The world of Intelligence has several collection methods that are utilized for the purpose of gathering information and using that information to accomplish a specific mission. Many in the Intelligence Community will have a specific collection method that they specialize in, however, rarely would they use only one method to gather information. The purpose of this article is to show how one can utilize some of the more available collection methods (some collection methods are either not applicable to our purpose or available to the public) ‘INTs’ to bolster success on your next hunting trip.

HUMINT (Human Intelligence)

Human Intelligence is anything that you either see personally or that another person tells you. I you are heading out into the woods to set up a stand of a blind and see deer, you know there are deer in the area. If you ask your buddy, “Have you seen any turkeys out by your place?” If they are a reliable source, you know there are turkeys present near his area. So, for HUMINT think personal observations and/or inquiries. Click here to aid you on your hunt https://amzn.to/3woCxBs.

OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence)

Open-Source Intelligence is anything that is publicly available, even if it is behind a paywall. This could be anything from hearing a report on the radio, something garnered from the local news, it could even be garnered from a social media post (Did someone post a picture on social media of them filling their tag?). It can be anything from newspapers, magazines, phone apps, maps, social media or even a plat book showing where a privately owned apple orchard butts up to public land. Be creative and utilize everything you can. You can find an example of an atlas of my home state here https://amzn.to/3wiBing.

IMINT (Image Intelligence)

You probably already use a trail cam at some or all your hunting spots and so you are utilizing IMINT. What is particularly helpful about the intelligence you garner from your trail cam is that you can start to notice patterns such as is your target animal coming in at a particular time, is it the same animal, are you able to tell which direction they are coming from, etc. Here is an affordable trail cam https://amzn.to/3uEZHD8 and here is a money saving set of three https://amzn.to/3T570xr.

These three collection methods were picked because they are the most applicable to our purposes and most publicly available. There are other matters of intelligence collection, but I do not think they are as pertinent for our goals as these. Something to keep in mind is not to rely on just one but use all avenues to gain as much information so that you may increase your chances of success.