Finding Glassing Points

[shannerdrake]

Good Morning! Quick question - is there a reliable way to identify glassing points using digital scouting tools such OnX, Google Maps/Earth, Bing, topo maps, etc.? What are you looking for?

 

[Mully204]

I would check out Randy Newberg's E-scouting series on Youtube. He goes through it very thoroughly.

 

[338 win mag]

I use OnX and also Google earth. There's a 3D viewing feature on Google earth that allows you to find those higher areas with good visibility and it's also interactive

 

[freerange]

Google earth is the best for this I feel. A couple quick tips. If there's an area you really want to glass, go to ground view mode at that spot then look around for glassing points you can see from that spot. The opposite strategy would be to find a good glassing spot, go to the ground level view and see what you can see from there. Another tip is to use the ruler function in GE and go to 3D path to judge how far it is from your prospective glassing point to the areas you want to look. If you don't do a 3D path it will give you the distance over the ground which will not give you an accurate guess of the glassing distance. The ground view function in GE is by far the best tool for planning your glassing points.

 

[land7601]

Freerange, great advice! A lot of tools in Google Earth that can really help in the e scouting world especially when used hand in hand with OnX.

 

[Mully204]

Anyone know how to check the date that Google maps image is from? I've done it with streetview, but cant figure out how to check date for aerial view.

 

[stuckinthecitylife]

Time of day dictates it for me, depending on what I'm doing. Either morning, or evening you want the sun at your back. Looking into the sun, and trying to identify anything in dark timber is a real pain. Find high places that allow you to look toward the area of interest, then look when the suns at your back.

- Joseph

 

[Jape]

I also prefer google earth, but you also need boots on the ground. I found a spot a couple weeks ago that looked promising, but when I arrived most of the trees were too tall on the knob to really be effective. Trial and error.

 

[ridgeman2]

Anyone know how to check the date that Google maps image is from? I've done it with streetview, but cant figure out how to check date for aerial view.

Go to the top of the GE map and click on the clock with the green arrow around it. A drop down bar will appear just below the clock and you will be able to move the cursor to different dates the Satellite pics were taken.