Your Virtual Scout

The Latest Tool for Coming Prepared

The skill of scouting just got a little bit easier for the weekend warrior. Before you even lay foot in the field, you can begin understanding your terrain. Yes, from the makers of that wonderful search engine we all enjoy comes Google Earth, a powerful satellite imaging tool. It mixes road maps and featured locations with 3D satellite images and user contributed images. The best part is that it never gets old. When you use it while connected to the Internet, the software downloads information while you browse.

You can start using it for simply getting to your destination. Road maps are nothing for this tool. However, what if you aren't sure where to stay or eat or see while you're there? No problem with Google Earth. It has layers which you can turn on and off for a wide variety of things, including geographical features, parks, and community services. All the features that a guidebook would normally have are included.

These features are great, but once you reach your field or stream comes one of my favorite features. Many times I find myself wishing I had paced off a certain angle from my treestand. Since I don't always have the time I'd like to go out ahead of time, one of the great features I enjoy is the ability to measure yardage. Then I can say for sure that I'll have an accurate shot. Another great feature comes in when you become a member of the community. The software gives you the capability of uploading images and writing to share with other Google Earth users.

Here's how you get it:

Google Earth is free. The company offers it along with a variety of other worthwhile applications. Don't feel you need to install them all, however. Its easy to pick and choose which ones you'd like. To get Google Earth, follow the link below and enjoy.