[@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!

[@AntlerAddiction1000]

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

[@nado411]

Love your channel man

[@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!

[@jojojo1128]

Another great video! Good work!

[@jacobhopp2638]

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

[@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.

[@cnmckenna]

This was Awesome!

[@doa7189]

I always use scout look it's a awsome app it check it out

[@habitatplace9473]

Great video!

[@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.

[@kingsofkhan]

Great video

[@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!

[@ConsummateSportsman]

Another great hunting video, sir. Well done.

[@fender1130]

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

[@1010outdoorsnc]

Wind finder website looks nothing like this anymore, looks you have to purchase historical data. Do you still use this website or found something free?

[@MaloneNYDeerhunter1]

Great production man. Keep em coming !

[@bolerdweller]

Anyone from Canada know any sites like this that tell you the land owners or if you are on crown land? I'm s new hunter and am always thrown off when I'm 3 hours up in the bush and all of a sudden find fencing for private property

[@raeyymymsi]

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

[@Z33Garage]

Me scouting in FL: Eternal Summer of hell

[@rkayser89]

I know this is an old video, but have you tried hillmap.com? It's a side-by-side map website, and you can get the CalTopo, ArcGis, Satellite, Roads, and the various overlays. I'm not the best with it, but it's a handy site.

[@DIYSportsman]

+Rob Kayser I have used that website. It's pretty nice to be able to view the side by side. In certain areas where there's a ton of terrain but similar canopy it can be difficult to line them up right. In those cases the hybrid aerial/topo views are nice.

[@joshferr3110]

I am skeptical. I am fine with Google Earth. I use that sometimes, print off a map and mark my spots along with compass headings that will take me to certain groups of trees. The part I disagree on is scouting after the season to get ready for the next season. One season has very little bearing on the next, if any. Unless there is really something special about an area. I scout a week before the hunt or a few days before. Patterns change quickly especially if there are a bunch of hunters putting a lot of pressure on a particular area. Deer also change their patterns according to which direction the wind is blowing. Deer will often tend to walk toward the direction the wind is coming from. Or sideways of it. Because of the hunting pressure, I have seen a lot of deer in a spot do ALL of their feeding at night. Soon as day time came they were bedded down. Every day hunting was the same. Tracks all over, I mean it is crazy how many deer were feeding off of the acorns, all of it taking place at night. As you can tell I was hunting during the archery season. Come gun season those acorns are almost gone if not gone completely. The deer that were coming to feed off the acorns are now going to feed somewhere else. If those Oak trees are not producing as much the next year, well you can imagine that the deer will most likely head somewhere else to feed. I am not saying that your scouting does not work good for you. I did however find something that is a sure thing every single archery season out in a woods. A Persimmon tree! Not native to this country but I found one that is growing out in the woods. THAT is a sure thing.

[@DIYSportsman]

Thanks for commenting, Josh. You bring up a good points about deer patterns changing throughout the season. Here in the midwest, though, one season has an ENORMOUS bearing on the next season, even if it changes during the season. The same beds tend to be used year after year because of their strategic locations, even if food sources change. When one buck dies the bed will often be taken over by another deer. If deer get bumped due to pressure, they might move to secondary or tertiary beds. They also use different beds for different winds. A mature buck might use the same 2-5 beds year after year. The goal with post season scouting is to find ALL of the information... sign that was made in early season, the rut, late season, during the day, at night, crop fields, oak trees, browse, hunter sign, etc... The ART is putting that information to use and making educated guesses on which areas to hunt when - and that is a bit outside of the scope of what I tried to cover here. I still scout during the season. But I tend to be more cautious and scout with a stand on my back, hunting the fresh sign immediately when I find it. The advantage of post season scouting is that I can tear the area apart, kicking deer out of beds, and really learning the big picture... things I couldn't do during the season without spoiling the area. I like my setups to be a complete surprise for the deer, so they have no idea anything has changed until it's too late.

[@joshferr3110]

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

[@joehorton01]

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

[@danielmasunungure]

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

[@jimmywallhanger8402]

Do you have to pay for the historical wind reports on that website? I'm having a bit of trouble getting it.

[@DIYSportsman]

I haven't been searching the historical wind data on that site. I'll look at the wind statistics instead, which are free. Once you click on a specific weather station, click on the tab that says "Wind Statistics". The example I used in the video used data from 08/2012 to 03/2014, but it depends on the specific station. Some are over longer time periods. When you click on the historical data and it asks you to pay, I believe they would be giving you the raw data that goes into the free statistics charts.

[@jimcallahan3934]

Comment added. Click your photo to access your new channel. I agree with majohnson73 - I couldn't have said it any better. Going to utilize some tactics this Monday - Pennsylvania opening day!!!

