How do you scout out your hunting areas

Recon

Recon

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Just wondering, how do you scout out your hunting areas,Map recon, physical reconnaissance or do you use google maps? I personally prefer to get out on the ground when possible but at the very least I will look at a map preferably an aerial picture of the area.
 
I'm constantly scouting and do most of my recon on the ground. My best honey hole I found by doing a service call on their place. You can't see it from the road and would never guess it was there by looking at a topo map. I also have a hunting gps map for my nuvi so I can find out who's land it is and who's door I need to knock on. I also try to put the word out with some of the guys at work and other friends that aren't upland hunters but are out in the field a lot. I scout year round hoping to find more sleeper honey holes.
 
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i know in MT thats a option to look at ur NAVI & see who owns the land & u can do it on-line through like google something but in most states you need to buy a 30$+ plat book to see who owns the land especially in rual country areas wear the people living in the farm homes rarely own the land they farm they lease it & play the whole well i dont own the land so i cant give you permission...

if you look at your other honey holes on google aerial maps & get a idea of what your looking for you can get a feel for the lands B4 you hunt them like many areas of SD are school lands aka cattle range lands near crop farmlands many folks write off these lands cuz they have no cover most the times they are write but i looked at a few of these school lands & found creeks & cattail sloughs in close proximity to crops id bet there are birds there it great habitat!!! but if i drove to them in person id leave pissed of & say they dont even have cover here but a half mile or so walk could of got me to my new honey hole???

pheasant habitat is ez to pick out i had to learn my on-line scouting when i started turkey hunting out of state a lot & i got better when i started prairie chicken hunting there habitat is like finding a needle in a haystack if you dont know what your looking for once you find the PRAIRIE you can rule out many none productive areas by looking at aerial photos B4 you drive all the way to your hunting location that leads to way more feet on the ground hunting in productive areas then just pick n a spot on a map & walking yourself to death hope n there will be birds there & good habitat to boot... find a area with birds then hit the best most productive habitat possible aerial photos will help you do that faster & save your legs...

but once you find a productive area with birds & habitat then on the ground hunt scouting is the best way to find your exact honey hole...

happy you got some comments left here RECON i posted a thread about a month or so ago about the same thing & got the shut out???
 
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Drive by them the day before the opener.
 
Here in Wisconsin our wild pheasant populations isn't all that hot and even more so here in South Central Wi. We do have pockets of wild birds and you have to get out and find them.

Yesterday I spend over 8 hours in a marsh walking heavy cover with the dogs looking for tracks,roost spots,and more importantly roosters in any kind of numbers. It's not easy but I found some birds and went back this morning. I killed my 2 birds which makes all the effort worth it IMO.
 
The hunting gps card costs $100, but I think it's worth the money. It shows state lands, blm lands and property owners. It also shows the hunting districts, topography and elevations. It's nice for when out in the field and there is no internet access.
 
MTtailchaser said:
The hunting gps card costs $100, but I think it's worth the money. It shows state lands, blm lands and property owners. It also shows the hunting districts, topography and elevations. It's nice for when out in the field and there is no internet access.
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You can different chips for the astro dog collar gps's too but I don't know much about them :thumbsup:
 
I do a fair amount of google maps recon. I mount a printed copy of the WIHA map onto cardboard or posterboard, and then look at the areas on google maps. I highlight anything with a creek or pond on it, since it makes hunting easier when I can keep the dogs near water. Plus I like to jump ponds... I can also eliminate some of the areas just from the aerial photo, and X them out on my map.

This year I got an I-Phone with google earth, so I can scout from the toilet.:eek:

It's nice to have an idea of what the whole section looks like, especially when you can't see much from the road. Then when you're walking it, it helps you keep your bearings also.

Plus having the printed WIHA map is nice also, because I can cross off the crappy ones, or make notes of what I saw there, right on the map itself.
 
If I see a fez fly-in,I take my dog and set him to flight.How's that for hi-tech?
 
last season in MN opening day i pulled the hole get there B4 lite & listen i helped us out lol not to mention my had to make a quick call to nature...

yes TOAD i to print out the WHIAs i will be hunting & always have them with me on a out of state trip so i can do just as you said stick to creeks & avoid the barren areas that wont produce!!! they are a must when out of state turkey hunting you can find honey holes with out killing your legs!!! ive been on-line scouting much more now im get n lazy no need to just wonder around un productive areas just to to it...
 
SDJIM said:
Google Earth:thumbsup:
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Do you use the free version? Because that's what I have and it's from older photos and isn't very usefull for scouting. I know there is a google earth pro that is supposedly current but last time I looked into it, a few years ago, it was a few hundred bucks.

Hopefully there is something I'm missing.
 
Being from a long ways away, I read reports. Knowing most posts are bs, but you can read between the lies. This gives you a good idea of the area, then google earth pins it down.

Not really, I have many years on the ground and lots of drive time.
 
I do an annual Early Sept trip, hunt Sharptails and Huns and put several days into checking on some of my honey holes, get the current pheasant situation all figured out.:cheers:
 
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