This tip may not help everyone, but it will help some of you dramatically. Literally may change your scouting forever. Sorry its a long post but it's worth it.
Google Maps. It's free. They have satellite images; and much different than one you buy like a poster. Unfortunately it depends on where you live, that will dictate clarity of imagery. But where I hunt is semi urban (public land set aside in increasingly urban areas)and the images are clear enough to see different color cars parked in your driveway. Seriously. Try it.
I hunt public land from 17,000 acres to over 50,000 acres as well as smaller public lands with tricky property boundaries bordered by parks. The zoom capability to see objects as small as cars is unbelievably useful when trying to find areas isolated from hunters and far from parking but with easy foot access. Also making sure my spots aren't near a road or trail I don't know about that might spook deer.
It would not be impossible but it would literally take years of grid style foot work and note taking though thicket to do what those maps can. You can find one oak in a stand of pines, determine soil lines to see what will grow where, duck ponds in the middle of the woods, find higher elevation in swamps. Everything you could want really. If you hunt out of state I can't even imagine how useful it would be to scout from home.
The next step is to go and locate the prime areas you hunt, mature oaks, permission, hickory, different aged pines, open spots in the woods, etc. There are about six different useful zoom levels. Use ALL of them. Study the canopy of what you want to hunt. Every time you zoom you can find different types of edge habitat, funnels, etc. that will draw deer, and if your quality is good enough on a higher zoom you can even see heavily used trails like pigs make. On lower zooms you can find different types of edges of forest canopy.
The trick is to learn all the different canopy types so you can distinguish what you want to know. Young understory from old, thicket from grass, the different types of trees in your area. You get the picture. Go there on foot first and then study it VERY WELL until you can identify it. All trees will look different. Oak from pine, grass from thicket, etc. At first it seems daunting but its actually pretty easy. And once you know how to do it you know exactly what every square acre of habitat looks like without having to go there.
It's still very much fair chase. You can't see rub lines or deer paths or anything like that. But you can see what type of habitat is where, funnels and the like, and other useful info. And when you get there on foot you make your strategy from there.
I hunt the jungle like swamps of south Louisiana and its very impenetrable at points. You have to know where you're going in it. Wandering roving scouting is pretty much impossible in deciding a spot when you have 80,000 acres or so you hunt.
I really only tell you guys this tip because you're mostly traditional. A rifle hunter with friends and time on his hands could really abuse an area like this.
Topic: Share A "TIP" (Read 6576 times)
