Digital scouting can be a daunting task for someone with limited experience reading topographical maps and/or aerial maps. Digital scouting should not be a substitute for boots on the ground scouting, however, it certainly helps point you in the right direction. A well-planned and thought-out game plan can lead to success in the field for years to come.
Storytime – Picture it, November 2018, southeast Ohio.
Did that line remind you of Sophia from the Golden Girls? If not, you should watch an episode or two because it’s a classic! Who doesn’t love Betty White? After researching a local property, I found myself knocking on a stranger’s door with a well-prepared speech planned out and a prayer. After a handshake and a smile, I left with permission to hunt a brand new property that I had been drooling over for months. It was time to start scouting this dream property and my first step is to open my On-X Hunt App and scour the property for potential hunting spots. After dropping a few pins in prospective areas, I headed towards this dream property.
When I arrived, the wind was howling but rut was in full swing, so I headed towards a waypoint in a large creek bottom with the wind in my favor, hoping to catch a mid-day buck cruising for a hot doe! Fresh deer littered the forest floor, revealing I was in a good area but you never know if the sign was made during daylight without doing some additional homework with trail cameras. I continued down the creek bottom towards the predetermined location with the goal of learning more about the property.
Suddenly I caught movement in the thicket across the creek. A buck was approaching fast and I drew my bow, picked a hole between some saplings, then slipped an arrow into the rib cage of a 13 point buck. As the buck disappeared into the thicket, he left behind a crimson path which later led me to his final resting place just 50 yards away.
As buck fever began to set in, I took a seat on the ground and picked up my phone to call my buddy and tell him the good news. As the story unfolded, I recalled the waypoint on my On-X Hunt app and to my surprise, I was standing only a few feet from where I had placed the waypoint just hours before. It’s not often that a hunt works out like this, but when it does, it’s a memory that lasts a lifetime!
Can I pay someone to scout for me?
Life’s busy, I get it. Heck, I’m working two full-time jobs (my goal is to take Hunting Gear Deals full-time someday so be sure to follow our IG and sign-up for our Daily Deal email list and support my dream) I know I’m not the only busy person that loves to hunt, so I’ve come up with an idea to ease the burden of digital scouting and help my fellow hunting community in the process.
Utilizing our digitally scouting services can also help you learn how to digitally scout on your own. Practice makes perfect, and we can coach you through the digital scouting process by reassuring the locations of interest that you’ve picked out and compare them to our findings.
Why should I consider paying someone to digitally scout for me?
Whether you’re struggling to dissect a new property or just in a crunch for time, we’re here to help! I’m putting together a group of guys that are highly experienced in digital scouting, interpreting topo maps, and using aerial maps in hopes of helping you be more successful this hunting season.
You can also utilize this service as a way to improve your digital scouting techniques as well. We can compare notes, help you find the “spot within the spot” and develop a game plan for the future!
What should I expect?
Digital scouting can help point you in the right direction but nothing beats time in the field. Digital scouting won’t guarantee success in the field. There are a million factors that play into the success of a hunt but scouting and preparation play a major role with consistent success season after season.
We can help you determine stand locations based on wind direction, locate pinch points, determine potential food plot locations, and predict deer movement throughout the property.
Disclaimer: These observations are based solely on the aerial and topo maps. Actual deer movement may vary based on human pressure, timbering operations, farming, predators, and a multitude of unforeseen factors.
Public or Private?
Whether you’re hunting public or private land, we can help you create a game plan for your next hunt. The possibilities are endless!
Confidentiality
Your hunting spot is safe with us! Whether you’re hunting private ground or backpacking into the remote wilderness of the west, we will keep your hunting spot a secret. There is a unique bond between one hunter and another and we hold ourselves to the highest of standards to ensure that the properties you share with our digital scouting experts are kept safe and secure. Although an invite to join you on a hunt is always appreciated! LOL
Ready for a Quote
How much will this service cost?
Prices will vary and each project will be quoted individually based on the size of the property and expected time to thoroughly scout the property. You can’t expect someone to devote hours into studying a 5,000-acre tract of public ground for the same price as the other guys back forty, so each project will be quoted individually.
Payment Option(s)
Payments can be made via PayPal at this time. After you receive your estimated quote, you’ll be asked to pay 1/2 down and the remaining balance at job completion.
Meet Your Digital Scouting Guide:
Josh Bias is a big buck killer from the Mountain State! Josh was born and raised in Logan County, West Virginia, and has turned into a whitetail fanatic, devoting his time to learning everything he can about the pursuit of mature bucks. Josh is notorious for building a history with the bucks he hunts and has successfully put some giant bucks on the ground in his home state. Josh specializes in interpreting topographical and aerial maps in the Appalachian Mountains and he utilizes the information gathered year after year to gain the upper hand on mature bucks in his hunting area. There’s more to reading a map than located a low gap and expecting every deer in the county to walk through it and Josh has a great system for finding areas of interest that many others overlook.
Josh is also a rising freelance writer, publishing several articles for North American Whitetail and he works closely with Deer Lab. You might recognize Josh from his popular social media group/page Calculated Killers and Whitetail Anonymous that he and his buddy John Fore founded.
How to contact us about this scouting service.
The easiest way to get started is to email me: camron.huntinggeardeals@gmail.com. Also, you can reach out to us on Instagram @huntinggeardeals
Do you need help scouting for deer?
If so, let us help you form a game plan for your next hunting adventure!
Topo Maps, Aerial Maps, coaching, and much more!
AUTHOR BIO
Camron is the owner of Hunting Gear Deals. He is an avid bowhunter with a knack for finding smoking deals on hunting gear. He currently works in the oil & gas industry as an Environmental, Health, and Safety professional.
Instagram- @camronhuntinggeardeals
