It’s late summer and many of you have already been out scouting for early season stand sites. And if you haven’t yet begun your scouting efforts, it’s not too late to start. More good news? Doing so with help from a good hunting app can make the process easier and more effective than ever.
Say what you want about the electronic age, but the best hunting apps (I depend on HuntStand for my deer hunting) bring a whole new level of accuracy when it comes to finding (and accurately returning to) hot, fresh sign. Not to mention, promising stand sites uncovered while doing your boots-on-the-ground pre-season scouting. You might have gotten turned around while stumbling through thick early season vegetation, but not to worry: Thanks to its GPS tracking abilities, your app knows exactly where you are.
You see it all the time in competitive fishing: Once a school of fish is found, tech-savvy anglers make sure to mark the GPS location so they can return later for more fun. Hunting apps work the same way, and it all starts with finding and marking promising sign. And with help from the backlit screen on your smartphone, you can navigate precisely to (and from) saved locations even under cover of darkness. You likely don’t have to be told how scary efficient that is, even on properties that are relatively new to you.
Speaking of worthwhile early sign, fresh rublines tell a story you need to note. Not only because the largest mature bucks tend to rub the earliest (a very good reason), but also, so you can visually see the big picture that will likely help you connect a specific buck’s bedding and feeding areas. Once you’ve marked 5-10 fresh rubs in your app, you can zoom out on your digital hunt area map, and you will see precisely how that line of rubs relates to the local terrain.
If its near a crop field you suspect the buck is using, maybe that rub line leads you to a staging area several yards off that field where you can then set an effective ambush stand. And if you had no idea where that buck was bedding, now you do. Simply follow the rubline backwards; bucks typically rub a tree in the direction they are moving.
In addition, today’s apps allow you to log things like food sources, early scrapes and beaten trails. The best apps also show property lines that will help prevent trespassing, but there’s more. Since most crop fields are on private land, you will also see how close you can get to intercept deer targeting them.
And be sure to check your app for forecasted winds and other weather conditions that can impact stand choices and hunt times. In the deer woods, knowledge is power. The more, the better.
On public land, be sure to log any stands hung by the competition that you might come across. The best apps allow you to color-code all types of sign, so you can easily study year-to-year changes, or show active versus older stand sites and trail cameras, and much more. That information can be huge. After three to five years you will likely have knowledge that might have otherwise taken a decade or more to accumulate.
While logging sign, remember to answer some obvious questions. Start with, why is it here? Most apps let you add helpful notes, so take advantage. How big were the tracks on the beaten trail? Does the promising stand site hold usable trees covering several wind directions, or is a portable blind a better play? Is the area a suspected bedding, staging or feeding area? Weigh in while on the scene, when your observations are fresh.
All this information easily accessible in the palm of your hand will give you a great start on the upcoming hunting season. But even more important, when some of your Plan A stand site options fall through this season — maybe due to a challenging wind or parked vehicles indicating hunter pressure — you’ll be ready to pivot to Plans B, C or D.
With plenty of options, you will never have to trade a precious morning or evening sit for some last-minute, frenzied scouting. Or even worse, going in blind. The truth is, the best hunting apps are well worth the cost because they can take your efficiency to the next level, and help you make the most of each and every hunt.
