By Alex Comstock
Last weekend I was able to do my first "drive" of the summer. Something that I like to do in the summer, and find a lot of value in is simply driving and looking for mature bucks. I have some nights planned where I will glass areas that I already hunt and might be looking for certain bucks, but I also have nights where I like to get into an area, and then just hop on the dirt roads and start looking. For as much as online and aerial scouting can be useful, getting out and actually putting miles on your vehicle can be just as helpful.
One of the biggest reasons I like to just drive is that you can find a buck feeding out in a field in an area that you might have never thought of, or a spot that doesn't look like much on google maps. A lot of good things can happen if you spend time just driving around. You might run into a landowner at a four way stop, have a conversation, and it could lead to hunting permission somewhere. You can find a new hunting area, an out of the way underrated spot, or find a big buck somewhere you would have never thought to look.
If you are ever bored one summer evening, just get out and drive. Worst case scenario, you don't find anything at all, and you can cross a few areas off a map. Best case scenario? You find a big buck in a spot that you wouldn't have ever looked - and you end up having him twenty yards in front of your stand one evening. You just never know!
