I know we all use tradition archery equipment to hunt but does anyone use Google Earth to scout? Would you like to? I'm semi computer savvy and will be using Google earth to scout a new area and would love to start a discussion regarding this area. I will post a link to the area shortly.
John,
YES! Bring it on! I am not good with it, but I like to look.
Love it, use it all the time.
Awesome tool!!!!
I use it quite a bit - primarly before ever putting foot on the ground. I spot potential funnels and travel cooridors and then check them out on foot.
Been using it for some time. Nice to look at both familiar and unfamiliar grounds. You can never have too much information.
One thing I've found helpful is seeing adjacent properties and what is there without having to trespass. ;-)
I use it to initially check on the lay of the land and roads. We have a lot of Federally managed lands and this gives a guy a good overview before boots on the ground.
I have installed BLM overlays that can be turned on or off in Google Earth to see where the public land is. These Layer files are free for downloading from BLM and they have detailed instructions for installing them. Maybe other agencies have them.
Yes use to try and figure out funnels etc... but a better mapping service is Bing maps and their "bird eye" feature check it out i thing you will agree.
I never used it until my wife got a smart phone , and I use it all the time it is awesome. Especially like it when i am talkin to others who hunt the same areas as i do. Just pull up google earth and you can pinpoint the area you are talking about, I'm not much for technolgy but google earth is probably the next best thing to my Cell phone.
I use google earth every time I'm going somewhere new, which is just about every weekend.
Ok, great. I'm not the only one. I'll post what I've done so far for those that might want to try it for the first time. Then we can get into how to find the deer hotspots which is what I need help with.
The first thing I did was go to: Google Earth Download Page (http://www.google.com/earth/index.html) and down load the latest version of Google Earth. It works for both Mac and PC. It wouldn't be a waste of time to watch some tutorials but I know reading directions isn't fun for all of us...
Next I went to my state Dept of Fish and Game (TWRA here in TN) and found a link for a file that contained the maps for all of the WMA's (Wildlife Management Areas) in electronic (GIS) format. What you need to find is a file/link that has .kml (or kmz.) as the extension. Here is it for TN: TN WMA Maps Overlay (http://www.state.tn.us/twra/gis/ZIP/TWRA_Lands_Jan09.kmz) When you click on the link it will download and you'll have the option to open it directly in Google Earth. That's the way I do it.
The Next thing I want to know is who else (besides the state) owns nearby property. I know this WMA is on Maury County so I do a Google search for Maury County tax Maps....Well look what we got here: Maury County Assessors Office (http://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/assessor/assessor.htm) Down on the left is a link to Maury County Maps. Click on that and your looking at a map of who owns what.
Sidebar: There's way to much info on the internet but my theory is if someone really wants to kill me they aren't going to do it via Google.
Now I'm not as tricky as some guys, I haven't figured out how to electronically overlay the tax map onto Google earth (because it's not a .kml) but I can go back and forth between the two maps and see who owns adjoining lands. But I have created a file of the WMA that I'm going to hunt that will open in Google Earth so you can see it. Go here: Yanahli WMA.kmz (https://www.dropbox.com/home/Google#:::27144961) You'll need to click on Yanahli WMA.kmz. There might be a cleaner way to share this with you but I don't know how. If I could attach a file to this post I could do it. Once that files opens in Google your looking at the WMA I want to hunt.
Ok, who's still here? PM me if I lost you and I'll try to provide more help.
Next up we can start talking about how to but all this whiz bang to work for us.
Use it all the time, even for land I've hunted for years
I've used Google Earth many times it is a great tool.
This is a great tool. I use it extensively to find public lands to hunt and for general scouting. I use it almost daily during the season when I'm not on the mountain. Probably use it weekly during the off-season.
You can overlay USGS 1:24,000 topo maps, blm maps, and stream names/coverages. I will look up the links I use and how I pull them into Google earth.
In these times of Metal risers, carbon core limbs Google is just another tool for Us to use..
If your state has gis maps for counties they are more helpful than google earth imo, check them out too. You can see property lines & find land owners names also.
Regular Google maps works good too, but doesn't have all the features.
It's been very valuable to me.
Burnsie is correct, just go to the regular Google page and hit maps, then go to your location. Once there hit the "satellite" feature and the picture comes up.
