Mapping out your spot!

[Ourea]

I think understanding are you hunting resident WT or migrant deer being 'flushed' thru as the snow flies is something to be aware of.
Mature old cranky bucks will take the safest, not the easiest route when moving around.

Hunt obvious spots and you will get chances at average WT.
Want a cranker you have to think differently.

[Rupert Retired]

Sep - Oct for whitetail - The best strategy I think is wait in a properly positioned ambush spot. No use still hunting them at this time in my opinion, their senses are so much better than ours they will know where you are way before you know where they are, and will slip away before you ever see them. If you have an opportunity to get to an area pre-season to scout, then you could use trail cams, but this needs a commitment of some days and time. The best time to wait in ambush is early early morning and late late evening. Mid-day could be used for scouting adjoining areas, looking for fresh sign, figuring out better spots to wait in the evening or morning, or taking a nap! Those early mornings and late evenings are very early and late at that time of year, your "night" by the time you get back to camp and eat etc, then get up, get ready and have breakfast, and travel to your spot will be short, believe me!

[Ryo]

I use it all. Google earth, iMap, hunt buddy. Aside from things like fringes, water and food sources, south slopes, etc, the bc data layers are useful - there are layers that will give you the age of cutblocks, and the age of standing timber. These are useful, but it will take you a good while to figure out how to use the bc data. I gave a quick rundown on using the map software here: http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showth...highlight=imap There are a lot of features to sift through.

Another thing I do, though it sounds silly at first, is to use the 'flight simulator' feature in google earth. Call me crazy, but this is a game changer for pre-scouting.

[hoochie]

Hmmmm is there enough commonality to attempt to target both species? I always buy both tags anyways on that off chance.... Is there a way to tell via sign the species of deer your looking at?

There are areas that hold both species.
I was always told that Mulies are up high and WT lower. Then came a year in Kamloops area, when i saw Mulies in the day, then WT in the same field in the evening.
Finding tracks, scat etc.. and being able to tell the difference between one and other? I cant do it. I can only tell if a deer is larger/heavier than another.
If I am hunting in the EK, I find that the mulies and WT are not in the same areas. The places I have taken my WT bucks and does, are areas I have not seen a single Mule deer.
I find WT and Elk in the same areas though.
So, I came up with something to remember; If I see grouse, then I will see Mule deer, and I am too high to see WT.
Umm.. ya... then I took a WT buck 300 yards from the spot I shot a grouse

So, the best thing I would suggest is scouting. Honest.
Go where you think you want to hunt, and see what you can see.
Ive had buddies tell me there are a bunch of WT in an area, and all I see is Mulies. Then when I think Im in Mulie country.. I come across WT.

[brian]

I can't speak on whitetails, but when I digital scout for blacktails I start of looking for "interesting things". What I mean by that is are small features in the overall terrain that simply draw my eye. It could be a small ridge, bench, hill, valley, that breaks the terrain. I look for where travel looks easier for the animals. I definitely look for broken and mottled canopy over thick unbroken canopy. I look for edges. I look for open areas that are connected by wooded areas. I try to look at the small details because deer can live their lives in very little space. But the digital scouting is only ever a starting point. You gotta get in there and let the sign guide you.