Cyber Scouting - Really?

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


ihookem
500 Club
Posts: 1124
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 2:18 pm
Location: Allenton , Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby ihookem » Mon May 25, 2015 5:18 am

When it comes to cyber scouting I'm lost. It never turns out the way it seems. Looks good on the topi but when I get there , it's like HUH? And, when I find a spot I can say I'm excited about , I mark it on the GPS, to put it on the caltopo map and it is in an area that I would not look at if I was cyber scouting. For me, nothing is the way it seems.


matt1336
500 Club
Posts: 3580
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 3:02 am
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby matt1336 » Mon May 25, 2015 5:51 am

If your hunting marshes, satalite views are really useful. You can see the trails clear as day. This makes it a lot easier to put the pieces of the puzzle together and make good guesses regarding buck bedding.

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image
User avatar
Dewey
Moderator
Posts: 36727
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:57 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby Dewey » Mon May 25, 2015 5:53 am

ihookem wrote:When it comes to cyber scouting I'm lost. It never turns out the way it seems. Looks good on the topi but when I get there , it's like HUH? And, when I find a spot I can say I'm excited about , I mark it on the GPS, to put it on the caltopo map and it is in an area that I would not look at if I was cyber scouting. For me, nothing is the way it seems.

Can't stress how important cyber scouting has been for me in marshes. I key in on small islands, points or dry spots of marsh grass surrounded by water since they normally hold bedding. Trails are very visible on high quality aerials and very easy to pick deer travel routes along with planning entry and exit routes which are very important especially when hunting around deeper water. I can see where cyber scouting is much harder in huge wooded areas where everything looks the same with little change in terrain. In the north woods I am looking for beaver ponds and swamp edges. Most times these are way in off the roads and saves a lot of time picking them out from aerials instead first of just wandering around first blindly. I love exploring in the woods like anyone but with cyber scouting I can focus on the stuff I know from experience big bucks like to live in and scout smarter instead of harder.
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41590
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby dan » Mon May 25, 2015 6:23 am

I think the reason it works better for some people than others is because it was a progression that went from staring at a map, and then scouting an area by foot, to seeing the same things occur in the same spots vs the maps, and after a few years of studying maps and scouting your now able to see things on the map and be fairly confident deer will be there...
User avatar
Dewey
Moderator
Posts: 36727
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:57 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby Dewey » Mon May 25, 2015 7:42 am

dan wrote:I think the reason it works better for some people than others is because it was a progression that went from staring at a map, and then scouting an area by foot, to seeing the same things occur in the same spots vs the maps, and after a few years of studying maps and scouting your now able to see things on the map and be fairly confident deer will be there...

I agree

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image
User avatar
PK_
500 Club
Posts: 6894
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
Location: Just Off
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby PK_ » Mon May 25, 2015 4:02 pm

I find cyber scouting to be equal or more important than boots on the ground personally. Without cyber scouting you will waste countless hours wandering around unproductive areas.

I prefer to cyber scout and get boots on the ground, but if I could only choose 1 I would cyber scout. Probably because I mainly hunt huge tracts of land. 5,000 acres is a small property to me. Most that i hunt are 10k-50k acres, you could spend years trying to walk all that.

I have killed a lot of bucks going in blind having only cyber scouted, in and out of state. I will be bow hunting out of state this fall early season cyber scouting only.

Do you run into problems? Absolutely. Generally my biggest problems are duck hunters and illegal atv use. But you learn to find spots that will be void of those problems as well while cyber scouting.

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
User avatar
Lockdown
Moderator
Posts: 9957
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:16 pm
Location: MN
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon May 25, 2015 6:50 pm

The more you cyber scout the better! Keep doing it and relaying the info back to what you find in the field. The more you cyber scout the more you'll be able to eliminate properties/areas that aren't worth while. I cyber scout more to eliminate the ground that would otherwise waste my time, rather than try and pin point the best of the best from your computer alone. Take notes of what looks to be the best bedding, then put boots to the ground to try and verify.
User avatar
stash59
Moderator
Posts: 10077
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:22 am
Location: S Central Wi.
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby stash59 » Tue May 26, 2015 3:13 am

It can be hard looking at big ares that seem to look the same. I've found some GIS maps for some counties. Some of these have a selection on what type of trees and or vegatation is growing where. I've used this to mark on Google maps what's growing where. then have looked what the DNR says how deer relate to them. Food ,cover,ect.

The state of Michigan shares this at MI-HUNT. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10913---,00.htmlClick on the orange lettering and it takes you to the map. Zoom in a bit then click on the gray box for MIHUNT Cover types.

Hard for me to explain this.
User avatar
headgear
500 Club
Posts: 11625
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:21 am
Location: Northern Minnesota
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby headgear » Tue May 26, 2015 6:39 am

dan wrote:I think the reason it works better for some people than others is because it was a progression that went from staring at a map, and then scouting an area by foot, to seeing the same things occur in the same spots vs the maps, and after a few years of studying maps and scouting your now able to see things on the map and be fairly confident deer will be there...


