Resources for Google Earth Scouting and Setups/Strategies

[Netherman]

Can anyone recommend me a good book, post, or other reading material on Setups/Strategies? I've read ElkNuts Playbook, and Corey's Elk101 University material. Both of those had some good information. Playbook really digs into the elk behavior, and Corey really emphasizes the thermals.

I'm looking for more explanation on the steps in between. i.e. You got a bugle response, you saw the elk feeding in a meadow last night, or they are actively feeding in a meadow. Get the wind in your favor and then what?

I am also interested some better tips on Google earth scouting and in anyone's experience in unit 53 during the first week of September. Are the elk vocal, still on summer patterns, or somewhere in between? I won't be able to get out there preseason so all I will have to go on is what I can find from the internet.


Nick

 

[slick trick]

check out Chris Roe / Roe Hunting Resources elk module, also look at some of Jay Scotts pod cast might find some good stuff. You looking at West ELk Wilderness? i can only tell you about where i have been in there and where i wont be back to.shot me a pm if ya want

 

[ElkNut1]

Netherman, please go back & read the Playbook in it's entirety, it talks volumes about the various encounters you will come across & how to handle them. Please read it slowly & take in all that's there, take your time the answers are there to just about any situation you may come up against in the elkwoods. For more details & further explanations consider the two DVD's the ElkNut 5 & Vol-4 Worse Than Wolves DVD. These two will have tons of info in them, their info would cover 25 of the PlayBooks info, I believe they can answer your questions & then some. Close to 2000 elk have been taken with the info that's in the various materials.

ElkNut1

 

[xziang]

For Google Earth some things I use is the 'date' function to check out previous image dates. This can provide you a better understanding of how busy a trailhead might be. It can also come into play if you spot a tent but aren't sure, go back a year or two and if it doesn't move it could just be a boulder.

If you spot a water hole/meadow on google earth 'mark' it on google earth and then put that way point into your GPS. I have to do this step manually on my GPS but it works. Make sure that you keep your 'marks' on your GPS different than items you find on foot. Example all the marks or way points I put on my GPS as I'm in the field start with B (boots on the ground). If it is a 'new' area you probably don't have to worry about a lot of way points already on your GPS.

*edited* Also mark trails you see or find on google earth. I do this and plug those into my GPS which can assist with making sure I'm on the right path. Or if I'm bushwhacking I can get back to the main trail.

 

[Netherman]

Netherman, please go back & read the Playbook in it's entirety, it talks volumes about the various encounters you will come across & how to handle them. Please read it slowly & take in all that's there, take your time the answers are there to just about any situation you may come up against in the elkwoods. For more details & further explanations consider the two DVD's the ElkNut 5 & Vol-4 Worse Than Wolves DVD. These two will have tons of info in them, their info would cover 25 of the PlayBooks info, I believe they can answer your questions & then some. Close to 2000 elk have been taken with the info that's in the various materials.

ElkNut1

After re-reading my post I don't think I did the best job explaining what I was looking for. I'm not knocking your or Corey's material. I'm really looking for additional perspective. I'm an obsessive compulsive researcher and with this being my first year elk hunting I want to try and collect as much knowledge as possible. The challenge for me will be to keep from freezing and overthinking every step.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Another aerial scouting tool that I found very useful is Hillmap - Backcountry Maps for the Obsessed

Very similar to GE, but it uses split screens so you're not constantly flipping back and forth between aerial and topo.

 

[Jared Bloomgren]

Netherman, please go back & read the Playbook in it's entirety, it talks volumes about the various encounters you will come across & how to handle them. Please read it slowly & take in all that's there, take your time the answers are there to just about any situation you may come up against in the elkwoods. For more details & further explanations consider the two DVD's the ElkNut 5 & Vol-4 Worse Than Wolves DVD. These two will have tons of info in them, their info would cover 25 of the PlayBooks info, I believe they can answer your questions & then some. Close to 2000 elk have been taken with the info that's in the various materials.