I've been using it as a starting place to plot out an archery course at a sportsmen's club I belong to. Provides a great overview.
I used it for the first time this year. Great stuff, now I see how I got lost in the BIG woods.
QuoteOriginally posted by jfelkins:
Now I'm not as tricky as some guys, I haven't figured out how to electronically overlay the tax map onto Google earth (because it's not a .kml) but I can go back and forth between the two maps and see who owns adjoining lands. But I have created a file of the WMA that I'm going to hunt that will open in Google Earth so you can see it.
Next up we can start talking about how to but all this whiz bang to work for us.
I too am not computer savy at all, but to make things easier on myself, and you too, if you have Windows 7, you can open 2 windows side by side so you don't need to go back and forth. Just open 2 windows, then press the circle button on the keyboard below the Z and X keys and then press either the left or right arrow depending on which side you want that window opened up on, then do the same with the next window, then press the opposite arrow. Now you will have both pages side by side. To go back to normal, click on the maximize tab up top.
Wow, reading back on that, I can't believe I actually am able to do this, not to mention tell others how it's done. I guess miracles do happen on Christmas.
you can get topo overlays for the US at.
http://www.gelib.com/usgs-topographic-maps-2.htm
Will show in MY PLACES. Check mark it to make active.
You will need to download the but program is free.
Zoom in until you see blue out line. Click on name. Will ask if you want to view. Internet speed will dictate how fast they download.
south ms bowhunter...tell me more about bing maps!!
Love Google Earth and hard copy topos too.
here's a helpful trick i learned. with Google Earth up, go to Tools, Options and then change the Elevation Exageration to 3 (3 is max). This will help the terrain features stand out a little more. Then instead of a straight down birdseye view, I rotate the view so you are looking across the sattelite view - kinda puts you in a perspective that you are standing atop a nearby mountain looking at the area of interest.
I like Bing maps, they provide better images for my area than google. I do like the GPS function of google, I can pinpoint a spot to cehck out, load the coordinates into my 60cx garmin and head out. Been using both for a number of years now. I also open two tabs, one with topo features to compare terrain. Good post!
I agree with South MS Bowhunter; the bird's eye view in Bing is pretty sweet. I used to use another program that is exactly the same to scout backpacking trips. Check it out if you get a chance. When you first start out in bird's eye the picture isn't very good, but center your location and just keep zooming in. You can even rotate the image, but it is a little tricky when you do. Sometimes when you rotate you have to zoom back out, rotate, then zoom back in.
I use it.
LOVE IT!!!!
I will not step into a new are without checking it first. Saves lots of boot leather. :bigsmyl:
Bing Maps is da Bomb.!
Google earth is excellent. I agree with someone earlier who posted that if your county has GIS mapping it is even better. I use that all the time, the arial photo resolution is incredible and seeing property ownership and boundries is fantastic. Some will even have a terrain feature that will show shaded elevation.
I do use Google Earth quite a bit though. I like being able to download all of my GPS coordinates to the My Places and viewing them on there, and using the History option allows for changing the arials, works for me because I can switch in my area from Black/White photos taken when the foliage was gone, to color photos with the mast on the trees.
There is some really cool stuff that you can do with Google Earth. Great topic!
I use it however one of the areas I hunt for Sika hasn't been updated since 2007 and a neighboring outfitter has crisscrossed the area with trails through some public land. These don't show up on a 2007 shot.
I use maps live but same thing really,,,, honestly its priceless for fine tuning my stand placement on some new spots I found. I'll print the pictures and save them in my binder and then with each location I write down what wind directions are best based on how I have the stand in there (or where on the ground I'll be hiding)
awesome tool.
I've used it for a few years. I like to look at a new area before ever setting foot on the place. After I've been there in person, I find myself back on google earth looking at the places I've spotted game and trying to give myself some insight as to why it was in a particular place. Next time I go out, I have an even better understanding of what's going on in that area.
I USE IT AND IT IS FANTASTIC.
just started using it a little. I have gotten maps at the county offices and on line when available in the past, but this looks like a great tool to look at a lot more areas fast. This would also be a great way to scout homes for sale with property.
