Scouting with Google Earth: What are you looking for?

Hello everyone,

I hunt regions 2, 3, 8. Regions 3 and 8 are too far to go to on a regular weekend trip for us so we enjoy trying areas of region 2. The image below is a typical type of area we would pass through and be able to stop at. Any game taken in Region two has been more luck and persistence than knowing where to look, hence this post.

If you look at the below photos as an example of armchair-scouting Mule deer in region 2, where would you focus and why?

Please feel free to post images of the types of terrain you would focus on in this type of landscape. it would help us a lot.

Numbers on first image are rough elevation.

Images https://imgur.com/a/fOUHNzT


Thanks!

the same as on a topo map...I have had great success finding large farm fields that are next to big hills....I look for a nice spot up and not to far away from the field where the does will go relax after feeding at night...I will look for high spots near but further where the bucks would go...then I look for good ambush spots where they will have to go through a pinch point to get from the farm to the quiet spot to spend the day....this has worked especially well for me at one spot where I have killed 5 deer all within 100 yds of each other after only hunting the spot 7 or 8 times over the years....

Well, none of that looks like anything I’m looking for when I’m scouting and I’ve filled all tags since moving here.

IMO that neither looks like an area I’d be racing season opener sept 1 nor would I be spending any time their during the rut.

Not to say say there aren’t plenty of animals but a spot like that you will need to work regularly and get to know intimately IME.

I look for others pictures of huge bucks and bulls.

I don’t scout by GE regularly, but I’ve used it a bit this year to show a friend some spots. I can see game trails in the one are we focused on, so I’d look for that sort of thing.

This is what I am trying to figure out as well. Wouldn’t you be looking more for blacktail habitat in region 2? I’m trying to look at GE for spots in region 2 but since I’m just starting, it all kind of looks the same. Went and explored some spots and barely found any droppings, swung by an impromptu gun range and just over a knoll and in a dip not 150 yards away found many droppings and several tracks. Going out this weekend but literally it’s just hiking and spending the night down an old logging road in the pouring rain after the road has been deactivated so hopefully no one has been up there in a while and it leads somewhere cool

I'm hunting in areas where there are no farms. Heavily forested with some cut blocks and logging roads.

What are you looking for in these situations?

Hiking is expected.

Here is another area I'm looking at inspecting.

https://imgur.com/a/AgXl8m3

Thoughts on this?

My take on this is: The "principle" of what you are looking for are always very similar:
You want to look for food/water sources with secure access (for the deer) and nearby safe bedding areas and habitats that are likely for deer at a certain time of year.

Now, how this looks like in practicality differs from area to area. E.g. farmland is a perfect food source (safe, the buggers know that!), and if you are adjacent to heavy forrest, that's very safe to get to.
In your case, older(!) cutblocks (you can go back in history on GE) can provide good food sources, old growth forrests as well.

You should also keep an eye out for "where so I set up"? Can I get in and out of my ambush/stand, etc in the morning/afternoon without spooking the deer? On-site knowledge of predominant wind directions, thermals, etc helps.

Meateater had a good episode on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAQeCZsb4Fo - again, look for the principles applied, not try and apply this exactly as shown.

And there are good resources on food sources, habitat preferences ,etc, for example
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/muledeer.pdf
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documen...20US%20border.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lugg

I'm hunting in areas where there are no farms. Heavily forested with some cut blocks and logging roads.

What are you looking for in these situations?

Hiking is expected.

Here is another area I'm looking at inspecting.

https://imgur.com/a/AgXl8m3

Thoughts on this?

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That's looks like a beautiful spot to hike thru if anything. I would give that spot a chance. You easily sit on the top of valley there and glass all day.

One thing I've found when E scouting is that Google earth underestimates hills some times. I've scouted some spots where I thought I could climb up and glass but when I get there the trees are way above my sightline or the mountain I thought I was climbing turned out to be a small hill.

Think about it this way, go out, scout, find the animal of your choosing, note the habitat (not just the topography), access, water etc and "then" go to Google earth and find similar scenarios. And investigate again to confirm your findings.