Can You Find Elk On Google Earth?

[Swede]

My son and I have seen hundreds of public land elk on G.E. in places we can hunt. We have learned when, where and how to locate them. I cannot say it means a lot, but it is fun. Can you reliably find elk, and if so what do you look for?

And No, I am not going to give you any coordinates.

[Lefty]

I’ve found a few in the desert parts but not the forests

Seen too many moo cows

[elkstalker]

Sure have! It really depends on the time of year and time of day they took the air photos, but I've found them in a few different states/areas. I think it really speaks to the excessive amount of time I have spent on GE doing virtual scouting But it is nice to know that spots I've picked out on a map actually hold elk at certain times of the year.

[Swede]

What I am finding is that when we see one elk herd, then in the general local there are always more herds. We found about 10 herds in one area. If one herd is out feeding in the midday they all are. Individual elk are herd to be sure of most of the time. I have not taken time to go from one year to another, to be sure if one spot is an elk or not, so I just don't count it. In the same area on another year when the month is changed, there may be zero elk found out in the open.

[saddlesore]

The problem with GE and finding elk is you can't control when the photo was taken. In mid summer,you might find large herds above timber line in big open meadows, early winter/spring ,you might see the same elk on south facing slopes 10 miles away at a much lower elevation. In between,during hunting season, they may be between the two, I have seen elk on GE, but don't put a a lot of faith on hunting them where I see them, unless the photo date coincides with my hunting dates.

It s a little like seeing elk tracks only to find the elk are considerable distance away vs seeing elk tracks with the elk standing in them.

[7mmfan]

I can't say definitively that I have ever seen any elk on GE. I have found many camps, but no elk. Have even looked at places that I'm confident have elk at the time of year the photos were taken. I'll keep trying.

[Swede]

I agree Saddlesore. I see the elk in herds out in the open during the Spring time (June). They are out feeding all day it seems. I see no antlers as the elk appear too small. I guess that the benefit in seeing them is that I know they are around, but finding them in September is a totally different matter. By that time they could have moved on for a considerable distance due to a number of factors.

[Tigger]

Once. about 2 miles from where we hunt. Cool, yes, but had no impact on the hunting season.