Many hunters stick to their favorite hunting spots. They rely on the fact that they know those spots inside out and own them! You indeed need time to learn a site, but if it’s like your home turf, anyone could make the same choices as you and shoot there too. You should challenge yourself outside of your comfort zone and visit new places regularly. If you don’t force yourself out of your routine, other hunters will catch up with you sooner or later.
Be Flexible
We tend to be very picky about our choices for shooting locations. We might reject a place just because we think it looks dull or uninteresting from the outside – never mind what can be done with it once we’re out on the field! Sometimes, we will refuse to shoot in a new location because it’s too far away from our home turf. Sure, if you want to maximize your chance of success, you should stick with what you know previously, but don’t be afraid to try new spots! There are plenty of public areas that offer hunting opportunities for novices and pros alike.
Know Your Available Tools
One reason why so many hunters prefer familiar areas is easy accessibility. Going there means only dealing with the specific means of transportation they use regularly or have readily available at their disposal. You might have a favorite trail bike parked in the garage all year round, but do you have a boat? If so, look for spots that are accessible via water! A location might be inaccessible by land, even if it’s close to your home turf. You can’t expect to take all kinds of vehicles everywhere, so be open-minded and try out new means of transportation if necessary.
Scout Ahead
If you want to get the maximum out of your hunts in unfamiliar regions, you should scout ahead before shooting days. Depending on how far away the spot is from familiar territory, there might also be other costs involved. Even so, good reconnaissance will pay off in spades later down the line! Showing up at a new spot with no idea of what’s waiting for you might cause some trouble and will result in losing out on a trophy kill.
Spend Time Planning
Use the internet to your benefit: look for photos and footage taken at hunting spots before going there yourself. This is especially helpful when scouting ahead; by looking at pictures of live animals that were shot on-site, you can determine whether or not it would be worth your time to visit such a location. Hunting distant areas will most certainly require more preparation than simply showing up there, but it is always worth it when the desired trophy is abundant enough in numbers.
Final Words
After reading this article, you should better understand optimizing a new hunting spot. You can also use these tips when looking for other outdoor adventures like camping or fishing. Now that you grasp what to look out for in your new hunting ground, it’s time to start packing up and heading out! Be sure not to forget anything important before leaving home because if there is one thing we learned from our research of hunters, they are all different, so their needs will be too! Happy Hunting!