Scouting during archery - rude?

[Johnny Tyndall]

I'm planning on hunting MT rifle antelope this year. I'm looking at more out of the way units and would like to do some scouting beforehand. More to learn the country than anything. I thought it would be cool to be out there during the rut, but that's in the middle of the archery season. Is that a d*ck move?

 

[Elkfitness]

I know you mentioned antelope but I see this all seasons for all animals in a few states. It’s my opinion that’s it’s okay, as long as you aren’t pressuring animals / being loud.


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[Doghed]

^^^^
Agree.

 

[sndmn11]

Not at all. A smart guy would understand that the more attention you give a buck, the more attention it will get from others if you are caught looking. That same smart guy would encourage a spot and stalk archer to make a play on the bucks you like so you can see where they go when they run away.

 

[Elk300win]

Short response, no you will be fine as long as you respect the archery hunters that are obviously actively spotting and stalking antelope.

Long response, I don't know what units you are looking at or where you are from or your antelope hunting experiences but your scouting will and should be 99% from roads. Antelope are not (usually) hard to find and your scouting should be focused on driving roads and verifying what roads are and will be open during your hunt, glassing locations, access points, Block Management access, BLM access, State access, etc. all while glassing and looking for antelope and noting those locations. If you see other hunters looking at antelope mark that location and move on and let them do there thing, maybe even talk to them and they may have some insight on the unit being they cant hunt it during the rifle season. Another .5% would be walking to vantage points that you e-scouted that may give you an advantage for glassing, etc. And the other .5% would be learning the layout of the land and surrounding city, how far is the nearest gas station? Ice? snacks? hotel? camping spots? Hopefully this provides some insight, having hunted a handful of units from west to east in Montana feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.

 

[Honyock]

Invest in a spotting scope and a window mount if you don't already have one. Find a high place and let your eyes do the walking.

 

[406RoadToad]

Not rude at all!!

Definitely not necessary and if you’re scouting for MT antelope anywhere other than from the drivers seat of your ride it is probably overkill. Goodluck!

 

[S.Clancy]

Just FYI, depending where you plan on going antelope may be pretty disturbed from a month of archery hunters already. I would scout earlier

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sounds like I'm more or less good to go, as long as I'm not busting stalks. I really want to hunt this year and don't have points, so I'm limited to a handful of high-percentage draws. My natural inclination is to get out of the car and hike, but it sounds like I need to get over that.