Choosing a spot with no advance scouting

[OldNewbie]

Spent three hours today in a local state forest. Wanted to explore a deep gully that beckoned from the topo map. Found it was posted on the upper end, despite the map (Google) showing it as state forest. The part I found was easily 40-50 feet deep, and steep! Decided on plan B, walk a circle around side of hill, back toward car. This area is a mix of new and old growth, pines and hardwoods. There is another gully, not so steep with hemlocks, and some stretches with open hardwoods.  Crap there's the wife I better get off the computer.. anyway, I couldn't figure out should I sit: in the pines, above the shallow gully, higher up in the brushy area, above a trail where I found fresh sign, the deep gully?  Or the goldenrod patch with all the deer trails that I already sat over and saw no deer. Still hunting sure wasn't very productive today, impossible to be quiet with all the crunchy leaves and dry branches under the pines.

Am I just totally wasting my time going 'blind' with no prior scouting? 

Edited December 1, 2017 by OldNewbie

[Renegade Hunter]

I like going to some places blind. Take a climber. Find a good beat down run or some buck sign and sit down wind of it. Might be a bomb spot. Might be a bum spot. You can hunt it and find out right then and there. 

Edited December 1, 2017 by Renegade Hunter

[turkeyfeathers]

Best deer to date I ever killed was first time hunting that spot with zero knowledge on wind , trails , bedding , food etc. Probably dumb luck but happy it unfolded the way it did


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[Jeremy K]

Was there any contact info on this posted sign ? Some dirtbags like to play a little trick to keep out other public land owners.

[Renegade Hunter]

8 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Best deer to date I ever killed was first time hunting that spot with zero knowledge on wind , trails , bedding , food etc. Probably dumb luck but happy it unfolded the way it did


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Plus one on that. There's no better way to scout a spot then to sit it. Have killed and seen some nice bucks doing that. 

[46rkl]

Moving into the late gun season, the deer are obviously skittish. Areas of pine provide good cover for moving deer. I like to ground sit along pines overlooking a gully. Find good cover or make a ground blind where you can see the gully and pines. Good luck. 

[Buckstopshere]

Just my two scents…I always like the top of the gullies. Deer, moving laterally favor the easiest route…not jumping down into the washes. There always is a heavy trail at the top…that's where I would be. 

[Steve D]

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 6:00 PM, OldNewbie said:

Am I just totally wasting my time going 'blind' with no prior scouting? 

No scouting trip is a "waste of time" You have to look at it as an opportunity to get a feel for whether there are deer there or not and where they are traveling.  Sign or no sign I always look at it as a way to see new country and sometimes you get lucky and can be surprised by what you find.

[G-Man]

Heavy trail on public land are night travel. The brush too or pines by side of ravine are good places to start.. Deer don't shy away from steep areas many lie in the bottom of them or if They have small benches along sides they will bed there.. Because we don't like them deer love them.. It's the reason many newbie hunters take tremendous bucks going where no regular Hunter wants to or thinks to go