Podcast 47 – Digital Elk Scouting 101

On today’s podcast, I’m interviewing the most famous, renowned elk hunter in the west, Adam Parr about digital scouting for elk. He is a wealth of knowledge and is the best elk hunter in Colorado, possibly the world… Wow, arrogant much??

Disregard that first paragraph. I’m far from being the best elk hunter and I never will be, but over the past four years, I’ve been able to accumulate a ton of valuable information on elk movements and how they utilize terrain to their advantage. The goal of this podcast is to walk you through the steps of how I digital scout for elk using a combination of google earth and onXmaps.

If you’re a beginner non-resident hunter, you don’t want to go into the area completely blind, after all, you are spending a ton of money, you’re taking time off of work, and you have many hours of preparation leading up to this point. Digital scouting will help you become more familiar with your hunting area, help you plan hiking routes/camping spots, mark potential bedding/feeding areas, and will present you with a number of options to fall back on if plan A doesn’t work out.

Topics Covered In This Podcast Include:

• Why is digital scouting so important?
• Getting started with E-Scouting for elk and what resources are available to help you better understand a potential hunting area
• How to use Google Earth overlays from Colorado Parks and Wildlife to locate elk concentration areas for archery and rifle seasons
• Using onXmaps and various overlays such as historical wildfires and roadless areas to find prime, unpressured elk habitat
• Terrain features to look for when trying to get away from the crowds
• How to locate elk bedding areas by using topography
• How to locate prime food sources and feeding areas for early season elk hunting
• Locating benches and travel routes using topo maps
• Dark timber forests versus aspen tree cuts and how elk utilize them
• Locating private/public land boundaries with onXhunt app
• Want a good discount? Enter code: WILD20 at checkout on OnXmaps.com and receive 20% off any subscription
• Planning travel routes, camping locations, and marking waypoints such as wallows, bedding areas, and rutting activity
• Finding overlooked areas that could be primo elk hideouts