Online Scouting with Google Earth

[Dwrecknfish]

Google earth is becoming an absolute deer tool in the upcoming new age of deer hunting. Tons of people spend hours gassing from your computer screen to pick apart a unit to decide on where to look for that trophy animal.

I'm wondering how you guys do it? What do you look for? How do you choose some places over others and get an idea for clear cuts trying to judge the age before actually stepping foot there. Any pics with details would be appreciated. Not looking for spots just a picture explaining why you think it's a good spot. Clear cut next to dark timber or a saddle up in a high risge? Just some examples of what I'm looking for in advice.

[fishnfur]

It sounds like you already know the answers.  Big timber above a newer cut up to 10 year-old reprod is one of the things I look for.  Master RadSav taught us that big timber or bigger reprod above an alder flat may be a gold mine as well.  Also,
- reprod below bluffs or down steep slopes where you can look down into the reprod from above.
- benches in big timber on south/SW facing slopes
- saddles
- funnels/pinch points created by timber cutting practices
- brushed in draws and holes in timber where the seedlings didn't take.

Scouting is very necessary to determine if what you see on G.E. is worth hunting on the ground.

[JimmyHoffa]

depends on time of the year when the image was taken, but sometimes you can pick out where the hardwoods are.  They show up as yellows or oranges.

[boneaddict]

Nothing beats boots on the ground.   Things look a lot different in real life than on the screen

[Sakko300wsm]

 

Nothing beats boots on the ground.   Things look a lot different in real life than on the screen

[TriggerMike]

If you zoom in far enough there will be a little icon toward the bottom left hand of the screen that has a little clock with an arrow and a year next to it. You can scroll through the years and look at the different images to determine the first year a specific clear cut shows on the map. Subtract from this year and you have the age  some areas have more photos than others.

[fishnfur]

Pay attention to the date of the photo too.  Sometimes they use some filter that changes the appearance of conifer and hardwoods, and if it is winter, the hardwoods have no leaves and look like ghost trees  The brush/salal etc. do not show up at all.  For example, the Cathlamet area and West on the Columbia river shows images taken in March of 2016.  Many reprod areas appear to be free of brush and young alder and the image appears to show bare ground.  But if you click back to the previous year's photo, the entire area will be completely engulfed in brush.  There may be 20 foot alder trees in an area that shows no growth. 

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

How do unfind the date when it was taken? Ive always wondered when the ohoto was taken.  I use it on my phone

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[TriggerMike]

How do unfind the date when it was taken? Ive always wondered when the ohoto was taken.  I use it on my phone

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I don't think it shows the date on your phone. Just the computer in my experience.