On this episode of the How to Hunt Deer Podcast, Josh talks with Zach Ferenbaugh from The Hunting Public about map scouting for whitetails. Map scouting has become an indispensable tool for serious whitetail hunters. Mapping apps allow you to dissect aerial and topo imagery to  locate potential bedding areas, feeding areas, and travel routes the deer prefer. Until you actually put boots on the ground, it’s all just an educated guess. But being an effective map scouter can make you far more efficient when off season scouting or when actively hunting.

Every year, Zach and the rest of the THP crew travel the country chasing deer, turkeys, and other game in new and unique places. Their intense travel schedule means that they rely heavily on map scouting both in and out of season. It also means they have gotten really good at recognizing those terrain and habitat features that deer tend to gravitate to, no matter the region they’re hunting. In this episode, Zach shares some of the things that are consistent when it comes to map scouting no matter where he hunts. The next few episodes of the How to Hunt Deer podcast will explore map scouting different terrain types in greater detail, and how you might approach map scouting a little different depending on where you hunt.