ElkNut1

Yes! What Paul said above! His material has a lot of information in it and has helped me a great deal!

 

[dreamingbig]

For those using google earth do you have issues where the historical data isn't readily available? For some units I have looked at in Idaho the latest images are 2013 and skip 3 or 4 years at a time. I was hoping to see some September picks from 2013 to 2015 but none are available.

Any tips or similar experiences?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ElkNut1]

Ha Ha, heck many of us are over analyzers! It's part of the game. Focus on the positives & be prepared for the elements. Find elk, & hunt them, that's the bottom line! (grin)

Let's say you locate elk in a meadow, it's a 5 acre park surrounded by broken timber pockets. You are hidden in the timber 30' deep, should you call to them or not? Odds are best not to call there, watch them & see what direction they are feeding or walking towards. Wait for them to get into cover then hunt them! If you call to them when in the open especially on OTC hunts they are more likely to bugger out of there when they do not see these elk that are calling to them. Once in the cover now your odds escalate in your favor & not theirs! If calling is needed & not ambushing then you'll have to Read The Situation to see what may be best! Lots of scenarios can arise where we hunters must adjust our thinking to the encounter at hand.

If you have a specific question please feel free to ask!

ElkNut1

 

[Netherman]

Ha Ha, heck many of us are over analyzers! It's part of the game. Focus on the positives & be prepared for the elements. Find elk, & hunt them, that's the bottom line! (grin)

Let's say you locate elk in a meadow, it's a 5 acre park surrounded by broken timber pockets. You are hidden in the timber 30' deep, should you call to them or not? Odds are best not to call there, watch them & see what direction they are feeding or walking towards. Wait for them to get into cover then hunt them! If you call to them when in the open especially on OTC hunts they are more likely to bugger out of there when they do not see these elk that are calling to them. Once in the cover now your odds escalate in your favor & not theirs! If calling is needed & not ambushing then you'll have to Read The Situation to see what may be best! Lots of scenarios can arise where we hunters must adjust our thinking to the encounter at hand.

If you have a specific question please feel free to ask!

ElkNut1

I really think I just want to read ten thousand examples like the one you have given. The more scenarios and solutions I read the better I understand the "Why". Just knowing/memorizing a process doesn't work well in the hunting world. Knowing the Newtonian style laws of elk hunting will allow me to make a sound move on the elk I have located. Once I have the "Why" understood I can create my own solutions to any situation and have confidence that my decision is based on sound logic rather than blind faith.

Nick

 

[semperfidelis97]

Sometimes you cannot read enough to be ready for every situation, often times you must just go with your gut, and hope you made the best decision. I have read elknuts stuff, and listen to his cds, but I think he would tell you nothing can replace real world experience. Everyone who has any modicum of success harvesting elk on a regular basis has has messed up. They just take the time to break down what they did wrong, and learn from each encounter. Remember you are an apex predator, listening to your instincts can sometimes be the best advice you can get.

 

[greentimber]

I own or subscribe to all the resources you mentioned, plus a whole bunch more. Without a doubt, the most beneficial resource I've found yet is the Elk Module on Roe Hunting Resources. Subscribe to that and go through everything from start to finish several times over.

 

[ElkNut1]

Nick, very true! By the way I just noticed you are rifle hunting, oops!! (grin) I would do a whole lot of glassing from vantage points with some Bugling into the thicker un-glassbale stuff to see if a bull wants to sound off & give away his position. From those Look-out areas I'd glass first & then bugle if I could not spot anything after a solid round of glassing. I also love bugling while still dark in search of from wherever I may be. I'm just trying to locate bulls not call them to me.

In your case Nick don't overthink it! Glassing & Bugling for location is all you need. Both are for finding elk that you can now stalk into range on with a rifle! You do not need all the various calling nuances that we bow hunters must rely on daily!

Semper is spot on, nothing like burning boot leather. Materials & info shared is for reducing the learning curve not replacing "hands on" --

ElkNut1