New to Topographical Maps
- Thread starter RookieHunter6
- Start date
X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
I going to go with my gut instinct here and say it's a attempt to do a simulated 3D elevation map with a topo imposed on top of it....the 3D part doesn't look right. There's no legend, no scale, no north orientation indicator. That's makes it hard to interpret. How about you provide a little more info about what you think it represents? Is it Fort Valley or somewhere around Massanutten?
RookieHunter6
New Member
Elkton Area - I really just really really looked at one of your forum's and saw you guys reading those lines and where the saddles were and funnels and wondered what you all took away from this map. The markings are just on there as a reference
X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
I know the area. My assessment wouldn’t be fair. I’m not sure there’s enough time to do what you want done. If we’re talking about deer hunting (duh?), it depends on the circumstances. What we don’t know from just looking at a topo is the cover. It’s probably more important than the relief.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Not sure what you are really asking. As far as reading it goes. the numbers on it "1700", "1500" those are your elevation - marked with a dark line (the other lines are at 20 foot intervals). so you can see in general this are goes uphill from the bottom of the page to the top. The closer the lines are together the steeper it is in that area and thus the wider the space between the lines the flatter that area is. the "V" shapes in the lines help you connect the dots of valleys and ridges as well....that is what I think they are trying to better show you. Without a legend you don't know distances. Looks like you have a few streams running North and south and towards the bottom a road and dwellings and a town of some sort if I had to venture a guess.
Like Dan comments it looks like it all mostly covered in some sort of cover, but you don't know what. Cover types, density, presence of food sources and the like all have to be considered. A topo like this is just to give you a general idea of what the shape of the land will look like. My only suggestion would be to look for flat areas in steep areas and to look for places where ravines and stuff make travel difficult as many deer will cross at the head of the ravine to exert less energy.
Like Dan comments it looks like it all mostly covered in some sort of cover, but you don't know what. Cover types, density, presence of food sources and the like all have to be considered. A topo like this is just to give you a general idea of what the shape of the land will look like. My only suggestion would be to look for flat areas in steep areas and to look for places where ravines and stuff make travel difficult as many deer will cross at the head of the ravine to exert less energy.
RookieHunter6
New Member
Thank You - Yes I just really never looked at a topo to figure out where routes may connect or to see benches or saddles.
Thank you both for your post.
Thank you both for your post.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
There is a book "Mapping trophy whitetails" that you may want to look into. It talks about topo and other maps and how to use them to identify different attributes to help narrow down your search. I didn't see anything that screamed at me on your map, but there where a few places you may want to check out. I see 2 places where it seems to flatten out on the right hand side and I see where it looks like a stream head is that may be of interest as well. Walking the area with the map in your hand will quickly connect the dots for you.
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
The book J-Bird mentioned is a great book for deer hunters. It is written by Brad Herndon who lives in Jackson County, Indiana (Brownstown Area). It was written 2003 and I have a signed copy.
Very well illustrated and you breaks terrain down and will help anyone read a topo map better.
I had the good fortune to run into Brad in Feb 2017 at shed dog Hunt Test in the Brownstown area. He is a great outdoorsman and good writer.
Wayne
Very well illustrated and you breaks terrain down and will help anyone read a topo map better.
I had the good fortune to run into Brad in Feb 2017 at shed dog Hunt Test in the Brownstown area. He is a great outdoorsman and good writer.
Wayne
RookieHunter6
New Member
Thank you all so much help of what to look for and what I'm really looking at. Glad to be apart of this community.
dogghr
Well-Known Member
From looks of that topo, the hillside is pretty nondescript. There could be a bench it looks like running around the 1400-1500 elevations so boots on the ground is going to give you more accurate info. I can pick out good hunting spots on that map but unfortunately you don't own them. If you can determine windage and path of bucks that I bet I bedding on that side hill point to the East, then you could have a great spot as they travel cross hill to or from it.
Get a arial photo from google maps especially winter time, and you should be able to pinpoint some edges of growth that deer love to follow, then check those places out. But deer sometimes just don't do what we think they should and observation is worth a million. Good luck.
Get a arial photo from google maps especially winter time, and you should be able to pinpoint some edges of growth that deer love to follow, then check those places out. But deer sometimes just don't do what we think they should and observation is worth a million. Good luck.
X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
I couldn't find the exact area, but here a a couple different flavors of maps I think are important for understanding an area. And there could be more themes. Excuse any typos or other errors and omissions. A good map takes time.RookieHunter6
New Member
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Only thing I can add it look for areas where the topography CHANGES. Either it gets much steeper/rougher or it gets much flatter.....these changes are what will draw the concentration of deer movement. And as Dan shows, various maps help add some detail...but the best is just walking the area....as you will need to do that to review cover types, food sources, cover densities and the like any way. Good luck.
RookieHunter6
New Member
Heading in today to look at some of the areas you guys have suggested.
Thank You All
Thank You All
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Let us know what you find and take some pics. Keep an eye out for any cover/plant density edges that you may find.....and edge is an edge to a deer.
RookieHunter6
New Member
Went to the first circle above stream. A small saddle between drainage creek when it rains good. Very thick and very rocky above it and thick below. A natural water hole sits in saddle of left ridge and between the right.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Make notes on your map and note any tracks, browse sign, mast trees and deer trails and direction of travel based on tracks. Sometimes follow a deer trail in both directions can tell you a lot as well. Over time you will see that the deer will tend to follow general patterns in the area and you can use those to then better refine your plan of attack.
