Long Distance Scouting

[EastTNHunter]

I know that this has been covered in many other threads on here, but I was hoping that I could read it all in one place to avoid confusion. What do you look for when scouting from aerial photos and topo maps? I am a deer hunter and understand saddles, finger ridges, etc, but am not sure if elk use them the same way as deer. Also, the ridges and hollows of eastern TN are quite a bit different from the 10,000 foot elevations of Colorado. I am looking into first rifle hunts, and I know that seasons will vary the type of sign that I am looking for, but I am not completely certain how.

Any help is appreciated. Is there a good book that I can pick up to read on this?

Thanks in advance

[RAMMONT]

Some of the top priorities I have are;

The number of roads in the area - less is better
Altitude - the highest in the area is good when it's hot, lower altitudes are better when it snows
Water - they gotta drink several times a day, especially when it's hot
Food - they gotta eat several times a day, sometimes all day long with a couple hours of cud chewing in between
Eastern and northern mountain aspects in the summer - this isn't written in stone, a lot depends on the weather but it's a good general rule
Western and southern mountain aspects in the winter - same as above

[Mike_Parson]

This year i have had to long distance scout for my elk hunt. I am concentrating on finding travel corridors from water and food/bedding areas as well as areas a distance from road traffic. I have also been lucky to be able to talk with folks that have experience in the general area to help give me tips on general areas to start looking. I will have 12 days to hunt so the first few i will be doing scouting while i hunt to see if i need to change to plan b, c , d or e in respects to what i find in the first few days.

GE has also helped me look at the areas in several different weather aspects. i have seen areas where there are trails in the late summer and fall and the trails are even seen in the snow in the winter timelines. helps me to see that the area is used for a longer duration than just a transition corridor from summer to winter.

Best of luck to you on your hunt.