Originally Posted by
mcostan
A gps does as well. I got free topo's at gpsdepot.com. I save my tracks and make my own map using satillite images with my tracks superimposed.
The land masses around here aren't really so big that a map would be of any use. You can hear traffic enough to orient yourself to that.
A gps can help you with details in an area, where the tracks are, where stands are, ect. Here is an example of what I print out for our use. They are helpful in communicating your position to other hunters.
You can't tell but there are waypoints on the map of differant things.
My gps is basically a topo map with real time position and path superimposed. Sometimes it's harder to pan out, that's why we also print maps of some areas.
Ya repeat alot of what i said. But they still do not show you the changes of elevation, hidden terrain features, etc. If you live where the ground is other than a pancake, you will discover quickly how valuable a topo is. There is a tremendous amount of land of huge size that is well outside of traffic earshot. A gps does allow tailoring of maps and information, but it does not, nor are they designed to replace the topo map. Every year our county search and rescue squad spends many days looking for hunters who never learned to use a compass, thinking a gps was a shortcut to basic skills...until the batteries died.