The technological nature of the world has worked its way into hunting.
With the increasing cost of fuel, and inflation now permeating its way through all outdoor industries, it is becoming more important for hunters to make the most of available technology to ensure that every ounce of sweat, as well as every dollar spent, leads to a successful hunt.
Technology has always found a way into the hunting world. From the advent of the rifled barrel to the utilization of cellular technology, those who chase game outdoors have always looked for ways to integrate the latest and the greatest into their woods-based pursuits.
Perhaps one of the most popular technological aspects of hunting in recent years has been the utilization of electronic mapping programs, such as OnX, to scout, plan and execute a hunt. With the increasing capabilities of smartphones and the ever-expanding network of coverage in the Rocky Mountain, it is no wonder that phone-based mapping and navigation software is becoming more and more a part of hunting.
Many hunters utilize e-mapping software before they even set foot into the field, and some who live thousands of miles away from the hunting areas solely rely on it (as opposed to in-person scouting) to learn the lay of the land before hunting. The latter strategy is increasing in frequency in the last two years due to the rising cost of fuel and transportation throughout the United States.
That said, hunters have to know how to use e-mapping software effectively, particularly when it comes to scouting. Far too often, hunters start zooming in and looking at smaller areas, which we will call micro-features, as opposed to first looking at the overall terrain of a unit or area (or macro-features).
Identifying the macrofeatures of a unit is an art in itself. And, like all forms of art, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to how to do it well. Generally speaking, a good approach is to look at your unit and first identify the areas where animals will be concentrated and where hunters will be fewer in number. To accomplish this, look at the unit and draw a “zone” that parallels any road or motorized trails for a half mile on either side. This “zone” is where more hunters will be, and consequently, less animals. You have likely just eliminated 25% of the area you were looking at hunting, thus starting to narrow your focus into your mico-features.
Next, eliminate all private land and focus on areas where private land touches the public. You have likely just eliminated another large swath of land in your hunting unit, again creating more specific micro-features where you can focus your attention as well as your hunting energy.
By this point, you have likely eliminated about 50% or more of your hunting unit. Now, go ahead and remove from consideration any areas that will not hold animals. While any terrain can hold big game, there are general rules that should be followed and looked for. These include the presence of water, food and cover. Without these three elements, animals cannot and will not stay in an area for a prolonged period of time, thus making those areas lower in importance when it comes to hunting.
You should now have large areas of the map that have been eliminated for one of the above reasons. Now, it is time to look at the terrain that remains and focus on the center of those areas as locations where there is likely to be a higher concentration of animals and a lower concentration of hunters. Using these methods, you can now look for micro-features that are going to be even more important to your hunt. For elk, look for saddles between north-facing timber and southfacing feeding areas. Ridges that run east to west will generally have multiple saddles where the animals will pass from north to south. These saddles are great locations to hunt, glass or listen.
When e-scouting and using the satellite view, be sure to look for areas that are atypically green or lush, as these may be locations where there is more water. More water doesn’t only mean hydration, it also means that the browse in that area will be better. As it gets later into the hunting seasons, these areas will often hold animals later than more arid areas. Also, if you are elk hunting, you might be able to locate a wallow through your e-scouting, which is worth its weight in gold (or in this case, elk meat) if a hunter is patient enough to sit in the area, observe animal movements and listen for bugles.
Lastly, many e-mapping platforms also offer an app that can be used on your phone to navigate and check the terrain while out in the field. Hunters should remember a few things when doing this, the first of which is to download maps to your phone in advance if you are not going to have reception (and, always assume that you won’t). In these situations, as in many others, it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Also, remember that e-mapping software really decreases your battery life. For this reason, it is good to have an external power source (portable battery or solar charger) to boost the life of your phone when you are out in the field.
Remember that your phone is a lifeline, in addition to being a source of information, while you are hunting. For this reason, having an ample power supply is worth the weight in your pack to be sure you can navigate, call for help in an emergency or call a group of friends once you are successful in your harvest.
Trail cameras that send images directly to the hunter’s devices are also increasing in popularity. These technological assets, of course, need to be hung in an area where there is cellular service and also necessitate a plan for the images to be sent. However, owing to the ever-expanding nature of cellular coverage within the United States, the ability to get images of animals sent to you is becoming more widespread. These cameras are worth the investment, especially with the cost of fuel and amount of time it takes to go out into the field to manually check cameras for animal activity.
That said, many people forget that hunting pressure is a determining factor when it comes to finding big game animals. Thus, a great way to use cellular trail cameras in a different way is to track hunter movement and pressure, as well as watching animal activity. To do this, look for access trails into your hunting area and hang your camera in a location where it won’t be spotted by other hunters. For weekend warriors, knowing the hunting pressure in an area can be just as important, if not more so, than knowing if animals were in the area or not. We must remember that one hunter, or a group of hunters, can push animals out of an area for a week, if not longer.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly for hunters who are out in the woods alone, is the ability to communicate with the outside world when necessary. As mentioned above, cellular coverage is expanding, but when one gets deep into a canyon or way out into the backcountry, reliable reception can be intermittent at best. One bad step over a log, or one great shot on an animal, might mean that you have to call for help. The Garmin InReach system, which can send messages through a satellitebased device, is perhaps one of the most important pieces of technology a hunter can bring along into the woods. Prior to doing so, however, it is best practice (as with all things hunting) to be sure that you are proficient with the device and that your subscription is up to date.
Also, consider a device that can communicate via satellite while also serving as a navigation system. Thus, if your smartphone is damaged or stops working, you will always have a backup with the same capabilities.
And, as always, be sure you have a way to charge all your devices when you are out in the field, especially for multi-day trips.