Scouting Public Lands for BOWW!!!

[AaronBlaine]

Hey guys I am looking to see if anyone has done any scouting at sterling state forest?  I plan to go up there for opening day bow however I am ashamed to say I haven't had time to get up there to scout this year.  Anyone else going to public land for opening day?  This is my first year bow hunting and I remember what its like opening day rifle! Should I expect the same crazy crowds and get there at the break of dawn?  Thanks a lot guys

[TeeBugg]

Ill be on public land opening day. Although the only other hunters i will see are friends or family. Its odd that nobody else hunts this area. Yet every year we take deer and turkeys off of it. Must be a hidden gem in the public land.

[Elmo]

Not as crowded as regular season. I've never hunted Sterling on opening day but I've been told its filled with hikers. I guess that's why they don't allow firearms in there till Nov. 1st. Whenever I hunt Sterling, I usually hike in deep. Can't imagine too many hikers going in that far.

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[shawnhu]

Ill be on public land opening day. Although the only other hunters i will see are friends or family. Its odd that nobody else hunts this area. Yet every year we take deer and turkeys off of it. Must be a hidden gem in the public land.

Are you referring to Sterling as the hidden gem or another piece?

I won't be at Sterling this year most likely. Have some other options closer to home that I'd like to explore. Good luck there, it's huge!

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[TeeBugg]

No i meant my lil tract of public land as a gem. Ive always wanted to hunt sterling though!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Isnt it a little late to start scouting for bow season?

[TeeBugg]

Never too late to scout! I scout while deer hunting just like turkey season. Ive found spots before and hung stands and hunted the same day. Is it really what you want to do...no...but it has worked for me in the past.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Oh I scout while Im hunting, to a point. Im not going to ram rod through unknown possible bedding areas, and random trails to figure out where they go, etc during bow season though. That stuff gets done during gun if need be, or right after gun.

 

I did a little fine tuning type scouting last week and feel like maybe it was too close. My buddy wanted to follow some trails and scout possible stand locations on one property the other day. I looked at him and asked if he thought that was a really good idea this close to opening day. We agreed that it wasnt.

[TeeBugg]

Agreed. If i find heavily used trails that may possibly lead to bedding areas...i leave em alone. I may setup near the trails but i wont go pounding through. Luckily i have a few private land spots that i hunt year after year. The deer dont move too much off of the stand locations we have already. But if one needs to be moved, i like to do it well before the season. I have moved them before during bow season and have had decent luck but like you im not real fond of it.

To the op....id find areas where trails intersect each other. If you can find a food source that would be optimal too. Water is another key factor that alot or hunters overlook or pass up. Deer gotta drink.

[jjb4900]

stumbling in blindly on opening day isn't very thoughtful of the others who may have put in time scouting and are already set up............at least wait till mid day and find yourself a spot for the afternoon.

[AaronBlaine]

interesting post!  Thanks guys. I will do some scouting as well while hunting however I never go after suspected bedding areas.  I find that getting deep in sterling is key.  However be careful how deep and which direction you decide to go.  You can get disoriented pretty easily.  I found myself humping through those woods for 12 hours one day.  Amazing time however it got a little sketchy towards the later hours when trying to backtrack terrain that all looked the same.  Thank god for my compass!  Gps works there too if you were wondering.