Scouting Techniques from the Experts
By Mark Heinz Assistant Editor

If there's a central thread of wisdom running through all the expertise and insight offered by the expert, hardcore hunters interviewed for this article, it is this: If you don't scout, or don't scout properly, your hunt will suffer accordingly.

Past that, each has his own favorite technique and approach for scouting up the biggest bulls, bucks or rams the high country has to offer.

Here you will find advice from four of the best - Eastmans' Founder Mike Eastman, Editorial Director Guy Eastman, Hunting Journal Editor David Long and long-time sheep hunter and guide Terry Bangart of Cody, Wyoming. Mike and guy love to hunt both elk and mule deer - and between them have decades of experience observing, filming, photographing and hunting monster bucks and bulls all over the West. Guy also offered some tips about scouting up trophy antelope.

Long is all about one thing; bruiser mule deer bucks in the high country. Bangart is equally focused on bighorn sheep. The Foundation for North American Wild Sheep recently recognized him as being among the best guides in the business.

MIKE EASTMAN

The son of groundbreaking wildlife filmmaker and outdoorsman Gordon Eastman, Mike grew up spending almost all his time in the backcountry - sometimes helping his dad, sometimes guiding other hunters, or often chasing big bucks and bulls himself.

His style of scouting springs from decades of "old school," knowledge and experience gained from countless hours and days spent watching, patterning and stalking big animals in vast country.

When it comes to finding trophy elk in such places, Mike says it often pays to find one particular corner of that vast country and make it your home away from home.

"One of the most important elements in elk scouting and hunting is that you concentrate on one area and keep going back there until you know every pocket, every lookout, every draw and every place a bull might hide," he said. "In my experience, many hunters make the mistake of bouncing around too much. If you find a place with elk in it, then you will find elk in there year after year. They might not be the exact same animals every year, but it's almost guaranteed elk will be there. Knowing an area well is, in my opinion, two-thirds of the battle in finding a trophy bull."

Because elk move around so much, even in their favorite basins, scouting for elk can differ from scouting for other species in that you should focus on finding good areas, rather than trying to home in on specific animals, Mike said.

To beat the crowds, look for places that aren't "obvious," he explained.

"Most Western rifle seasons for elk don't begin until after the rut is over," he said. "A common mistake hunters can make is to look for elk during rifle season in those big, open meadows the bulls were active in during the rut. After the rut, a bull won't be in those places. He'll find somewhere to hole up, rest, heal and recover. He might come out only once a day to feed."

Look for patches of timber in rough country, Mike said. Never underestimate just how high and gnarly a big bull's favorite post-rut hidey hole can be.

"Think of places you would normally see as trophy mule deer habitat," he said. "Small patches of timber, near steep slides, way up high, at 10,000 feet."

Old logging areas are also potential gold mines for elk activity, Mike said.

"One thing people overlook is logging strips on national forest," he said. "In most forests, it's mandated - even if there are domestic livestock in those areas - that those cut strips not be grazed off. After the lumber companies have cut those strips, they are required by the Forest Service to go in and re-seed them with grass. And that's just a magnet for elk. The elk will come in there during the morning and evening to graze on all that grass."

Closed-down logging roads are another benefit to hunters, Mike said.

"Those old logging roads through those areas are ideal for using a cart or other non-motorized means to pack an elk out. "They also make it a perfect placed to use a mountain bike to scout and hunt for elk. Mountain bikes are a great tool. They are quiet and you can see a lot of country with one."

Another tip Mike offers is to call the forest service office nearest to your hunting area and ask about the location of any recent, low-intensity wildfires.

"Elk will gravitate to those areas, because grass that's growing on a recent burn has a higher content of nutrients than other grass. And man, that will pull the elk in," he said.

He recalled one such instance in one of his favorite hunting areas in Wyoming. There had been a burn on the north slopes, which elk usually shun once the snow flies. But that wasn't the case in the wake of those burns.

"The south-facing slopes had all these great-looking meadows and sage flats free of snow, but the elk weren't there. They were on those north-facing slopes, in a foot of snow, pawing after that good, high-protein grass that had grown over those burns." When it comes to scouting high country mule deer, Mike - along with Guy and David - emphasizes the importance of getting out during the late summer. You can always start scouting earlier, but along about August, deer will be "in the reds," Mike said. That is, their coats will be in a reddish phase that will make them really stick out on the hillsides. Also, the bucks' antlers by then will be developed enough to give you a clear picture of their trophy potential, whereas earlier in the year it will be difficult to tell.

Scouting for mule deer requires patience, he added. The less you move around, the better. Unlike elk, a buck you spot and pattern during the late summer will likely be near that spot come opening day - provided he's not disturbed.

"You don't want to get in there and wander around all day, busting bucks. You want to get somewhere where you can sit all day long and glass huge amounts of country," he said.

Mike likes to use a tactic he calls "coyoting out." In other words laying low and staying put - for days at a time if necessary. "Those mule deer don't even need to know you're there," he said. "Keep a journal of where you are seeing the bucks; their movements and where their bedding areas are."

