Scouting Report: A1

The Scouting Report will be a regular feature on the blog until we get profiles of each area. This week (or month) were profiling A1.

Lets just say that A1 provided a great lesson on the importance of following up your internet scouting (google earth, blogs, forums, etc.) with some good ol' boots-to-the-ground scouting. That is, it was nothing what I expected (open woodland) and everything a hunter fears (a think mat of impenetrable brush). To top it off, a swampy marsh divides the property down the middle. There are a few openings, replete with Oak trees, and the marsh seems to provide some browse that could become valuable as the season wears on. At times, though, I found myself crawling to get through the brush, while other times I found myself shin deep in a thick slew of mud.

Still, there are definitely deer there, although I have yet to figure how they actually occupy the space (travel corridor, feeding ground, bedding area, all of the above?). And in general, I prefer to hunt areas that I know other hunters will avoid, and this plot definitely fits that bill. There's also a two hunter limit. So for me, it works. Just be prepared to fight the brush until you figure out how to navigate the area. The trick is accessing the few open spots without spooking the deer. And if you figure out how to do that, drop a line the Good Hunters' way, because we have yet to figure it out.

All this awaits you in A1. 

Be prepared to crawl in order to navigate the thick brush.

This marshy area divides the plot.

Deer seen by Good Hunter two days before the opener:  14! Deer seen by Good Hunter since the season began:  0 .