It's Ok I use it at work alot but much ,much prefer Terrain Navigator topos . I use the 3D feature to see how steep the terrain is in an area, not a problem if you are in the flat land but here some places are 45 degrees .
awesome tool.
Ok so how/where would you scout this area? Yanahli WMA (http://www.box.net/shared/f1ab80gzfh)
Thanks. WE spent some time there yesterday. I'll try to link some pics also.
Jeff, what did you ever find out about my area of TN ? Outdated maps, loggers, and big woods that are no longer there...... ?
Where are the latest date maps for us guys who live with loggers ? I have searched most of them, Google Earth, Terraserver, Mytopos, etc, etc and I think just about all of them use the same satelite imagery and in my area they simply are useless due to age. What you think is aawesome spot looks like an atomic bomb hit it when you get there after the loggers !
No cams, Looking now. It's Jasper TN right?
I'm seeing 2010 pics for area west of Jasper. Im looking on GOOGLE earth
I'm seeing 2010 pics on google earth just west of jasper tn. Is that the right spot?
John
I've used Google Earth for years. I also use this free GIS software: Quantum GIS (http://www.qgis.org/) . You'll need some computer skill for the GIS, but it's not quite as intimidating as it might seem. Plan on spending some time to learn how to use it effectively. Once you are proficient, you can build maps onto topographic base maps by adding free data layers from wildlife agencies, other natural resource managers, etc., that are extremely helpful for hunters.
Sometimes, however, you just can't find a data layer that can be added to Google Earth and or the GIS. Maybe you need to add an image that's only available in printed form, for example, a trail map. This is actually pretty easy on Google Earth, but it requires some time to get it done right. Use the Google Earth User guide > Importing your data > Importing Image Overlays (http://earth.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=guide_toc.cs) for step by step instructions.
Here's a plain English version of the instructions:
Scan the thing you want to add. If you don't have a scanner, you can get this done at Kinko's, Staples, etc., or you can take a digital photograph (use a tripod if possible.) Add the image to your computer system with whatever software you have to do that. It has to be one of these formats:
BMP
DDS
GIF
JPG
PGM
PNG
PPM
TGA
TIFF
If you start storing such images systematically with a specific file location, it will help a lot down the road.
Now, open Google Earth. Center your view on the place you want to add the image. Try to adjust the scale so that what you see on the screen approximates what you know (or guess) is the scale of the image, but don't get too anxious about that.
In the Google Earth top menu, click "Add>Image Overlay." Click "Browse" to locate the image you want on your computer system and add it.
Now, at this point you will have something laying on top of the Google Earth image. Over in the Google Earth Sidebar, right-click (Control-Click for some Mac users) on the name of that "something" under Places. A popup appears showing some choices. Click on "Get Info". You'll see a green grid superimposed on your added image. Don't fiddle with it yet.
First, adjust the image transparency (using "Get Info" again) to make it about 50% opaque. Now you can see the underlying Google Earth image.
Now you can drag your image with that green grid and adjust its corners with the grid as well. Move the image until it lines up approximately where it should be. Use the corners to match it more closely with identifiable features on the Google Earth image.
Once the image is added as you want it, save it to your Google Earth Places.
Now comes the amazing part: Because the image is "draped" over the Google Earth image, it adopts the 3D contours from Google Earth. In other words, you can see how a trail or boundary or whatever you've added follows the terrain in a 3D view. And you can print the whole shebang from Google Earth and carry it into the field.
Great info! Thanks for adding this.
Checked out the Bing birdseye. I like Google earth better.
Can you switch to topo view on Google Earth ? I like to look at both to see elevations as a big picture. I can see actual elevation at the bottom of the page in satelite view but still like to look at topo view. Old school I guess ?
Here's a great primer on land nav.
Getting from here to there (http://www.pursuithunting.com/2008/10/navigation-getting-from-here-to-there.html)
Gotta know this to put it all together.
Tap,Tap,Tap....... well fellas.... ? Someone tell me how to switch to topo view in Google Earth ?
Just to update this as I'm doing my scouting for this coming fall. Just to clarify there's two different products and people seem to be confusing the two. There's Google maps that has a satelite image which is on their website and there's Google Earth which is a download as jfelkins linked.
