But the off-season shouldn't just be a time for daydreams and wishful thinking. As I've written in the past, it's a great time to sharpen your shooting skills, check your gear, and investigate new areas. And while you're investigating new areas, here's what you should be looking for:
-Animal Sign: both predators and prey. You should be checking for fresh tracks, fresh scat, and investigating what's in the scat to see what's been on the menu lately. And is there a prey base to even attract predators? Set up game cams to get great pictures of animals as well as to see who's been hanging out in the area.
-Access: now's the time to break out the 4wd, quads, and hiking sticks to not only enjoy the summer weather, but also to find those little-known and hard-to-reach roads and trails into prime hunting country. Use forest service maps, local knowledge, and internet satellite images to find those secret entrances to great new locations.
-Private Land: warm summer months bring lots of work on ranches and farms, so it'll be easier to track down the landowner or head honcho and discuss your opportunity to help him thin his predator population. If he's slammed with work, see what you can do to help out - a little goodwill goes a long way.
-People Sign: is this an area that is heavily used by other people? Determine what kind of recreation they are doing in the area and whether or not it is seasonal. This will give you some knowledge of the kind of pressure this area may receive during hunting seasons. If you have the chance to talk to the people utilizing the area, they may also be able to give you information on predator movement and location.
-Public Announcements: I call this "no duh" scouting. A few years ago a friend and I were planning to hunt around the area near a small mountain town. We went to the local gas station for our champion's breakfast of Snickers bars and Mountain Dew, where we spotted a local announcements billboard. One side was pasted with 'Lost Pet' and 'Please Find Fluffy' flyers, and the other side had one single paper. It read something like this "Caution: coyote populations in the area are growing and these animals are growing more bold. Keep a close eye on small children and pets." Well "no duh" we knew we had hit the jackpot. A short conversation with a few locals and we headed off. Before lunch we had called in and killed 4 coyotes and 2 gray foxes.
The other day I was at a community center set in the hills at the edge of town and I ran across this little gem:
The location it mentions is inside of the city limits, but not by much. I checked out a few stand locations within legal hunting and trapping requirements and they look pretty darn good - even ran across some scat. So come November when the bobcat fur is worth some good money, you can bet I'll be visiting this area with calls or with traps - where there's one bobcat, there's more.
My main point to this post is this: the off-season can be a great time for fishing, relaxing, hanging out with the family, enjoying the sunshine, and just generally having a good ol' time. But while you're out and about enjoying the beautiful summer months, don't forget to keep your eyes open for good predator locations. You just never know where you'll find your next 'honey hole'!
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