[@HONDAMeskin123]

He sounds and shows his emotions while talking , a little but like Elon

[@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.

[@raffertyraffraff34]

Great Job Brother !!! Great informative videos , keep up great work !!! your passion shines threw !!! iv learned a ton...Ty for directing me to huntingbeasts.com HUGE HUGE hook up !!!

[@rickchurder6752]

Hi. This was very helpful! I relocated to the Midwest from the West in 1994. Back then, if it had been available, I really could have benefitted from the wisdom found here. Thanks for taking the time for this production!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@ericjudd9603]

Thanks man

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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. .

[@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!

[@zacharycostarella783]

How do I import a track with waypoints to my map from scouting? (Google earth)I'm a little confused. Also can I do the same with caltopo?

[@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...

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@Nando_knipp]

What's the name of the weather website that u showed early into the video?

[@DIYSportsman]

It's called Windfinder.com . I just found out they have an app, too.

[@IceCreamSunshineDude]

I tried looking for a california version of the -dnrmaps.wi.gov/opfl/ and -dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/VPA/ but I can't find it. I need help.

[@MichiganGoneWild]

Maybe give this a try! publiclands.org/Get-Books-and-Maps.php?cor_id=EFZApEAulpnPvtldJQ&gclid=CjwKEAiA68WnBRCJxZr5qoaL3iMSJAAXIrr30Z6Qz6oDTBsQcKa077St1ZK1uJrVxLHrSCtDwNCwFBoCZ2nw_wcB

[@timpoolsbeanie2296]

Question: do these same scouting tactics apply for all regions? One location we might hunt is around 6500 feet in mountainous terrain and another is around 2000 feet in the foothills.

[@DIYSportsman]

Logistically you can treat it the same but the fine details might vary from location to location in terms of exactly how they bed in the area, what the food sources are, etc, which is what the scouting will help determine.

[@gregorypiasecki1589]

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

[@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.

[@blackdubz]

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

[@SwampDonkeyEnt]

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

[@BelowAverageRazzleDazzle]

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

[@andrewblair1276]

Nice vid but stop talking to the trees.

[@arielsetnomariv7675]

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

[@clavy5420]

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

[@marchsoutdooradvent]

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

[@westsidewil]

What kind of GPS are you using?

[@westsidewil]

Never mind. Found it in the comments. (Garmin GPSMAP62s)

[@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

[@jmh8743]

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

[@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.

[@LouStoriale]

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

[@boomerrangerron]

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

[@LekanOyefeso]

Have you used the Windfinder site lately? They've made some changes to it. I'm not really sure how to find the wind statistic data now.

[@DIYSportsman]

+Lekan Oyefeso Once you find a station to look at, click "view report", then "wind statistics". The site has changed a little but that info is still there.

[@LekanOyefeso]

DIY Sportsman ah! Gotcha. Thanks for the help!

[@jimmywallhanger8402]

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

[@douglasalounsbury407]

Sounds like a smart young hunter who knows what he's talking about .

[@aaronavestruz]

What is the significance of transition lines? Deer travel routes? I have always read/heard "look for transition" lines but never really understood why. Also, what GPS are do you use and recommend? I almost pulled the trigger on a Garmin Oregon 450 last year but bought a trail cam instead. Now that I'm planning to hunt more public land next season I'd kind of like to get one.

[@DIYSportsman]

I'm probably not aware of every single reason why deer congregate around and use transitions, but I know that often they allow a deer to take advantage of multiple senses at once. For example a deer walking the edge of a thicket might smell what's in the thicket while seeing anything outside of it. Also, if deer are bedding in an area, walking the transition line will allow you to see all the entry/exit routes going in and out. I use the Garmin GPSMAP62s and love it. I bought it maybe 4 years ago now and they still sell it in stores. Not a touch screen but it has great reception, you can download free opensource topo overlays for at least WI and MN, and you can overlay aerial images. I'm going to be going over my GPS setup a lot more in depth in the next video.

[@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!

[@kenmoran4496]

Great video, thanks!

[@robertforss8881]

Great job on another well done, super informative 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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@mr.rogers9319]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@zackogrady30]

Hi DIY, you said your from MN? I live in Woodbury and just getting into bow hunting....any suggestions on public areas around here to start with for scouting?

[@DIYSportsman]

+Zack Ogrady From Woodbury, I'd look at both the Minnesota Valley national wildlife refuge and Carlos Avery. There are also a couple smaller WMAs around too and some national scenic Riverway land along the St Croix north of Stillwater. I tend to like the larger areas as they give you more opportunity to distance yourself from other hunters.