What is Scouting
A successful hunt starts with ample preparation. Scouting is the art of planning your hunt, becoming familiar with terrain, and learning the behavior patterns of your prey. Modern scouting is divided into two phases, e-scouting with technology and old fashioned “boots on the ground” scouting. Whether you’re hunting elk or whitetail, getting familiar with the areas you intend to hunt is critical to your success. Get a head start on your hunting season by reading our complete guide for scouting.
Step 1: E-Scouting
Before you head into the field, look for opportunities with the onX Hunt App. Utilize our satellite maps for a birds eye view of the areas you are interested in hunting. Look for crop fields, areas of cover, and natural funnels that concentrate animal movement to one small area. Find travel routes by analyzing faint paths visible from satellite view as well as topographic features such as ridges, creeks, and mountains that can dictate animal movement.
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onX Hunt on Desktop
Begin your scouting on onX Hunt for Desktop to plan your hunt on a bigger screen, in higher resolution, and with access to more tools. All Waypoints, Areas, and Lines are automatically synchronized with your onX account across devices.
Topographic Maps
Use Topo and Satellite view to pinpoint natural travel corridors, drainages, and other features that can influence animal movement.
3D Hunting Maps
Get the lay of the land by investigating areas on a 3D Map. Utilizing 3D Maps can help you visualize the terrain better than traditional topographic maps, and can put you in the field from the comfort of your computer chair or mobile device.
Line Tool
See distances from tree stands, ridges, and other features by using the Line Tool. The Line Tool can show you how far game can be from where you are situated, as well as the elevation change.
Area Shape Tool
Find the total acreage and perimeter of a parcel of land by using the Area Tool. By using click-to-draw or free draw, you can identify how much land you have to cover, or mark certain areas you’d like to exclude. Segmenting land piece by piece can make the overall parcel less daunting to scout and help you hone in on where you are most likely to be successful.
Are you a landowner, land manager, or both? Use the Area Shape Tool for land management purposes to determine plot acreage and know exactly what food you’ve planted as a percentage of your total acreage, or use the Area Shape Tool to mark off timber stands that need to be thinned or more heavily harvested to create better cover and food.
Waypoints
Drop Waypoints on areas you’re interested in glassing from, setting up a tree stand, potential bedding areas, and more. Color-code your Waypoints, set up custom icons, and add photos. Waypoints you set on your desktop computer will sync with your mobile device for use in the field.
Map Layers
onX Hunt Map Layers are an overlay on the map that can show you more in-depth information about the areas you are trying to hunt. Learn more about how to use map layers here
- Private / Public Land Boundaries – It’s a hunter’s responsibility to know where they stand. Utilize the Private / Public Land Boundaries Layers to know if the land you are interested in hunting on is private or public property.
- View Hunting Areas, Zones, Units, and Districts – The names of these differ by state, but the idea is the same. Learn more about what areas you’d like to secure a permit in or have successfully gotten a permit to hunt.
- Roadless Areas Layer– Utilize the Roadless Areas Layer to see areas that are far from access roads. These areas can show you areas without as much hunting pressure. Learn how to use the Roadless Areas Layer to get deep into the backcountry.
- Fire Layers – Wildfires can drastically change a hunting zone in a short amount of time. Know what areas are affected and how to use them to your advantage, or to avoid these areas altogether.
- Crop Data Layers – Utilize Crop Data Layers to help you scout hunting land and identify food sources. Use onX Hunt’s Crop Data Layers to determine food sources for the specific species you are hunting.
onX Hunt App
Log into onX Hunt on your phone and check to ensure that your Waypoints, Lines, and other Map Markups are synced. Download the areas you’d like to explore for offline use.
Step 2: Boots on the Ground
Once you’ve established some prospective areas to hunt, get boots on the ground and get the lay of the land during the off-season. Getting perspective on the hunting grounds you have chosen can show you things you can’t see from e-scouting alone.
Tools You Will Need
- onX Hunt App – Ensure that you have downloaded Offline Maps for the areas you’ll be scouting, and that all of your Waypoints, Lines, and Area Shapes you created while e-scouting have synced with the device you’ll be using in the field.
- Hunting Boots – Whether you are walking one mile or 15 miles during a hunt, keeping your feet comfortable, supported, warm, and dry are critical to a successful hunt. Read our anatomy of a hiking boot blog post to learn more about what makes some boots better than others.
- Proper Apparel – depending on what terrain you’re scouting, you may need some additional apparel to explore the area comfortably. Waders, jackets, gloves, and hats may be necessary for a long day in the field.
- Binoculars / Spotting Scope – A good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope can enable hunters to see much greater distances in much greater detail.
- Trail Cameras – If legal where you’re hunting, consider setting up trail cameras to tell you what game is moving through the area, when they are active, and what direction they travel.
onX Hunt Elite subscribers have access to exclusive pricing on hunting products and services handpicked by the onX Hunt Team. See the participating companies to help you get geared up for the field.
Determine Access Points
Ensure the areas you have scouted are accessible. Check for access blockers such as closed roads, downed trees, swollen rivers, and dense brush.
Utilize Waypoint Pins
Utilize the information you gathered during the e-scouting phase to determine if your prospective hunting areas are as promising as what your research led you to believe. Add Waypoints for new areas of interest, bedding locations, tree stand locations, and access points.
Check for Signs of Hunting Pressure
You may feel that the area you have picked is far enough off the beaten path to avoid other hunters, but that may not be the case in reality.
Look for signs of human activity such as boot prints, human-made paths, and trail cams.
Step 3: Game Day
Now that you’ve spent the past couple of months preparing for hunting season, utilize the onX Hunt App to guide you through your big day. Before you head out, double check your onX Hunt App to ensure that your Waypoints, Lines and Markups have updated on your mobile device, that your device is charged and you have a backup charging brick (if necessary), and you have Offline Maps downloaded for use in the areas you will be hunting.
Scouting For Elk and Deer
The tactics for scouting vary greatly based on species and region. For more in-depth information, visit our Scouting for Elk and Scouting for Deer pages.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Interested in hunting but not sure where to start? Read our guide on How To Start Hunting for tips on how to get knowledgeable, how to get geared up, and how to start exploring the world of hunting.
It’s never too early to start thinking about the next hunt. In a perfect situation, a hunter is always scouting. Late summer and early autumn scouting is critical to knowing where your prey will be during the hunt, but you can study the movement of wildlife and become intimately familiar with a hunting area year-round. This can help give you the advantage come hunting season.
There is a fine line between being prepared, and shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to scouting. A good hunter will know when to stop entering the areas they plan on hunting in order to not alert their prey to their presence.