subject: Preparing For Your Hunt-part I [print this page] In advance of your hunt you must do some planning. Of course, the first things to do is getting your license and deciding where you will be hunting. This is easy if you hunted the same area before and know pretty much what to expect. However, even hunting the same area presents some potential problems that you might have to deal with, such as, changes in the weather patterns or other things causing movement of your game to other areas with which you may not be totally familiar.
Whether you are hunting the same area or a new area, you should consider a scouting trip as close to the beginning of your hunt as is possible. Besides getting you in shape for your hunt there are many benefits to a pre-hunt scouting trip. Your primary goal will be locating your game and observing where they spend the night and their movements during the day. Another item would be checking or locating your camping or parking spot depending on your needs.
Some of the equipment you should take with you on your scouting trip would be a sidearm, a good pair of hunting binoculars and a spotting scope plus your usual gear for moving around the hunting area. Of course, you need the binoculars for seeing things at a distance you might otherwise be unable to see clearly with the naked eye. The spotting scope would be useful if you need to view an area from a more stationary spot with better optics than your binoculars. If you take a sidearm, you should check with the State Fish and Game people about carrying it into the field with you before hunting season. In some places you could be considered to be hunting out of season if you are carrying a sidearm.
After your scouting trip, if you do one, you need to start getting your gear together and checking your equipment. A good place to start is to compile a list of the things you need to do and the items you need to assemble for the hunt. This list will vary with each hunter. Make sure you coordinate with any others who will be accompanying you on your hunt to eliminate as much duplication as possible. A visit to your rifle range also may be in order to get your riflescope sighted in properly.