"In the high country, those bucks have a tendency to get up in the middle of the day and stretch - maybe even feed for a little bit - and then bed back down," he continued. "That's why you need to glass all day long.

Mike also pointed out that hardcore hunters shouldn't let high hunting pressure in their area discourage them.

"Most people will come out maybe two days before the opener to do a little scouting," he said. "Don't do that. Come four or five days beforehand. Find a buck, pattern that buck. And on the morning of opening day, you can be right there to whack him. That might mean you'll have to spend the night - with no fire - right there on the mountainside."

If that doesn't come together, don't let high hunter traffic discourage you from more scouting and hunting, Mike added.

"In situations like that, I usually wait until the last five days or so of the season," he said. "By then, most of the other people have either harvested an animal or gotten burned out. A common misconception is that by then the big deer have been pushed around too much. The reality is they've probably just been holed up, waiting for the hunters to dissipate. Those last few days are often when many of the big, smart deer become more active."

Mike wrapped up his comments by noting that knowing the country you're hunting in and keeping a journal can be invaluable.

"One thing I've learned in my 45 years of high-country mule deer hunting is that most of those big bucks will go back to the same drainages and basins year after year. That's why you want to keep a journal. If you spot a 150-class buck in a particular drainage, you can mark that in your journal. Three years later, you can look in your journal and be reminded that deer has been growing in that drainage. And if nobody else has killed him, you can go in there and get him."

GUY EASTMAN

Guy has carried on the Eastman family tradition of outdoors adventure centered on do-it-yourself, fair-chase hunting of Western trophy big game. With his rifle and bow, he's harvested magnificent trophies throughout the West, as well as in Canada and Alaska.

He's also taken the helm at Eastmans' Hunting and Bowhunting Journals, as well as overseeing the Eastmans' hunting television program on the Outdoor Life Network. Guy's scouting and hunting techniques combine his father's old school wisdom with his own insights.

Hunters after antelope should keep two things in mind, Guy said. First, buck antelope are extremely territorial. So much so that it takes extreme pressure to shove a buck out of his stomping ground; which is usually a couple of square miles. Secondly, even as a "desert" species, pronghorn need water, and they need it often.

"When you're scouting for animals to field judge, you can start earlier with antelope than with other species," Guy said. Because they loose their horn sheaths in November, they have pretty much reached full horn growth again by the first of summer."

Bear in mind, though, that pronghorns' behavior changes dramatically between early and late summer.

"Early on, the bucks will be bunched up in bachelor groups. Once August comes, those bucks will start to break up and define their individual territories, so they will be harder to find."

Even so, if you can during your scouting nail down a buck's general vicinity, including the water sources he uses, chances are he'll be there come hunting season, Guy said.

"Many of the guys I know here in Wyoming who have killed what I call ‘mega bucks' - animals in the high 80-inch to 90-inch range - had seen those animals well before the season started.

The law of averages dictates that the bucks that grow the biggest will likely be in out-of-the-way places, he added.

"If you're just out to shoot an antelope, then you just need to get to know the county in general," Guy said. "If you're after a mega buck, you had better be out there during the summer, scouring that country."

Regardless of which species is being scouted, quality optics are a must, Guy said. But even the best optics can be rendered more or less useless during the blazing mid-day sun in pronghorn territory.

"The heat waves out there during the middle of the day can make it impossible to find animals or make out their size," he said, so it's best to scout during the morning and evening.

High country deer, on the other hand, can be effectively scouted during any time of the day, especially when they are in the "reds," Guy said.

Don't ignore the fact that just like some people, different deer can favor different times of the day.

"When you find a buck you like, it's very important to pattern him. Stay back and watch him for two or three days. Is he a morning buck, an evening buck or a mid-day buck? Most people don't think a trophy buck will come out during the mid-day, but it's been known to happen," Guy said.

If they have no reason to, deer won't move very far, Guy said. He's watched high country bruisers that would spin away their summers moving not more than a few hundred yards. But bear in mind that once hunting season rolls around, cooler temperatures and hunting pressure often force bucks off of high benches and open slopes into the thicker timber near the bottom of mountain basins.

If the deer you spotted in a particular basin during your summer scouting ventures aren't readily visible on opening day, don't automatically assume they've blown the country. Just start looking lower in that same basin, he said.

Regardless of whether it's deer or elk you're after in the high country, always scout for great vantage points, Guy calls them "sweet spots," from which you can get the most out of your optics.

While a mule deer buck can keep himself happy all summer in an area no larger than a few football fields, that's impossible for a herd of grazing elk, Guy said.

"Elk move around a lot, because they eat so much. Elk can't stay in one place or they will eat themselves out of house and home. They will make ‘feeding circuits' around a large drainage or basin," he said. "When you're scouting for elk, you're scouting the country, not the animals. Look for where the creek drainages flow, how they come together, where the trails are, where the water sources are."

DAVID LONG

You would be hard pressed to find anybody more intensely focused on monster mulies than David Long. In his book, Public Land Mulies: The Bottom Line - published by Eastmans' - David accurately describes his never-ending quest for the next bruiser buck as an "obsession."