I'm going to do a little tutorial on some of Google Earth's features to show how nice a scouting tool it can be. First off, download the latest version as mentioned. A good/fast internet connection is a plus because the program downloads a lot of image data.
When you start Google Earth you are in a satelite elevation looking at the globe.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/Orbitview-1.jpg)
Image is a little blurry because of shrinking it to meet the size requirements.
Checking out the history option is one of the best features guys. You can sometimes pinpoint how old clearcuts are or see creeks/low lying areas hidden from site in summertime photos. Great tool.
In addition to scouting funnels and paths for whitetails, I've used it to map holes for groundhogs with some success for varmint reduction.
As I said it's hard to read the print because of shrinking but I'll point out a couple of features. The left side bar has a list of info you've saved in the Places box. It will save new data under Temporary Places folder by default unless you first select a different folder (by left clicking your mouse on the desired folder, highlighting it) before creating any new items (waypoints, paths, etc). You can right click My Places and select ADD - Folder to create a folder under that Category. I created a folder named Tradgang under the Temporary Folders instead. When exiting Google Earth (GE from now on) you will be asked if you want to save that temp info into your My Places folder. There's also a Layers box that allows you to check and uncheck "layers" you want to show up on the map. This may be boundaries, water names, or all sorts of info available. As mentioned different layers can be downloaded from various sources. I have one from the USFS that shows trailheads, campgrounds, Forest Service Offices, Summits, and lots of other data. These can be turned on and off, on-the-fly by simply checking and unchecking the box next to the feature listed in the layers box. There's also some options you can chose at the top of the menu bar under tools - options but the default settings are a good place to start.
At the bottom left of the screen you'll see a scale bar as you zoom closer. The bottom middle will show you Long/Lat and elevation of the position of the cursor/pointer. The bottom right will tell you the elevation of the camera, or Eye.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/Detail.jpg)
The right side has a series of navigation tools (zoom, direction, pan, pitch)
You really need a mouse with a wheel to easily use the program as the wheel adjusts elevation and camera angle. There is a work-around for using a mouse without a wheel; you use the right mouse button while inside the top circle in the top right corner of your screen. Scrolling the wheel up or down moves your elevation in and out. Holding down the wheel while moving the mouse changes the tilt of the camera angle. Play around with it a bit and you can get some great views. Click on the section of America (or wherever) you want to view and then "zoom" in for a closer look.
I'll zoom down to a random spot in South Central Colorado and assume I'm checking out a valley in my Unit and notice a small lake that may hold elk.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/Overhead-1.jpg)
I can mark the spot by clicking the Yellow Push Pin button up top. As long as the properties window is up I can move the pushpin around for more precise placement. You can rename the point and change the type/color of pin, and enter a bit of note. If you clicked the folder under Places (like I did on Temporary Places) it will show up under that folder. My USFS layer names the water as Lily Pond. Seems interesting. I need to check that out. Depressing the wheel I can tilt the camera view and get a better idea of the lay of the land.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/3Dview-1.jpg)
Now it gets interesting as I can use the pathing tool to see how difficult it would be to get there, or even compare two different routes. The trick here is to make sure you have a perspective that allows you to see every area of the route before starting because you can't move the map around once you start tracing your route, you have to cancel out and adjust then restart. So in my example I decide to go up that draw and check out the meadows along the way. I select the Path button and the cursor turns into a crosshair. I trace the path I want to take up to the lake. The info window will give me the distance traveled. 1.49 miles.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/Path-1.jpg)
The path is now listed under my Tradgang folder. If I right-click on it I can now chose to Show Elevation Profile.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/Profileview.jpg)
I can move along the profile and an arrow moves on the map showing me where that point is. There's also a lot of info on there; starting elevation, ending elevation, steepest grade, average grade.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/DetailofProfile.jpg)
Here's another neat feature. I zoom in on the pond and notice a picture icon next to it.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/PictureIcon.jpg)
If I click on that icon it opens a picture (or series of pictures) that someone took of that region.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/Talondale/Archery/Tradgang/PictureView.jpg)
Helps get a better feel for the area.
Also you can export these points of interest to your GPS. You can also import your GPS info to see things you found while walking around or to look at your breadcrumb trail and get an idea of how well you're covering the area you're hunting.
That is how I find/found a number of hunting spots! That includes my current favorite stand!