Thread: Bush Hunting - tips on identifying stalkable areas

90% of the deer that I have shot or seen have been in places that were within five minutes walk of places where I have seen or shot other deer. After hunting an area for a while you start to realise where to expect them and your first awareness of them is sometimes before their first awareness of you. I have left more than a few footprints in the bush to get to this stage in my hunting career and I don’t rate myself as particularly capable yet either, but I have better luck then I did at the start.

Driving and walking to hunting spots and putting in the time and coming home empty handed when you’re starting out can get demoralising, and sometimes you wonder what the point is. If you keep at it though, you get one or two and then it gets addictive.

To help answer your question, the best way to find likely places is to use a combination of aerial and topo. You still have to visit in person to verify but the more you do that the better you get at reading the aerial photos. Sometimes it helps to look again at the aerials after a trip and compare them to the knowledge you have acquired. It’s still only half the battle, the area may not necessarily hold deer.
Areas that are browsed out and tracked up are usually a good bet. Proof of animal presence and easy to move quietly. Also good for observing what gets eaten. The only way to know where these areas are is through boots on the ground.