When it comes to scouting, Long spends plenty of time afield. But he's also learned the value of technology and "on paper" knowledge, and will dedicate hours to "desktop scouting."

"I will spend countless hours going over maps before I even set foot in a new piece of country," David said. Two of his favorite computer mapping systems are DeLorme 3D software and "Google Earth," which is available at http://earth.google.com/.

"Those programs allow you to do a virtual "fly-over" of just about any location. You can pretty much pick the country apart and find the spot where the bucks are likely to be hanging out," he said.

David notes that all the years he's spent in the field have made picking out "bucky" spots almost second nature to him. Still, even a relative beginner can have success if he knows the basic features of a good buck haunt and has the patience and tenacity to scour such spots.

"I look mainly for benches," he said. "I like to look for places where there are benches with good patches of forages and scattered pines. Also, look for big, open basins that have any finger ridges that come down and dissect those basins, and have a little bit of timber on them. Mature bucks like those spots because it gives them an elevated observation and bedding spot. Plus, such an area offers several good escape routes."

Rim rock is also a draw for monster mulies, as it affords them a degree of shelter from the elements and protection against predators, David said.

"Over the years, you learn to pick out the areas that are bucky," he said. Rim rock cliffs going across finger ridges are always a good bet."

Open high-country benches have another advantage for deer during the spring and summer, David noted, because the near-constant wind up there keeps away mosquitoes and other nagging insects.

Another tip he offers is that the best areas aren't always the most remote. Drainages near main roads are often overlooked, so they can be just the sort of place a wise old buck will hunker down in, David said.

Even so, you want to avoid drainages that have motorized lanes running off the main roads and into them. Bucks might tolerate traffic going by on a main road below, but they generally won't tolerate a road stabbing even a half-mile into the drainage they're trying to hole up in, David said.

Once mapping work is done, David likes to get out and start spotting and patterning specific animals. The first week of July is generally the earliest practical time for high country scouting, he said.

"By then, the bucks are usually settled in. You can go up earlier, but boy, those deer sure are going to be moving around quite a bit."

Like Guy and Mike, David recommends getting the best optics you can afford and keeping your distance. Even a little spooking of deer during the scouting season can lead to a lot of disappointment during hunting season, he said.

"I'm building a special bracket to mount a pair of Swarovski spotting scopes together to essentially make a super pair of binoculars," he said. "I can't emphasize enough the importance of top-quality optics. For my style of scouting and hunting, I will sit literally for hours on end glassing."

David also noted that the hunter who spots deer on open slopes during the summer must bear in mind those bucks will generally drop down 500 to 1,000 feet, into the timber, by the time hunting season rolls around.

He added that an ambitious trophy hunter can never know enough about mule deer behavior.

"I research all big game studies, radio collar studies and other such research. I read all I can," he said.

Calls to the game and fish agencies in the states you wish to hunt can help you track down such studies, he added. Many of those agencies also have links to studies on their websites. When the agency contracts a private agency to conduct the study, get the contractor's contact information and talk to them directly, David said.

TERRY BANGART

Any hunter lucky enough to draw one of northwestern Wyoming's coveted sheep tags simply can't go wrong with Terry Bangart as a guide. Over the years, Bangart has guided hunters to 99 trophy rams in South Fork, North Fork and Sunlight Basin regions near Yellowstone National Park. In 2004, he was finally fortunate enough to go on a hunt of his own, and harvested a big ram with his bow. This year, despite a recent bout with cancer, Bangart has his sights set on guiding his 100th successful hunt. Terry's dedication hasn't gone unnoticed. The Foundation for North American Wild Sheep in 2006 recognized him as "guide of the year." It's one of the most prestigious titles a guide can earn.

He prefaces his advice about scouting and hunting for sheep with one vital piece of advice: Make sure you're in tip-top condition, because sheep country demands nothing less.

"It could be a once in a lifetime chance; get in shape for it," he said. "You don't want to be slacking up there."

Sheep tend to travel in small bands in vast, lonely country, so even finding them can be a challenge, Terry said.

"Much of it is patience, that's what I tell everybody. Find a good spot where you can see a lot of country. And be prepared to glass for days," he said. "I tell people, ‘Patience can bag a big ram.'"

The most important rule to remember is to not let yourself be seen when scouting sheep, Terry said. Contented sheep might stay in a fairly small area. Spooked sheep can, in a matter of minutes, cover country so rough it would take a hunter hours or even days to catch up, he said.

"Stay off the high ridges, you don't want to spook them when you're scouting. Stay at least a mile away. If they see something they don't like, they'll move," Terry said.

As with deer, July is a great time to start scouting sheep, he said. And like deer, sheep might move a little lower in their favorite basins by opening day.

Again, if rams you've seen, but not spooked, aren't where you saw them during the summer, don't despair and assume they've moved out of the drainage or basin. Just start looking lower, in the timber, Terry said.

"They'll get down into those basins, right down by the creeks. Or, they might go into the bottom of basins, to hide out in a small cave," he said.