Entering a new piece of land can be intimidating, whether private or public. Your goal as a whitetail deer hunter is to optimize your hunting strategy at all times. Part of this strategy is scouting. Traditionally, people spend the offseason putting boots on the ground and scouting land on their own two feet. While this is a crucial step in scouting, you can optimize your time and travel by map scouting before entering the property.
Map scouting, or e-scouting as some will call it, is the process of scouting parcels of land online with map technologies such as Google Maps, onX Hunt, Huntwise, and others. As with anything, a few pieces of information can help you get started in the right direction. This article will explore 5 key areas to focus on when map scouting for whitetail deer as a beginner.
Most map platforms will have a feature that allows you to toggle between satellite maps, topographic maps, and hybrid maps, which combine satellite and topographic maps. In addition, some platforms, like onX Hunt, have introduced three-dimensional (3D) maps which give a realistic view of the land from a birdseye perspective.
When map scouting, it is vital to understand the topography of the landscape that you'll be hunting. Topographic maps will help you identify potential areas of travel, water sources, and understand the wind's thermal movements due to elevation changes. Ridgelines and creek bottoms can indicate prime areas for deer movement between bedding areas and food and water sources. As mentioned in a previous blog, bedding is typically found on a southwest-facing slope, with optimal wind, and/or in hard-to-reach places. As a hunter, you should be looking to identify funnels where deer will travel. These funnels are pinch points between topography and cover that deer move between.
Utilizing the satellite feature on map platforms will allow you to see different types of cover on the piece of land that you'll be hunting. Types of cover that can be identified are hardwoods, evergreens, grasses, clear cuts, and agricultural crops. Deer will often travel along transition lines in cover or edge habitats and create natural boundaries that can shape movement. Identifying edge habitats by studying the various types of cover will help you determine optimal positions to sit while hunting whitetail deer.
Platforms like onX will allow you to add additional map layers to highlight specific areas, such as deciduous and evergreen trees, acorn-producing trees, and types of agriculture. This feature helps hunters zero in on sites that are most likely to hold deer bedding and areas where they will feed.
It is important not to rely on one platform. Each platform comes with its own set of pros and cons. One of the most notable differences is the satellite imagery and the time of year the maps are produced. It would help if you toggled between platforms to get a complete picture of the landscape at the time of the year you'd be hunting.
Map scouting will allow you to identify optimal areas where you want to hunt. This is an ideal advantage as it will enable you to reduce significantly the time spent in the woods, which can disturb the deer population. It is recommended to drop waypoints, or pins, on the map that you'd like to explore more thoroughly. To do this, one must put boots on the ground and spend time walking around the woods.
Lastly, a significant advantage of map scouting is planning your travel path to enter your final hunting area. It is important to have multiple travel paths to enter your stand location. The primary variable that will impact your travel path is the wind, which you can set wind calendars on your waypoints.
Utilizing maps will allow you to plot your parking location, access points, and path to your final destination. It will also allow you to estimate the total distance you will travel to determine which area is best if you have time and wind constraints.
As mentioned, map scouting is just one part of your comprehensive hunting strategy. Map scouting will increase your likelihood of finding optimal hunting locations at a distance. This is an increasingly important step in your process when you are hunting for a new area with limited preparation time and high gas prices.
Finding a "honey hole" or "the holy grail" is challenging. It is often said that the ideal location for your hunt stand is at the intersection of edge habitat and a change in topography. Other examples of ideal differences in topography are marsh hills, ditch heads that straddle crop field saddles, pasture spurs, hardwood ridge points, hillside benches, flats that lead to creeks, and wooded draws. As mentioned before, note the ideal wind when planning your access to your final hunting location. Mark these locations on your map and plan to scout them with boots on the ground before hunting.
Successful guides and outfitters will use the same skills and tools mentioned here to set their clients up for success. Platforms like The Wild connect prospective clients with reputable guides and outfitters looking to book world-class hunting experiences. The Wild offers hunts such as Texas Wild Hog, Axis Deer, and fishing in Alaska. If you're an avid hunter looking to book a bucket list experience, The Wild is the place for you!
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Nick is an avid outdoor enthusiast and content creator who enjoys hunting and fishing. He has spent over 25 years hunting and fishing across North America. He currently lives in Austin, Texas and when he’s not outdoors he’s practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You can follow him on his Instagram and TikTok accounts to keep up with his latest adventures and get helpful tips.
