Sample Site Survey
1.____ Thick willow, brush, or briar patches within
5 miles.
2.____ 20 acres or more of
dense forest or brush within 1 mile.
3.____ Dense forest of at least 5 square miles within 10 miles.
4.____ Logging activity past
or present within 5 miles.
5.____ Valleys, gulches, or
canyons within 10 miles.
6.____ Federal or state
forest within 20 miles.
7.____ Sparsely populated
mountains or hills within 20 miles.
8.____ Rivers or streams within 10 miles.
9.____ Creeks, bayous, or swamps within 2 miles.
10.____ Sparsely located
residences.
11.____ Dairy, beef, truck,
or grain farms within 5 miles.
12.____ Indian reservation
within 50 miles.
13.____ Stable deer, elk, or
moose population.
14.____ Carnivorous predators
in residence (cougar, wolf, coyote, bobcat, etc.)
15.____ Moderate-to-abundant
fish and small game.
16.____ Sufficient cover to
conceal you for five days or more.
17.____ You can hike the area
unseen on weeknights.
18.____ Black bear either are in residence or could exist
here.
19.____ Sightings on site
within the past 5 years.
20.____ Sightings within 5
miles 10 or more years ago.
What do you
take on an eight-hour scouting sortie? A comfortable daypack with:
·
Your “best
friend” compass.
·
Topographical
maps of the area.
·
GPS unit if
available.
·
Your Location Field Map.
·
Cell phone with
an extra battery.
·
Digital camera,
batteries, and/or a point-and-shoot camera.
·
Small roll of
brightly colored plastic surveyor’s tape.
·
Waterproof marker
pens.
·
Rain slicker or
poncho.
·
Waterproof
matches and fire starters.
·
Flashlight with
fresh batteries, spare batteries, and an extra bulb.
·
Canteen or two of
water, Gatorade, etc.
·
First aid kit
complete with snakebite supplies (anti-venom) if appropriate.
·
Bug spray for
ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes.
·
Loud whistle.
·
Small roll (12-18
feet) of parachute cord.
·
Sharp pocketknife
and sharpening stone.
·
Extra set of dry
hiking socks.
·
Pad of moleskin
to cover blisters.
·
Aspirin and any
medications or hygiene products you might require.
·
Toilet paper.
·
A few safety pins
that can be easily stashed inside your pack or vest.
·
A light lunch
that suits your taste and purpose.
·
Six to ten
40-30-30 meal replacement bars for emergencies.
·
Water filtration
straw or water purification tablets.
·
Small
weather-band radio with a fresh battery.
·
Bear pepper spray
(in bear country).
·
Six zip-lock
plastic bags.
·
Sunscreen.
·
Biodegradable
soap for poison ivy or poison oak.
·
Roll of plastic
to cover tracks.
·
A journal pad,
pens, and pencils.
·
If you fear
snakes, take a hiking stick. Better yet, make a snake hook. Simply replace the
head an old golf club with a steel U-shaped hook curved about 3”-4” in diameter
to the shaft. As an added feature, consider welding a 2” steel spur pointing
the opposite direction at the junction where the hook joins the club shaft.
What NOT to take
·
Rifle, a shotgun,
a pistol, or weapons of any kind.
·
George Armstrong
Custer’s manual on approaching the American Indian.
What NOT to
use
·
Boom box with
rock or other loud music.
·
Flashlights,
except in an emergency. You can’t see at night and you’ll scare Bigfoot away.
·
Big fires at
night.