After work on Friday, I headed East down I-40 towards good ol' Raleigh, NC to meet up with Paul. Beers were drank, venison burgers were eaten and laughs were had at The Hangover II. Then it was time to get a little rest before our early morning appointment with Mother Nature.
We had planned this all out a few weeks ago: I'd come in for the night so we could hit the woods to scout an area of Butner-Falls of Neuse Gamelands where Paul was fortunate enough to use a bow and harvest his first North Carolina whitetail last September, a gorgeous doe (who was delicious as could be last night). With the morning dew still hanging on every blade of grass, we set out down the dirt road towards the area we hunted last year. You see, we had never even been in the area until just a few hours before Paul shot last year. We technically hunted the place sight unseen, using Google Earth to pinpoint places to "scout" as we went in for the afternoon hunt. Fast forward to this morning and our goal was simple: Head towards a large creek and scout every acre of woods and bottom lands in that area as possible. And scout it we did. All while fighting horse flies and using my Go Pro HD Hero to film as much as I could.
We ended up putting 10 waypoints into our buddy Chris', who we forced to join us (ok, so maybe we didn't force him but we strongly encouraged him to put some miles on his boots), GPS. From a swamp to a waterhole, oak flats to creek bottoms, we found enough places that we could basically never hunt another area this upcoming season and still not look at the same trail twice. Some of you might think, "June? Why are you scouting in June? North Carolina's season doesn't even start until September!". Well the main reason for us being out there today was just to get outdoors and enjoy doing something we love. Plus it's a great time to get ready for the season without being rushed, being afraid of pushing deer out of an area and also finding those spots well off the beaten path. The next trip in July will be to set some stands (yes it is legal, with restrictions) and put out a trail camera. Until then we just have to live with the early stages of hunting fever setting in.
-C.B.
We had planned this all out a few weeks ago: I'd come in for the night so we could hit the woods to scout an area of Butner-Falls of Neuse Gamelands where Paul was fortunate enough to use a bow and harvest his first North Carolina whitetail last September, a gorgeous doe (who was delicious as could be last night). With the morning dew still hanging on every blade of grass, we set out down the dirt road towards the area we hunted last year. You see, we had never even been in the area until just a few hours before Paul shot last year. We technically hunted the place sight unseen, using Google Earth to pinpoint places to "scout" as we went in for the afternoon hunt. Fast forward to this morning and our goal was simple: Head towards a large creek and scout every acre of woods and bottom lands in that area as possible. And scout it we did. All while fighting horse flies and using my Go Pro HD Hero to film as much as I could.
We ended up putting 10 waypoints into our buddy Chris', who we forced to join us (ok, so maybe we didn't force him but we strongly encouraged him to put some miles on his boots), GPS. From a swamp to a waterhole, oak flats to creek bottoms, we found enough places that we could basically never hunt another area this upcoming season and still not look at the same trail twice. Some of you might think, "June? Why are you scouting in June? North Carolina's season doesn't even start until September!". Well the main reason for us being out there today was just to get outdoors and enjoy doing something we love. Plus it's a great time to get ready for the season without being rushed, being afraid of pushing deer out of an area and also finding those spots well off the beaten path. The next trip in July will be to set some stands (yes it is legal, with restrictions) and put out a trail camera. Until then we just have to live with the early stages of hunting fever setting in.
-C.B.
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