Yep I think you nailed it Dan, it also helps to have the right attitude. It's really a multi-year progression/effort and the combo of scouting, cyber scouting, hunting blind and not giving up. I think some people get stuck on the mental side of things and just tell themselves they won't be able to hunt this way because one reason or another. The hunters that keep after it eventually reach that progression and are able to make the most of their hunting areas.
User avatar
stash59
Moderator
Posts: 10077
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:22 am
Location: S Central Wi.
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby stash59 » Tue May 26, 2015 7:41 am

headgear wrote:
dan wrote:I think the reason it works better for some people than others is because it was a progression that went from staring at a map, and then scouting an area by foot, to seeing the same things occur in the same spots vs the maps, and after a few years of studying maps and scouting your now able to see things on the map and be fairly confident deer will be there...


Yep I think you nailed it Dan, it also helps to have the right attitude. It's really a multi-year progression/effort and the combo of scouting, cyber scouting, hunting blind and not giving up. I think some people get stuck on the mental side of things and just tell themselves they won't be able to hunt this way because one reason or another. The hunters that keep after it eventually reach that progression and are able to make the most of their hunting areas.


You guys are right. Even though I didn't know about Dan's system and techniques . Years ago starting with maps of all kinds and Purchased aerial photos. Then eventually google earth I was able to narrow down ares for elk and both speceis of deer. It wasn't as good as Dan's but many times it saved lots of leg work. By placing marks for different sign and vegatation I began to see the patterns take shape. That bthe animals were using.

Even tho the parcel I got scouted was small and not an optumum marsh where I found the few buck beds i did find It made a whole lot of sense. Because my health declined I didn't get to go back in and fine tune a hunt plan yet. So if my health improves enough to hunt I'll be going in kinda blind. I haven't felt so excited about a hunting method/technique in years.

If I can do it anybody can.
JoeRE
500 Club
Posts: 4576
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:26 am
Location: IA
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby JoeRE » Sat May 30, 2015 6:27 am

I consider cyber scouting a new property really important to hunting a new spot efficiently but I would say the same thing about boots on the ground. I would never claim it replaces boots on the ground.

A couple hours cyber scouting can shorten a full weekend spent scouting down to a few efficient hours in the woods in my opinion...but in no way does it replace scouting.

It depends a little on your hunting situation as well. I deer hunt on public land but often near property lines. I know from looking at a map if other public land hunters might be there but there is no way to tell if pressure is coming from the private unless I walk out there. Likewise aerials only give a hint of what cover is like, and many small points and saddles are invisible on topos.

On the flip side I elk hunted in CO with ONLY cyber scouting beforehand - never set foot in the mountains within 20 miles of there before day 1. I was pretty successful with that, making assumptions about where hunting pressure was, but in that case all the trails and roads are obvious on maps and there was no private land of unknown use anywhere near. I still learned a bunch more by walking the ground every day. I found where elk bedded on small benches that were invisible on my topos :think: The two elk I shot were both using that area - something that could not be found without boots on the ground. At the same time take away my maps and I wouldn't have a chance out there.

If you just cyber scout you are hurting your odds. Just like if you never learn to read a map you are hurting your odds. If you can't physically scout so be it just be aware that makes things more challenging.
User avatar
PK_
500 Club
Posts: 6894
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
Location: Just Off
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby PK_ » Sat May 30, 2015 11:51 am

JoeRE wrote:If you just cyber scout you are hurting your odds. Just like if you never learn to read a map you are hurting your odds.


Exactly. Ideally you want to be able to do both effectively and there is definitely a 'synergy' in marrying the two strategies.
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
User avatar
mhill
Posts: 155
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:40 am
Location: NY
Status: Offline

Re: Cyber Scouting - Really?

Unread postby mhill » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:59 am

What cyber scouting does for me is 2 things.

1) locates key areas to target and will right to the spots i have previously marked on my GPS Map.

2) narrows down and eliminates land that is less than desirable. so if i can take 1000 acres of public land and narrow it down to 100 acres by looking at a map, it takes 90% of the scouting out of it.

Last season i went in completely blind into a spot, the night before i looked at a topo map found a saddle on the top of a hill and sat just off it. the saddle turned out to be a few year old logged area that was very thick my dad and I sat about 40 yards on the south side of the saddle with patches of thickets all around us and many sets of tracks through the fresh inch of snow. We didnt kill that day but we saw some deer in a few hours that we sat there, there were some scrapes and rubs about 50 yards to the south of us. we wound up seeing a basket 6 and 2 does in 3 hours. we didnt get to the spot til 930 am as we needed to see what the terrain looked like to pick trees.
Bowtech D350
Axcel Accutouch
Goldtip Velocity 300
Grim Reapers
XOP Enforcer


  • Advertisement

Return to “Scouting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests