Disclaimer: this has nothing to do with finding buck beds, sign, or any of that. I’ve put in the hard work of learning the hard way so you don’t have to. Whether you’re scouting public land or a private tract, you’ll be needing some tools of the trade. Here are five key things to take on your summertime scouting trips a game changer for sure. 1. Ibuprofen (3 for now, 2 for later) Twenty years of racing dirt bikes takes a toll on the body. Not so much the racing aspect, but bouncing of the ground at a high rate of speed. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has trouble getting up the stairs in the morning. Pop three of these dudes with your morning coffee to knock the edge off that joint pain. 2. A scouting buddy They’ll come in handy at the end of the scouting trip (about that later). It’s nice to have somebody to bounce ideas off of, call the bambalance if something bad happens, tell other people about your good public land spots, and also, hunt those spots when you’re not able too. 3. Beer I think that’s pretty self explanatory. After about seven miles of walking in circles, who’s not ready to crack some cold ones. 4. Bug spray Duh 5. A plan Now hear me out on this one. Once you get to the spot you want to scout, apply bug spray. Cuss out loud because said bug spray accidentally got in your eye (even though it didn’t) Lie and complain to your scouting buddy all day about not hardly being able to see out of your left eye. When returning to the vehicle after a long day of scouting, take the two leftover ibuprofen, and say something like “This ankle is so stoved up, I don’t think I can even push on the gas pedal, hey ol buddy, do you think you could drive? I can only see out of one eye anyway.” This is where your scouting buddy comes in clutch at the end of the scouting trip. Now you’re free to relax and drink road beers in the passenger seat on the way home. Who doesn’t like road beers!? Edit: now that I have spelled all this out, I can see why I have a hard time getting people to go scouting with me.
