Pennsylvania Game News - October 2008 - 60

eras give a working hunter with limited time an excellent insight into the number and size of bucks in his hunting area. For this reason they are effective scouting tools and are growing in popularity. Finally, for making limited scouting trips as effective as possible, a hunter needs to have good optics. I find my Leupold 8x25 roof prism binoculars to be an invaluable tool when I’m looking for deer. These glasses are TRANSITION ZONES between different types of lightweight, compact and produce habitat are favorite deer areas and should be extremely sharp images. In my early scouted thoroughly for trails leading into or out season scouting trips the binoculars of heavier cover. allow me to judge the size of any bucks I see by watching them from a live there. Modern trail cameras are of safe distance. On subsequent trips I may much higher quality and are more techno- watch the deer and try to pinpoint where logically advanced than they were even a they enter the field or where they go once few years ago, and for those who choose to they leave it. Finding a possible ambush use them, they can be extremely effective location while observing deer from a disscouting tools. tance can be an effective strategy for loSilent operation and passive infrared cating a stand site as the season approaches. technology means these high megapixel Hunting has changed and many huntcameras can take sharp pictures in low light ers recognize that fact, but by taking the conditions or even in the dark without any time to systematically scout an area, a game spooking flash or noise. In addition, hunter can become more effective by obthe pictures of game or other wild animals serving what the land tells him. Breaking can be shared with friends or hunting part- down the task of hunting into segments can ners. The downside of scouting with trail produce the results we all seek whenever cameras is that they are expensive and, if we go afield. By identifying food sources discovered, prone to theft. In addition, and then matching those to the travel patbecause scouting cameras need to be set in terns of deer, a hunter can pinpoint localikely deer cover, a hunter checking his tions that will put him within shooting discamera on a regular basis risks disturbing tance of a whitetail. In addition, by locating any good bucks in the area. Regularly go- good cover and paying attention to deer ing into good deer cover to check a trail sign a hunter can recognize several of these camera can leave lingering human scent, locations, thus maximizing his chances for sending a wary buck off to seek new cover. tagging a deer this fall. Personally, I prefer scouting the old fashI may not be one of the 1,500 or so arioned way by observing deer sign, discov- chers in my area who will place his tag on ering food sources and then waiting to see a deer this year, but I will give it my best what shows up. shot by diligently scouting and searching Deer hunting to me means pitting my for hunting locations well before the seaskills against one of nature’s wariest ani- son opens. With fewer deer, effective scoutmals, so even though it appeals to some, I ing can be the single most important prepaprefer not to use electronic surveillance for ration a hunter can make to increase the scouting purposes. Nevertheless, trail cam- odds of success. 60 GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - October 2008

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