Mule deer scouting on Google Earth.

[Badger_55]

What are some tell tale mule deer grounds that people look for when using Google Earth?
Just curious when there isnt the classic high basin area what else do you guys look for?

 

[TRS_Montana]

Big open draws and hillsides in heavily forested areas.

 

[Elkdog]

Anything open and high. Mule deer bucks don't really care how steep unless they actually need repelling gear. They like open and high. At least around here and in Eastern Oregon where I grew up.

 

[Brn2hnt]

This. Read. Digest. Practice. Read again. I'm on reading number 3 or 4 of both this article and Robby's book as well. Some of the best info that is not specific to one habitat I've found.

https://www.gohunt.com/read/skills/how-to-find-big-mule-deer-areas-using-google-earth

 

[hank4elk]

Good article.
I have a nice isolated tilted mesa picked out.
Burns on the top,no roads,timber on NW & down the broken up creek beds off the burns into river bottom....just like above article states in there....
I'm also a believer in the 3/4 rule.Big bucks hang 3/4 of the way up a Mtn.,most of the time.

 

[beginnerhunter]

Thanks for the discussion. I'm planning my first muley hunt in Colorado and this is helping me narrow down where I need to be.

The unit I'm hunting will have OTC elk hunters as well. Assuming minimal snow, will the elk be using the same areas during 2nd rifle in CO? Just wondering if I will be running into tons of elk hunters or if they will be utilizing different habitat.

 

[Hoffmann]

I'm currently using Google Earth to plan my first mule deer hunt in Southern Wyoming. I have a lot of forest service up to 10K feet or so - but roads are impossible to get away from.

I'm actually hoping/planning to hunt the BLM ground away or up against forest service. I'm looking for the roughest country I can find on mostly flat BLM that is near water and ag fields but away from roads if possible. My theory is if I CAN'T locate deer in these types of broken terrain, I can sit on top and glass for miles.
I'm panning far out and looking for shades of dark green.. it's only my amateur guess but my assumption is along creeks and ag fields is where deer will get the most beneficial feed. and water for that matter. once I find that I look for the nearest areas of what looks like ripples going across the landscape, once you pan in to ground level and see how these areas sit above or below most of the other topography you can start to guess if deer bed there or not and how to approach.

All of this talk about going high and open is making me nervous about my own plans though.
I found a great waterhole up high and away from roads in the forest service area - has anyone ever just sat a waterhole with luck in a forested area?