Google Earth and Scouting
05-24-2007, 10:21 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NW Montana / SW Alberta Rockies
Posts: 3,258
RE: Google Earth and Scouting
I use gogglemaps and depending on the loction you can zoom close right in on it.
I found a way in to my hunting spot this year by cutting a few hours by using the satelite. I also use it to zoom in on fishing spots that I'm going fishing at down south and it seems like I can tell my brother more about his back yard than he can.Ya gotta love it.
Bobby
I found a way in to my hunting spot this year by cutting a few hours by using the satelite. I also use it to zoom in on fishing spots that I'm going fishing at down south and it seems like I can tell my brother more about his back yard than he can.Ya gotta love it.
Bobby
05-31-2007, 09:36 AM
#16
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 599
RE: Google Earth and Scouting
I've used it a lot. Resolution seems to vary a lot depending on the particular quadrangle you are in.
All told, IMHOit is a great place to start, but that is about it.
Next step is pulling the same area up on Topo! mapping software (or equivalent)and dropping in destination and route waypoints and uploading same into the GPS.
The preliminary physical scoutingstep is actually getting to the area and putting boots (or hooves) on the ground and scouting it out to see ifthe "waypointed routes & destinations"are really as "elky" asthey looked digitally (water, grass, cover types, sign). Record thereal liferoutes and waypoints and make notations. Download the "real stuff" from GPS into Topo! clean it up, route it, label it, print out the maps, then upload the revised waypoint and route information back into the GPS.
The final physical scouting step is to check out your areas in the days before the season. [Be sure to have mapped out and scouted more than one area (drainage)in the same locale during your preliminary scouting]. Unlike deer thatseldom stray far from home, if the elk aren't there, then they just aren't there and you may have to abandon your "favorite" area fora "less favorite" area where the elk are actuallyhanging outjust prior to the season opener.
If I was in a pinch, I'd trade a couple days of hunting on the back end of the season for a couple days of final scouting on the front end (though best to have both) so as to be truly ready to "play ball" on the opening morning of the season.
The GPS work and the finalphysical scoutingallows you in the hours of darknessprior to the season opener (unless you are already in your spike camp) to work your way back in to the "really likely success areas" which are often miles and miles from base camp andallows you to travel in the dark (or bad weather) both ways to be in position where and when it REALLY counts. The final scouting days before the opening morning are crucial IMHO (and allow you to place a spike camp closer to the action for convenience and shelter insurance).
Again, Google Earth may be good place to start, but is not the place to finish, with one exception, after the season is over it is kind of fun to revisit where you were and re-live the whole thing....interesting how the images hold lots more character and meaning AFTER you've been there and done the hunt.
All told, IMHOit is a great place to start, but that is about it.
Next step is pulling the same area up on Topo! mapping software (or equivalent)and dropping in destination and route waypoints and uploading same into the GPS.
The preliminary physical scoutingstep is actually getting to the area and putting boots (or hooves) on the ground and scouting it out to see ifthe "waypointed routes & destinations"are really as "elky" asthey looked digitally (water, grass, cover types, sign). Record thereal liferoutes and waypoints and make notations. Download the "real stuff" from GPS into Topo! clean it up, route it, label it, print out the maps, then upload the revised waypoint and route information back into the GPS.
The final physical scouting step is to check out your areas in the days before the season. [Be sure to have mapped out and scouted more than one area (drainage)in the same locale during your preliminary scouting]. Unlike deer thatseldom stray far from home, if the elk aren't there, then they just aren't there and you may have to abandon your "favorite" area fora "less favorite" area where the elk are actuallyhanging outjust prior to the season opener.
If I was in a pinch, I'd trade a couple days of hunting on the back end of the season for a couple days of final scouting on the front end (though best to have both) so as to be truly ready to "play ball" on the opening morning of the season.
The GPS work and the finalphysical scoutingallows you in the hours of darknessprior to the season opener (unless you are already in your spike camp) to work your way back in to the "really likely success areas" which are often miles and miles from base camp andallows you to travel in the dark (or bad weather) both ways to be in position where and when it REALLY counts. The final scouting days before the opening morning are crucial IMHO (and allow you to place a spike camp closer to the action for convenience and shelter insurance).
Again, Google Earth may be good place to start, but is not the place to finish, with one exception, after the season is over it is kind of fun to revisit where you were and re-live the whole thing....interesting how the images hold lots more character and meaning AFTER you've been there and done the hunt.
