With the advent of the Internet, and the numerous free tools and services available from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and state and federal agencies, anyone with a computer and and broadband connection can find almost all the information they need to plan their hunt or scout for new hunting locations. In this article we will discuss some of our favorite tools, how you can use them, and some of the pros and cons of each service or site we've come across.

This section breaks down the various tools and services that hunters and fishermen can use to help locate new spots, identify the ones they already know about, or better understand habitat, topography, and other available data.

We've been using Google Earth since it came out and its proven to be a widely used and valuable resource. Google Earth is a free download and since it accesses data stored in the Google Cloud, an Internet connection is required.

Once installed, you can navigate a 3D version of our planet to any place in the world, zoom in, and view street maps or imagery taken from a satellite, and while not really applicable to any hunting use, in some places look at pictures taken at the "streetview" from Google SUVs equipped with expensive 360 degree panoramic camera systems. When I am looking for a spot to go hunting or fishing I typically use the "Satellite View" and create bookmarks for each spot I want to investigate further. It is a good idea to come up with a naming system to categorize your hunting bookmarks or they will quickly become unmanageable. While some of the satellite imagery can be out of date, especially around rivers or areas that tend to flood, you may not get the whole picture, so it's a good idea to correlate with other sites such as Microsoft Bing! or aerial surveillance photos. More about that later.

Google Earth also includes the ability to enable add-ons through their overlay system. There are many built-in overlays, such as satellite weather, that can also be useful to help plan your trip. Also in some counties or where available, there are Plat overlays where you can display the divisions of land right in the Google Earth application. We only wish this would become more available as it would all but eliminate the need for expensive plat books that change every year. If you are familiar with GIS, you may be able to get this data and create your own Plat overlays.

Google Maps is, like its big brother Google Earth, a free online mapping service that is available to anyone with a computer, Internet connection, and web browser. Unlike Google Earth, you do not need to download and install any software, but it comes without the 3D globe and some of the bells and whistles like overlays and bookmarking. This is still an excellent tool to scout out locations or quickly get driving directions. Also, if you have an iPhone or mobile phone that runs Google's "Android" platform, they now offer a free version of Google Maps that includes turn-by-turn navigation and in some cities real-time traffic reports.

While Google Maps may be our favorite, there are other sites offering equal or sometimes better mapping services, such as Microsoft Bing and Yahoo! Maps. It is a good idea to check between the different sites as they may offer you a better picture or different angle on the site you're interested in, since they may be buying satellite imagery and data from different sources or satellites, or aerial photography.

Most people are already aware that they can go online and purchase licenses, download rules and regulation booklets, or find out information about a particular hunting season. You can also use the DNR and Fish and Wildlife websites to look at maps of lakes and rivers, including survey data that details what types of fish are found in these lakes, how abundant the species is, the average size, as well as stocking data. DNR websites are also useful to help find information on public hunting grounds as well. And another lesser-known fact, the DNR also sells aerial photography from many places and areas in the state that cost around 10$ per image. Once purchased, these high-quality, high-resolution digital images can be printed out, blown up and framed, or whatever else you might like to do with it. We find these images useful when scouting out shallow lakes for waterfowling spots, as we can use the high-resolution imagery to determine the location of channels and lake depth to help us with navigation around the lake. These images are frequently updated and are sometimes a better substitute for outdated satellite imagery.

With that being said, Internet discussion forums do have their time and place, and while most people have wised up to sharing their favorite spots, much can still be learned from participating in Internet discussion forums. No matter where you are from, you can probably find at least a couple of different sites hosting discussion forums for whatever it is that you're interested in hunting or fishing. These are great places to meet new hunters, share information, buy/trade/sell gear, and get involved with the local hunting or fishing community. You can also learn a lot about everything from migration reports for waterfowl birds, deer hunting reports, fishing conditions from local lakes or rivers, contests, fundraisers, and a whole lot more. 

The Global Positioning System, or GPS, was designed in the late 1960s by the Aerospace Corporation for the U.S. Navy to provide the military with the ability for a space-based satellite system that would offer reliable positioning, navigation, and accurate timing services. The GPS satellite system was opened up for civilian use and is accurate outside of war times to 20m or better. Handheld GPS receivers are the choice models for hunters and some fishermen, especially on the ice. Handheld receivers can be used in the woods to help track a wounded animal, either plotting your location while you track so you know how to get back out of the woods, or once you find it so you can mark it to come back later. You can also use it to bookmark off places you'd like to investigate further, or save the coordinates and load them into Google Earth.

Most handheld units can be equipped with chips such as the LakeMaster (TM) chip that provides contour maps of lakes to help with fishing. These also work great for ice fishing as well, and while a bit pricey, they're well worth the money. New LakeMaster chips come out every year with new lake additions or updates to existing lakes. 

We've also recently discovered a chip called "MNTRAX" which includes Lake outlines (depth contours), WMA, WPA, township lines, IRS tax lien property, hunting trails, public hunting land, and a whole lot more. This chip is an invaluable resource for the hunter that covers a lot of ground or is on the lookout for new land to hunt. MNTRAX is so good we wish we didn't have to mention it here, couple it with a copy of your local counties Plat book, and you will also find it a valuable tool to identify private land and acquire permission or leases to hunt that as well. The company that created MNTRAX also offers chips for North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

Hopefully you've learned a thing or two from this article and will put some of the tips to good use. If you have anything you think we should add or have left out, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks and good luck.