Technology has changed so much about our lives, both in good ways and bad ways depending upon your point of view. Everyone is much more connected nowadays and technology pervades every part of our lives, including hunting. We have cellular trail cams, handheld GPS, cell phone apps, e-callers, and even electronic scent delivery devices among many other gadgets marketed to hunters. With some of these devices, true usefulness or whether they are appropriate in a fair chase situation can be debated vociferously by various groups of hunters. One thing that is very helpful, especially for those who are hunting new ground or are heading out of state for a big game hunt, is e-scouting.

E-scouting is simply the act of using online maps to learn an area and to find likely stand locations. I remember back in the day when I would have to go to the local United States Forest Service (USFS) office to buy large topo maps of the national forest land I hunted at that time. I would take that home and spread it out on the table and pour over it trying to find likely travel corridors and food and water for the game I was hunting. Today it’s much simpler and more user friendly to scout from home. There are multiple online map services that you can use, but for the sake of this discussion, we are going to focus on 3 that I use the most: OnX Hunt, HuntStand, and Google Earth.

Each of these three programs has its strong points, with Google Earth’s strongest point being that it is free, and the detail is stunning. OnX and HuntStand both have subscription fees, but they both have tools specifically for hunters that Google Earth does not have, such as hunting specific markers, wind and weather, and, most importantly as we will discuss in a bit, they show land boundaries and the names of who owns those parcels. I could go on about each for the length of this discussion, but I use them all so I’m not going to try to sell you on any one of them singularly. I will say that I use OnX the most by far as it’s the one I use while afield.

Though we’ve had these tools for a several years now, e-scouting has just caught on in the mainstream over the past few years. It can be daunting to know how to approach it, especially when you’re used to your scouting being the “boots on the ground” variety. But I want to show how your e-scouting will actually enhance your “boots on the ground” scouting and make you a more successful hunter.

One of the biggest risks and complaints about going out and scouting is that you must be careful to not spook or pressure the prey you are pursing. An old mossy horned buck will go nocturnal in a split second if it senses you nosing around more often than normal. With e-scouting, you can identify promising areas from afar, thereby reducing the amount of walking around you will need to do in the area. This should go without saying, but e-scouting alone is only half of the approach. Using what you’ve found while e-scouting allows you to go into that area for some “boots on the ground” scouting with pinpoint accuracy to only those identified areas so that you disturb less game and ground. This will translate into greater success and less pressured animals when opening day arrives.

Let’s talk about what we look for while e-scouting. It’s much the same as it is while physically walking the area, just without being there. I like to use a hybrid map in the program I’m using. This is a satellite image of the area with road and topo overlays. Like this OnX image of one of the areas that I turkey hunt. This allows you to see the terrain and potential access points. Of course, when you zoom in there is even more information given and shown. What you will be looking for will depend on the game you are hunting, the time of year, and the conditions.

A few quick tips before we get into it: Always drop a waypoint on something that you want to check out. It just takes a second, but it will save you a ton of time on the back end. Also, when you have finished your e-scouting, download your map to your phone so it can be used offline. These apps are fantastic but if you get out in the wilderness and can’t find a phone signal, they won’t help you at all.

On a more universal level though, here is what I look for:

• Access routes to any potential stand site that will allow you to approach unseen. A fantastic stand on the edge of a field full of clover won’t be so fantastic if the only route to the stand is right down the middle of the field. Look for places where you can get to where you are going in cover with the least amount of noise and ruckus.

• Look for a place without a nice-looking parking lot. Big parking lots like some public lands have means more hunters. More hunters mean more pressure. More pressure means spookier animals. Look for a place that is away from where most hunters would likely go that has what the game needs.

• Look for an area that offers varied terrain. While you will find deer, elk, or turkey in a place that has similar terrain and features, a property with more varied terrain and features will provide more of what wildlife needs to live, thrive, and survive. Plus, you will be much more likely to pinpoint likely stand sites and potential travel corridors in an area with varied terrain.

• Terrain features to home in on are saddles in ridges, ridge spurs, transition areas, etc. Always look for areas that will provide food and shelter. Good cover is essential to consistently finding game. Also look for logging roads and trailheads that will provide you access to an area.

• Look up historical weather for the area you are looking to hunt, especially historical wind data. You can find this data on most weather sites. I like Weather Underground and NOAA for historical data. Knowing the prevailing winds at the time of year you are hunting is essential to know how to approach the area you are e-scouting. If it’s early season and the wind is more southerly in general, I’ll look for the north sides of ridges where deer and elk like to sun, and where they can read the thermals. If it’s late in the year and the winds pick up from the north, I’ll generally switch to the south as they prefer to bed in the sun and out of the wind.

• Most importantly, know your boundaries. Know where the land you have permission to hunt starts and stops. Do not trespass or cross a line. Ignorance is never a good excuse, and the Game Warden will tell you as much when he stops you. This is where OnX and HuntStand really outshine Google Earth. Both OnX and HuntStand will tell you where the property line is, and who owns each property. Depending on the app and the state you hunt, the apps can even give you data such as the hunt unit you are in, and the harvest last season in that area.

Now that you’ve done your e-scouting, dropped markers on your map, and downloaded it to your phone for offline use, you’re ready to head out for a quick in person scouting trip to verify what you found while e-scouting and hang a stand or two if that’s how you hunt. Most of the time, you will find that you were very glad you took the time to e-scout in advance.

As you can see, e-scouting can be an essential tool in your arsenal this year and for years to come. As technology improves, so will e-scouting. Don’t be afraid to dig in and give it a try this year. I see it as leveraging technology to give me a better chance at filling my tags each year, and that means fuller freezers, and fuller freezers means a happier hunter. Good luck this year.

-Heathe Pendergraft, Fall Obsession Field Staff