Scouting Deer More Effectively from Your Truck
1. Vortex Diamondback HD Binoculars - Editor's Pick
A good pair of binoculars are essential to scouting
For starters, a good pair of “truck binoculars” are essential equipment. A truck bino is one that has great magnification and clear vision, but doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. There is simply no better binocular for this than the Vortex Diamondback HD in 10×42. You can grab a pair for well under $250, yet they will have the clarity of binoculars that cost way more. They are tough, which is good because a truck bino is going to get bumped and slid around a bunch. And at the price, should someone steal them, you’ll be mad, but you won’t be crying for days like you would with a $1,500 pair. They are water, shock and fog proof and are fully multi-coated for light gathering and clarity. 10x42s are perfect for most scouting applications. You can also get a 12x or even a 15x pair, should you hunt more wide-open territory and need a little extra magnification.
2. Spypoint LINK Micro Cellular Trail Camera - Editor's Pick Part II
For the money, the best trail cameras I've tested
Everytime I scout a new place, I make sure I have extra trail cameras in the truck. I’m a firm believer in cellular cameras, and am pretty sold on the LINK models from Spypoint. I have several Link Micro cameras and getting them setup is quick and easy. Plus, these cameras are probably the least expensive of the cellular cameras that still give you quality performance. I had a guy trespassing on my property last season. He liked to go delete all the photos on my cameras. The Spypoint nailed him though.They have a .5-second trigger speed and an 80-foot detection range. I’m also adding the new Spypoint Link-S Dark to my tools this season. This new camera has a hybrid flash that can be set to be completely undetectable by deer and other animals, and being solar powered, the cellular camera can be set and left for as long as you like. These cameras will be going into the main deer movement areas I’ll be hunting this season.
3. Garmin Tread GPS
GPS is another handy tool to have, and the standard Realtree Ed. Chevy Silverado doesn’t come standard with navigation. That’s fine, however, as you can’t take your truck’s navigation with you when you leave. If you want to add navigation into your hunting truck, I’d suggest the Garmin Tread system. Not necessarily designed as a truck and hunting GPS, the Tread does some things that are extremely helpful when scouting and hunting. It has full topographic mapping and imaging, so you can use satellite photos to see where you are and where you have been. It has built-in plat information, so you know who your neighbors are and you can be sure to be on the right property at all times. The Tread also perfectly maps your routes so you can easily navigate your way back to your stand. The system also has a built-in radio communication system with a handset. This is very cool if you’re hunting with buddies and they have the same setup. “You seeing anything?” “Nope, nothing here at all,” as you’re looking at a massive 10-pointer sparing with a nice 8.
4. WeatherTech Floormats
Heavy duty floor mats are a must for any hunting truck. You’re going to track all kinds of nastiness in with you when you’re hunting or scouting. Remember those fields I was talking about. The Realtree Silverado comes standard with all-weather floor mats all around. That’s awesome, especially when the dog gets in with muddy paws. If your truck or SUV doesn’t have good liners, get a set from WeatherTech. These are crazy-good floor mats. So good that they can increase the value of your truck. WeatherTech uses laser measurement tools to completely map out the floor space for every model they sell for, ensuring that you get the best fit and the most coverage. The mats are made from super high-density materials and last pretty-much as long as your truck will.
5. Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT
One of the things that is a hard balancing act when picking tires, at least for most of us, is finding the right mix of aggressive traction for off-road use and good manners and reduced noise on pavement. Goodyear came up with a tire that does a good job at this. The Territory MT (Maximum Traction) tire is a little confusing. When I see an MT designation on a tire, I think of “mud terrain.”These are not mud tires by any means, but for an all-terrain, they hold their own. They also have a lot of siping, so traction on icy roads should be pretty good, although it’s summer, so I didn’t get to try it out.
