Who uses Google Earth for Scouting ?

M

MsDestiny

Guest
I'm curious to know who else uses Google Earth for scouting new hunting grounds ?

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl


For those who have never tried it... have a little fun... find your area on the map... then click on Satellite... you can zoom in and move left and right... see water holes and roads... kinda fun when your bored.


Destiny
 
I hunted an area 2 years ago that I had never hunted before. Before I went out and scouted, I used Google Earth and BLM surface management status maps. It was pretty cool, because when I got out in the area, it was like I had been there before. I think it is a great tool! Now, you're going to get the loin-cloth wearing, stone throwing traditionalists on here that will disagree!
 
I also use Google Earth a lot. I use my Mapsource for the GPS and then go to Google earth to check out the vegetation, saddles, water sources etc. It is nice to have to compare regular maps to.
 
Has always worked out great for me. Just make sure your computer is new enough to handle it.
 
I use it is a great tool and cheaper than flying the area. I have found some new areas that I never knew existed where I bear hunt. I would recomend it to anyone.
 
I've used Google Earth a good bit,.....but I also am very impressed with the maps and photos on Live.com. It has a 'bird's eye view' option that is amazing. Check it out and see what you think.....go to live.com...then click on 'maps' in the list across the screen.
 
My last year buck was so big I could see his rack sticking out from under the trees on google earth. J/k
 
LAST EDITED ON May-02-09 AT 02:03AM (MST)[p]It's great! I've used it for the last 4 or 5 years for scouting and getting gps coordinates off of. I click on the ruler icon and change the measurement to yards and go to all the places I've shot animals and see how far away they were.
On the property that we do our longerange shooting on, I've printed a google earth map of our targets at 500yd, 1000yd, 1500yd and one mile.
If you don't have a rangefinder just print a copy of the canyon you hunt with 500yds, (or whatever) marked off and use it as a ruler.
 
Right now when a lot of the high country is still covered in snow, Google Earth is a GREAT way to explore some areas without hiking in knee deep snow. I just randomly searched some areas in the Uintas that looked like decent elk country. During the season I hiked in there to hunt and actually got into several elk. I think it's awesome. I wish I could pony up some dough and update to the "pro" edition. Supposedly you can zoom down to within a meter of the ground with the upgraded version. I think it's a few hundred bucks though.......No thanks.....
 
It's great. I use it all the time to visit areas that I didn't get drawn for.:)

I think this is the same thing but for me it's a little more user friendly. You have to download to your computer one time. Lots of fun features. You can even spend the $400 and get an unreal clear version (not for me)

http://earth.google.com/intl/en/index.html

Eel

49d778ac3681054a.jpg
 
I use it all the time. People on TV talk of an area, i click it up and check it out. A lot of cities, real estate companies, and Chamber of Commerce type outfits use it to advertise. Really helps finding out how to get someplace.

I actually found the Juniper that my buck was laying next to last year. My hunting partner has a version that allows you to look and see from the side as well as the top. Is this the normal? My puter don't have that option...

Joey
 
I also use it all the time. It's a great tool and has saved me a LOT of walking. Used with maps and conversation from folks, it's an important part of the package in finding a good place to hunt.
 
Sounds like there's alot of guys using it. Maybe we could share some tips if you know of any.
I use the ruler icon to see how many yards across a canyon, ect.
I also enter the coordanants of places into my gps.
 
TIPS FOR SCOUTING IN GOOGLE EARTH

1. Turn on the Terrain Layer to get a 3D view of hills/mountains. Note that the elevation appears at the bottom of the window.

2. Go to Tools... Options and set Elevation Exaggeration to around 2.5. This makes the mountains look taller, but for me, it makes them more realistic.

3. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, use it to zoom in and out. Hold control and scroll to rotate around a point. Hold shift and scroll to tilt up and down. Hold shift and press the scroll wheel in and move the mouse to move in 3 dimensions around a point. This is a great way to get a birds eye view of your favorite honey hole.

4. Use the ruler tool to measure distances. Change it to Path to measure a multi-point path. With Terrain Layer on, it will measure distances over the ground rather than 'as the crow flies'.

5. Mark places to remember with Add... Placemark. Be sure to add some notes. You can organize Placemarks into folders in My Places.

6. Turn on the Geographic Web layer to see photos people have posted of the area you're scouting.

7. Turn on Places of Interest... Geographic Features to see mountain, lake, and river names. Parks and Recreation Areas will show campgrounds, trailheads, forest boundaries, etc.
 
Good tips AS.

I think it's fun to take a screen shot of an area and send it to friends and see if they can tell me where it is. Might be a new game for the Campfire forum.

The measurement tool has come in handy to tell me why I missed a buck...maybe I should buy a range finder.

I put google maps on my phone and it has been really cool to have the maps wherever you have cell service.

HAZMAT

www.muddyroad.net
 
I used it for the unit I hunted last year for deer.
Marked a couple vantage points for glassing, adjusted the time of day for a.m. and p.m. and decided which spots to glass for the time of day.Also marked roads into out of the way places. Copied photos to laptop.
Took laptop hunting.
Copied numbers from hunt and glass area to gps.
 
i use it some for scouting but mostly just spend hours looking at the world. i have found ships and jets and even heards of animals in africa
 
I spend hours on it when there is bad weather or I cant be in the field, always looking for that little hidden spot, thats hard to locate, or just comparing and marking maps at home.
It has got to be the best free resorce avialable period.
 
Not too often, some of the areas that I hunt had Fires close to 6 or 7 years ago and it still shows large stands of timber where it hasnt been there for a few years, I also checked it on our place and I shows a Barn that we tore down at least 8 years ago here in Utah. I think the free version probably dosent update too often, but if i am not mistaken you can get closer to real time with the 400-600 dollar version, the mountians dont change enough for me to justify the cost.
 
I have the Pro version. There is absolutely no difference in the images. Not sure where this comes from but it's not the case.

From Google:
"Note: Technical support assistance is available (email) for Pro users during business hours PST. While there are additional capabilities and features available in Google Earth Pro, the underlying imagery is the same for all versions of Google Earth."
 
My 6x6 elk last fall came from a small park that I never knew existed until my brother-in-law and I both found it on the same day on Google Earth. Nuff said!

But I will say a little more: The park was less than 1/2 mile from a road which came in under it and then quickly turned 180 degrees away. Another road 2 miles north, but nothing for miles SE around to West. We hunted the area for two weeks and saw only one other human track, although there were a bunch of hunters on the road to the north and beyond.
We've hunted the area for seven years now, and are going back this fall.G Earth along with aeral photos (which didn't show the park) and topo maps Plus a lot of scouting have really paid off for us.

Another advantage-- it will show you clearly some places where you don't want to go!!
 
WapitiBob, thanks for that clarification. I feel better about not spending the money now.

Thanks for all the tips too. I've learned a lot!

Eel

49d778ac3681054a.jpg
 

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