This question came from the "How Early Do You Set Up Camp" thread. Many posters suggested scouting immediately before the season is bad.
My question is how do you know where to go opening morning if you don't do some scouting/recon before the season starts? We've hunted the same unit, same area for about seven years (changed last year) and know the area extremely well. That being said, it's still about 24 square miles with a six square mile sweet spot. Even narrowed down, six square miles is a LOT of land. We generally very quietly, stealthily walk during midday hours to look for fresh sign. If we get into fresh sign or animals we back away or watch at a distance. We might glass during dusk.
We have found remote camps in the woods that precluded us from considering that location as a hunting spot...or anywhere around it. Not because someone else claimed the territory, but we could often smell the campfire/food that was cooked there. And if we knew hunters were there, so did the animals. Not to mention the noise in a typical camp.
We have also walked proven areas and wallows only to find zero sign of animals in the previous month. And the last year we scouted/hunted that area, 2020, revealed wind devastated land scape that took an honest 50% of the trees down in a mangled anti-tank hedgehog array so thick it was literally impossible to walk through or over. In some valleys the trees were stacked 15' tall. No exaggeration. Not even possible for an elk to walk through, let alone hunt. If we showed up the night before and didn't scout, we'd have lost two days trying to figure out where to hunt. Not that it mattered too much, the animal patterns were so messed up, I think we saw only three bulls the entire season - and we had cow tags.
I understand trying not to disturb the animals, but unless you have an archery tag and unlimited vacation, your season is short 5-9 days for most of CO. I think it's prudent to spend some stealthy time in the woods prior to opening morning.