Other scouting tips
Have you ever found a spot and you just know immediately that you need to have a stand there? It doesn’t always happen, but every now and then I come across a location that screams “deer.” If I see deer there, always a plus, it’s a safe bet I need to be there at some point. I’ve gotten into the habit of carrying either a treestand or a ground blind in the truck with me when I’m out scouting at times other than the magic hour. When I saw the Multi-Flex Tailgate on the Realtree Silverado for the first time, I didn’t think it’d be a big deal, but it sure is. It makes climbing up into the bed to get my stands out much easier. It’s also great for hanging out and sitting around with buddies.
I also appreciated the multiple tie-down points throughout the bed. I often haul an ATV with me, and the points are great for securing one, or anything else I haul. The bed is fully coated for protection and grip, too. Nice stuff. When you’re out checking as much land as possible, not having to worry about small things makes it more enjoyable.
The process of scouting locations is more fun when you have people to share it with and the extra sets of eyes doesn’t hurt either.. I’m lucky that I have two teenage sons who love to hunt, so they often go on scouting missions with me. Since both of them are burly football players, we dig the amount of room in the backseat of the crew cab. It helps make them comfortable, and it helps me to have a couple sets of young eyes to help look for deer. Another plus? I can make them do all the heavy lifting when it comes to placing stands.
Physical presence
It’s one thing to scout from a distance, but eventually you’re going to have to get closer. I’ll sit in the truck for as long as I can, but eventually, you just have to get out into the woods and see what’s going on. There are guys that say they leave zero trace of human activity when they enter the woods. Honestly, that’s impossible. Anywhere you go, you leave some trace that you were there. Let’s shoot for minimal trace. That we can achieve.
I use a scent-killer spray like Dead Down Wind when I go into the woods. I spray my rubber boots with it and try to not touch much. If I put up a trail camera, I will spray the strap down, and I do the same with stands and blinds. I also spray down the seats in the truck. I don’t know if it helps, but when you swing through a drive-thru and get a couple beef and bean burritos for lunch, well, that winds up creating a scent you need to eliminate, both for hunting and for general principle.
Again, here comes another theory based on my time in the field, and FYI – I studied wildlife biology and management in college, so I’m not too far off here. I think it is a good thing to leave a little scent trace behind from being in the woods. If you do things right, you’ve got some time before you’ll be hunting there, and I don’t care what you say, you cannot eliminate all human scent. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do as much as possible. I really like the ozone generator technology that is currently the hot topic. Eliminate as much as you can, but know that there is still going to be some scent of you in the air. If you leave a minute trace in an area when you scout, I firmly believe it helps hunting. Deer will come through and get used to there being some human scent, so when you come back later, it isn’t alarming.
If the stars align for you, and you’ve put in the work, your chances of getting to bloody up the bed of your truck this season will be much higher. The Realtree Silverado not only is a platform that helps you get the needed jobs done to properly scout and prepare for the season, but also shows everyone else on the road that you’re an outdoor enthusiast and a hunter. It checks the boxes off the list of requirements for a solid hunting truck and the seemingly endless list of options you can add to your truck can make it perfect for you.
Head over to https://www.chevrolet.com/trucks/silverado/1500 to see for yourself.
What do I look for when scouting?
I look for food sources first, especially food sources that will hold into the season. If there is no good source, then it’s time for a food plot.
Next I look for bedding areas. From the truck, I look for terrain that has potential for bedding areas, like hills and ridges, and then look closer with a spotting scope or on foot.
I also look for water sources, as these are just as important. Keep in mind that while it’s fun and exciting to see bucks in velvet, you really need to look for does. The bucks will move around, but the does will pretty much stick to a home area.
How do I scout for bucks?
If you’ve got bucks showing up on trail cameras, or you see them while scouting, you need to look for their travel corridors. Bucks get all goofy during the rut, but they tend to stick to their regular, seasonal travel routes. Locate these as a start, but looking for rubs and scrapes and trail camera images.
When is the best time of year to scout for deer?
There’s never a bad time, and in fact, you should be doing it year round to get a better idea on deer behavior and activity. As the rut closes in, scouting is important for seeing interactions. I always switch a few cameras to video mode once the season kicks in just to see what is going on. It’s also handy to make a weather log, so you can see how the different weather patterns affects the deer in the images and video you see.
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