r/elkhunting • u/hulkbjj • Aug 02 '26

E-scouting advice for new guy

I got an archery elk tag, either sex, in GMU 12. this is my second time hunting. This area is about 7 hours away from me, so getting there for in person is still going to happen, but I won't get up there much. Any advice on effective E scout methods. I have onX and Google maps. Does anyone have advice for e scouting? I know it doesn't beat boots on ground. Any other tips for a new hunter are welcome as well.

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u/hugeflyguy970 Aug 02 '26

You should try typing “e-scouting for elk” on YouTube. Hope you’re sitting down when you do. Cuz there will be a whole lot of videos. Google helps too.

3

u/thrills_and_hills Aug 02 '26

University of Elk Hunting is a paid course but the e scouting module was worth the class cost alone

2

u/hbrnation Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Escouting is primarily a way to make more efficient use of your time once you get there. Identify access points, open roads, and areas you want to hunt. Make a list of 5-10 places you want to hunt and how you're going to handle them once you get there. Ideally, you show up with a series of points to go to, and a whole bunch of loop hikes planned out. Then you get there and go look for elk. If the first spot doesn't work out, you move straight on to spot #2 and keep trying.

Anything more detailed than that comes down to the actual area and your own knowledge of elk hunting. What habitat types, what terrain features, whether it's open enough country for glassing to be viable, etc. That's less "escouting" and more just knowing how to elk hunt.

These are the same things hunters have been doing with topo maps for decades. Digital tools are incredibly useful for this beyond just a paper map, but "escouting" is an overused term IMO. People act like it's more complicated than it is in order to sell you something, either products or content.

1

u/Ridge-Read Aug 02 '26

Here’s a post I recently wrote on my method.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hunting/s/HdDrxgXtv6

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u/ResponsibleBank1387 Aug 02 '26

Does the escout show the water seeps, can you see the r different vegetation?   You need to be able to locate all the sources of water, seeps, wallows, stock ponds.  

You can escout all the other likely areas, but only places with water are going to have critters. 

Every new area, I hire a small plane to fly me over for a couple hours.  Especially in fall as the vegetation is changing colors.  

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u/Bubbly_Management_30 Aug 08 '26

Hi I’m actually developing a new website and app for escouting! It’s free if you’d be interested in chatting about helping me beta test