Finding new places to hunt can come about in many ways. Other than leasing or buying a new tract, I’ve experienced or heard of quite a few of them. I knew a guy whose brother married into a non-hunting family with rural property; A co-worker’s family had an unused parcel that had sat unused for years; and most recently, a friend of mine bought a beautiful piece of land as an investment – one hour from my house. You get the picture.
Preparing for hunting a new property can be an overwhelming undertaking. On the other hand, it’s one of the more exciting times during a hunter’s life. Even If you’re lucky enough to already have a place to hunt, the prospect of new hunting surroundings represents a wonderland of new scenery and possibilities. That friend was gracious enough to let me hunt his new place for the upcoming season and I knew it would take some upfront work to learn the property and set it up so that I could be successful. I’m lucky that I got permission well before hunting season, giving me the ability to be bolder with my scouting efforts. The property is 250 acres with a lot of heavy cedar and oak cover, draws and elevation changes. It has favorable habitat for whitetails. On top of it all, it’s in the whitetail rich Texas hill country, so finding deer is not a problem. However, finding mature shooter bucks is the goal and I couldn’t wait to get started.
Innate Curiosity
While there are a few hunters with new places that will set up blinds and hang stands quickly with little thought, most will revel in scouting and preparation. It’s in our blood. Rambling through heavy brush, creek bottoms and clearings seeking deer trails, rubs, scrapes and other sign is in its own way part of the hunt. 
The work is not always easy, but it comes with the vision of putting an arrow in a large whitetail buck. Anticipation meets scouting. Here are some of the steps I take when preparing for new hunting grounds.
Groundwork and the Basics
For starters, seek any type of aerial photo of the property you can find. For this place, I was lucky to have the title survey, which showed me the roads, clearings, a creek and pond. It also highlighted features of bordering properties – a huge strategic advantage. This form of low-impact scouting represented a head start, as it saved time with my initial navigation of the area. It also helped me to locate three basic elements; food, water and bedding areas.
There was no evidence of nearby agriculture, but depending on conditions, many of the live oaks would provide acorns. Other natural browse and mast sources were present, including hackberry and mesquite. Additionally, with feeding being legal in Texas, logical feeder locations would not be difficult to determine. Bordered by heavy brush, a couple of long cleared sections provided great food plot possibilities. It was unclear whether the creek would hold water during hunting months, but at a minimum, the pond would, as evidenced by its ability hang on during the long dry Texas summer. By finding and surveying some of the heavily-used trails, I was also able to locate at least a couple of key bedding areas. Likewise, popular travel corridors were evident, as this place features many changes in elevation and natural draws.
Note that when armed with knowledge about food, water, bedding and travel patterns, we have great alternatives for preseason trail camera placement – one of the more productive and fun aspects of hunting and scouting for whitetails.
Wind, Sun and Stand Location
Once you have a good idea about the above-mentioned variables, it’s time to decide on hunting locations. You’ve seen everything from rub lines to scat and now you’re in business, right? Well you’re getting there. However, you’ve come too far to ignore wind and sun direction. In haste, I’ve certainly been guilty of this miscue a few times. Before hanging stands, remember
that, short of their love-sick days of the rut, mature bucks prefer to travel at least somewhat into the wind. The same goes for what direction your scent will be blown from your hunting set ups. Though you can’t control it for every hunt, be mindful of the prevailing wind when placing that stand or ground blind. If it’s a place you know you’ll really want to hunt, consider two set ups in the same area to account for varying wind direction. Similarly, have you ever found yourself staring squarely into the morning or evening sun? Like me, I bet you have. We typically don’t make this mistake twice in the same spot but talk about self-inflicted pain that can ruin a hunt. I can remember a couple of past hunts from misplaced ground blinds where the morning sun lit me up like a Christmas tree. Never again.
Survey from a Distance
Once you have determined the areas you like to hunt, consider backing off from them prior to the season and set up an observation area. Such a vantage point can help to observe deer patterns prior to opening day. Further, it helps to minimize pressure on your actual set up. This lower impact tactic is particularly helpful with bow hunting where your ultimate goal is to get closer to the deer. Note that this set up will typically be more suitable for rifle hunting if you’re so inclined.
How Will You Enter?
Your stands have been placed, bow is dialed in and opening day is right around the corner. Then, in a moment of panic, you realize you haven’t factored in ingress and egress for the big day. Considering how you will effectively enter a given hunting area is often not done until 
it’s too late. After all, it’s easy to do in the summer when there’s nothing on the line. Heck, we have often gotten used to driving the truck or ATV right up to our set ups; but what about opening day, much less opening morning in the dark? Unless you know you will be dropped off, take some time to think about where you might park and walk from. The wind certainly plays a role here too and it’s hard enough to be stealth with a plan. For each of my two new set ups, I found a logical parking spot. For one of them, I did a little brush cutting to create a hidden spot off the main road. Both cases resulted in an approximately 100-yard walk to the stand.
Neighboring Hunters
Determining hunting pressure from neighbors can be difficult when scouting a property prior to hunting season. If possible, engage in conversation with them if you happen to cross paths. Though, I haven’t found this to be a very common endeavor, it can yield a lot of useful information. At a minimum, survey adjoining properties (from your side of the fence of course!) for stands and box blinds. In Texas and some other states, it’s possible you may see neighboring game feeders as well. Having an idea of how your neighbor effects deer movement is valuable information and can be a benefit. Strategize around adjacent hunters, paying attention to how deer move through and around them. Of course, apply courtesy and etiquette, showing regard for their situation. Remember, they likely have the same goals as you (see future articles on the subject). Needless to say, getting cross ways with fellow hunters rarely yields anything positive.
Hunting whitetails requires planning and execution and by making the former a priority, your chances of success increase significantly. By getting familiar with new grounds early, you’ll have more time to do just that. However, no hunt is ever a slam dunk, so stay flexible and make adjustments as needed. You may not harvest a great buck the first year, but at a minimum, you’ll continue to learn the property and deer behavior on it. On the other hand, you might find yourself in shooting range of a trophy buck in October. Either way, prepare as much as your schedule allows on the front end and enter the season with anticipation and confidence.
