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Aerial scouting Flat land

bcsportsman

bcsportsman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2017
Messages
216
Where I hunt we are on flat land. Excluding bayous ditches roads and levees elevation will gradually change a total of maybe 10ft. So I’m really flat. On the public land I’m scouting its big virgin timber with almost no distinct elevation changes. How would anyone do aerial scouting on a property like this. If you are curious of the property it is grassy lake wma in Louisiana. I know how to do the foot scouting just want to do more aerial to save some time.
 
I'm new to aerial scouting and grew up hunting flat land in the lower Eastern Shore of MD.

If I were you, I'd look for changes in vegetation types and transition zones. You should be able to see differences in types of trees (somewhat at least) from images. Also, sometimes a little hump is all a deer needs. Don't overlook it. I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions and advice.
 
Using an aerial map you should be able to see transitions. Find the transitions and walk them. Deer are creatures of edge. You can also look at a topo map to find swamps too but they should be pretty obvious on an aerial.
 
I like what bdwilliams and redsquirrel said. The hunting public has/is putting out a series of vids on how they approach scouting a new property you may be interested in. It’s basically the approach I like to use. Cyber scout the access. Confirm access and predict the areas seeing the most pressure by visiting the area. Cyber scout to narrow down the most likely good spots (your opinion of a place may change after checking out the access). Scout on foot only the areas you have determined the best but do not exclude overlooked spots. If your unsure about a place before busting in there try to find an observation location that you can hunt/scout /observe from to gain more intel. Hope this helps. Good luck!


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Hey buddy - one thing you can do is use a combination of apps and websites to get different age aerial views.

I use google earth, onx, huntstand, zoomearth, google maps, caltopo. I find that the historic in google earth really helps with large swaths of land that looks the same. you'll identify certain edges and transitions that may not show up on one particular image
 
Like said in above response. Here in FL we have little elevation differences in most areas. Usually keying in on transitional areas gets us in the ballpark & then gotta look for subtle factors the hopefully will further narrow down to good stand site. Sometimes very slight elevation changes can be found that aren’t on maps.


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bcsportsman said:
Where I hunt we are on flat land. Excluding bayous ditches roads and levees elevation will gradually change a total of maybe 10ft. So I’m really flat. On the public land I’m scouting its big virgin timber with almost no distinct elevation changes. How would anyone do aerial scouting on a property like this. If you are curious of the property it is grassy lake wma in Louisiana. I know how to do the foot scouting just want to do more aerial to save some time.
Click to expand...

I hunted there once. It was a group weekend hunt from a La forum. 1st day was mostly scouting. That night we partied all night and went to bed when it was time leave to go hunt. Woke up around 8 and went show my buddy where I picked out trees for us to hunt. Had an 8pt dogging a doe all around where we were gonna be. Had no bow with us and they passed us about 30 yards. They actually stopped under the tree I was suppose to hunt. Lol but we had a hell of a time that night.
Look at the trees on the aerial map. Find the thickets. Scout the edges. Start recognizing what different oaks look like on the map when you find them in the field. When you find an oak that is tore up with deer sign, look at it on your map and find more like it to go check. You might have to look at several aerial maps taken at different time periods to make that tree look different than the others. Then they will stand out on the rest of the area. Also late in the year in grassy there is a tree that I think is a holly or maybe it was a hawthorn. It drops red berries late like in dec. When you find them you will see the ground tore up under them with muddy tracks. They hit them hard once they start dropping. I’m just starting to learn how to hunt hills. It’s easier to predict travel routes than flat grounded big hardwoods. But if you learn how to hunt them there, everywhere else will come a lot easier. If you look at a topo map for that area the topo lines will read “lol”. Observation stands won’t exist when you can only see 40 yards unless you can hunt a pipeline or power line.
 
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Can also look at access points and try to find the areas people aren’t going. Maybe there is a real secluded area of the property that you can’t access?

Otherwise check the county gis map. Some of them have 2’ contours and will let you see details a standard topo won’t ever pick up. Sometimes a 4-5’ drop will give you a small wet swamp that people walk around and avoid. Or create a barrier where the backside might be good. A lot can change in a small elevation change.
 
I hunt flat land in LA also. My strategy is pretty similar to the guys at THP. Start with the pressure and eliminate the areas that are likely pressured. Next, look at the places in the unpressured areas that have some kind of transition like creek, different kinds of trees/vegetation, etc. The more diversity converging in one area, the better. On your aerial, look for where big canopy trees and small canopy trees come together, or look for where evergreens and oaks meet. Also, look for breaks in the canopy. Those spots will have a real thick understory. Those are your likely bedding spots and will also produce a ton of browse.
 
Transitions, transitions, transitions!!!

I would look for every edge between vegetation types, maturity levels, really anything that is a perceivable change in the aerial photos.


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Check out a topo map. There are a few high spots surrounded by low areas. Good luck.
 
I’m new to aerial scouting. And I can understand a Topo enough to pick out transitions. I just have trouble figure out the overall aerial view. Thanks everyone for help.
 
Google Earth has a feature where you can look at all the historical images.
Comparing each one can sometimes show subtle differences better than just looking at the most recent image.
Seasonal differences in tree coloration and leaf emergence can show edges and specie stands. For instance...a fall Google Earth image may show where the edge of an oak patch meets a patch of another species or even a difference in the maturity of those species.
Seems like a lot of GE images are taken in summer. The cover in those images often looks monolithic...seeing internal edges can be difficult, but going back through several years of historical images often has pics taken during months that show more and better detail. Don't just open GE and look at the most recent image...look at them all.
Sometimes an image that's 10 years old of a logging operation will show show up like a sore thumb, but the same area on a current image, the edges become a lot less noticable...but, in reality, with boots on the ground, there is still are edges many years after the logging area has re-grown.
On my computer, the historical image button is located on the bottom left corner of the GE image. Click on it and a slider will pop up and you can scroll thru the years.
 
Bdwilliams said:
Check out a topo map. There are a few high spots surrounded by low areas. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Most topo maps have 20 foot intervals between contour lines. On really flat areas a 10 foot change in elevation along low ridges won't show on a topo map and 10 feet is often enough of an elevation change for deer to relate to.
Another Google Earth tip...as you move the cursor across the image, it shows elevation. Differences of even a couple feet can be revealed. It takes some time, but you can overlay your own topo lines on a GE image...you can put your own terrain features on a GE image that won't show on the scale of topo maps.


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Allegheny Tom said:
Most topo maps have 20 foot intervals between contour lines. On really flat areas a 10 foot change in elevation along low ridges won't show on a topo map and 10 feet is often enough of an elevation change for deer to relate to.
Another Google Earth tip...as you move the cursor across the image, it shows elevation. Differences of even a couple feet can be revealed. It takes some time, but you can overlay your own topo lines on a GE image...you can put your own terrain features on a GE image that won't show on the scale of topo maps.


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Click to expand...
Yeah. I found a topo for the WMA in question and there are a few features to check out.

Good Google Earth tip; I didn't know that one. There's some good info in this thread.
 
Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet but I always check for county GIS website. Most of the counties in my state have a site and will have areal images with foliage on and off (IE pictures in the summer and pictures in the winter). I have fond that to be really helpful in areas with little topography. Good luck!
 
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