Backup hunting locations, as we talked about on the podcast Tuesday, are great for when you’re hunting an area you know well, but essential for when you're in an area you’ve never been to.⁠⠀

A few years ago, Jared was out on a solo backcountry whitetail hunt where we had scouted a few areas that he liked on an ariel map on his phone. He plotted where he wanted to camp and a few promising spots within a mile walking distance of camp and headed out.

When he arrived at his camp destination and started speed scouting through the areas he plotted, almost half of the locations were bone cold of any deer sign. And that's the key here!⁠⠀ ⁠⠀

"Hunting the sign! Not the woods"

Too many times hunters will hunt in an area where it "looks awesome" rather than hunting the fresh deer sign. Don't get sucked into that glamourous field edge or funnel if there isn't any fresh sign. Just because the spot looks like the best, doesn't necessarily mean there are deer there. You may have to amend your original plans if this happens.⁠

Don't be afraid to move if you have to either. Some hunters get tuned into one specific area to hunt that they fail to adapt to what actually is going on. If there's no fresh sign, go onto the next area. There are thousands on acres of public land out there. Have 2-3 circles on your map each containing a few huntable locations within the circles.

That way, if you find one of your circled areas to be a complete bust, you still have a back-ups for your back-ups.

#strengthenyourhunt⁠