By Paul Young

As bow hunters, we often put a lot of time into doing our due diligence prior to the hunt.  One of those components is scouting.  For some, a trip to the lease or food plot to check trail cameras is an easy task.  For others, typically those in the west, scouting may be a six plus hour drive away with another two hour plus hike to where you want to scout or hunt.  Not to mention, those seeking to hunt another state are really at a disadvantage when it comes to the ability to scout.

How do we get around the challenges posed by pre-season scouting for remote hunting locations?  There are a few solutions to explore. The first, setting up trail cameras. If you can access the area you’d like to hunt, setting up a trail camera will provide some of the best insight you can possibly get for remote scouting. Trail cameras developed with cellular technology offer a good bridge between the hunter and the desired hunting location. Products such as the Spartan HCO for AT&T users and the Spypoint Link 4G 12MP Cellular Trail Camera for Verizon users provide some of the best access for remote scouting with trail cameras.  Both of these cameras offer exceptional quality and durability.  They both have outstanding reviews by current users and they both have tremendous battery life. 

Battery life is something that every hunter using a trail camera for remote scouting should consider.  When locations are remote or we can only make one trip to install the camera prior to the season, using fresh batteries and a trail camera that is efficient should weigh in heavily on your trail camera purchase.  I prefer the Spypoint, although a bit more expensive, it functions on six AA batteries opposed to the 12 the Spartan operates on. Overall the Spypoint is more expensive but it does have easier function and better image quality over the Spartan.  When I bought the Spartan, I strictly considered budget and the Spartan allowed me to get the images necessary for success similar to the Spypoint but on a budget.

After the unit has been taken into consideration, the most important piece to setting up a trail camera is location.  If you have the ability to spend a few days where you want to put up your camera, this will prove to be the best option.  For those of us that don’t have the ability to spend a lot of time in the scouting location, we need to use other resources in order to determine what may be a viable location.

The best resource I’ve found is using a web based application such as Google Earth. There are additional applications you can pay for out there, such as OnX Maps. However, I’ve found that Google Earth can do just about everything I need since I know what to look for.

Additional resources should be explored as well. For example, the state of Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife (CPW) offers a resource for hunters to explore called the Colorado Hunting Atlas.  The resource provides information on migration patterns for all big game species within the state, as well as hunter resource over lay maps for game management units and public land.  These tools coupled together allowed me to harvest my first antelope buck with a bow last fall. The questions then become, where do I set up my trail camera? And what if I can’t afford a trail camera? To use your camera effectively, one needs to ensure a cellular signal can be

captured from the location one desires first. Coverage maps are offered by all major providers on their websites. These maps are not developed to the detail Google Earth, or OnX Maps will provide. Take caution when overlaying these coverage maps and always have a few locations in mind as backups. Then we are back to the location of the camera(s).

There are five things that I look for when seeking a location to hunt or put up a trail camera in remote areas of the Western United States (1) Food; (2) Water; (3) Cover; (4) North Facing Slopes; and (5) Proximity to roads, houses, etc… When you couple all of those factors in a relatively close proximity to one another, you get a solid location that can provide opportunity for game to be present.

Although the maps may show a viable area for game to be present, I always go out with the notion that I may need to check out some of my alternative locations.  During the planning phase, I ensure that I locate at least three to five locations within an area that could provide what I’m looking for once I get there.  Maps and satellite imaging can only offer so much.  On the ground observation needs to be the deciding factor when choosing a location to hunt or set up your trail camera.

As you can see, scouting remotely can have its payoffs when one puts the time into setting up a camera or camp in an ideal location using remote scouting techniques. Using digital resource maps and having multiple back up plans for the hunt can also provide success. Not all adventures go as planned and game may move out of an area just before the season. Never give up on your pursuit, if plan A fails, then try plan B and so on. If you do the research, one plan is bound to show success in the way of photos on your trail camera, and hopefully meat in the pickup for the next year. 

That’s it for this time, and remember, keep your tip up, shoot straight, and never forget to Salute the Outdoors on your way home!