First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

What do you think? I have marked the area I can hunt in red. Blue line is the creek. Fields are marked as to what's in them. The pink heart shaped spot is a stand I know another hunter has in there. Yellow lines are trails that I "think" will be good.

I know no one is hunting the land in red......legally. I've never hunted it, but I have full access to it, starting this year.

I have marked the places I "think" would be trails....based on 2 visits, there and my limited experience with reading topos. Most wooded areas have PLENTY of mast producing trees. Plenty.

Whatta ya think? I'm interested in hearing from some of you guys who do this a lot (read topos). I haven't spent much time up there......but it's only 45 minutes from my door to a tree, there.

Your thoughts?

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

p.s.

If you wanna mark it up, yourself....I can PM you a clean copy:)

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Looks like you have it, thats the idea. Don't over look any benches. Pay special attention to the ones leading to and from hollows, points and flats.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

I'll bite. I don't know anything about topo's but the two places I've got marked with arrows look good. I like the security of the U shape made by the woodline. Also I think the deer will use the thicket for one of two things, staging or bedding. Either way both sides of the thicket should be productive.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

I marked some spots I like.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Brandon you're most likely right....and especially with the beans being in such close proximity, now. That upper red arrow area is REALLY thick. We couldn't walk through there....but the deer have little "cave-like" trails all through there.

The south side of the creek is AWESOME hardwoods....and though the creek doesn't show up on the aerial.....it's a roaring little creek. They have EVERYTHING they'd need in there even after the beans are gone.

Wouldn't you guys think the little, thin area where the terrain levels out a little.....south of the creek and east of my eastern-most yellow lines (within the red area)would be a good bench to hunt for the mast crops, there? What about the ridge on top.....just SE of there (where the red line intersects)?

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

With beans in mind, I add another to the north west.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

I really got into topo map scouting this off-season. I suppose it will take me years of hard scouting/comparison to topo maps to be proficient. But I can tell you one thing....almost all of the big rubs I found out in the middle of the woods were made on the edges of saddles....and all the massive scrapes were placed directly in the middle of those saddles. I had never seen buck sign like this until I went out deep in the woods specifically looking for saddles based on the topo maps I looked over. I know have 4 saddles spaced out over a mile in the woods that I am REALLY looking forward to hunting come October 30th-November 20th....

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Gri22...

It's thick as thieves in that spot, too. I need to get up there some evening next week to glass the areas. I can park at that old house (N on map and just below the grass designation)....and there's a tree or two in that hedgerow (S of your northernmost stand site and by the road) I can likely climb to spot from. I'll probably get pinned down, though.

I could see everything but the lower level fields to my right and S.....but I could probably see what came up from there as it got later.

Should be fun to go and see, anyways....and I need the practice with the new climber.

Gri22...

With that house in the lower portion and grass in the field above your other stand on that high place......why did you pick those two? I'm intrigued. When would you think they would be hot?

Also...I didn't denote a small power line right of way, earlier. I marked it with a white line on this map. If you look at a previous map....you can see it.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

There the type of spots old bucks like to travle.

Any time but lock down, then you need to between the creek and that thicket.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Your routs look good, Ijust added some more to go with them.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Jeff,
Have you checked the creek for crossings? It looks like there would be a good one where the draw runs north toward the beanfield. If so, I'd hang a stand there.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Holy crap, Gri22.....

Thanks;)

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Jeff,interpretation please, pick ten stands and I'll let you know how well you did. I've hunted here for20 years, I know it like my own back yard.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Gri22:

For where "I" am in the game (reading topos)......I certainly appreciate the exercise. I just went through it in about 5 minutes....and the stands I have located (having never seen the aerial) are what "I" think would be the top 10.

I'm gonna study this more over the weekend (tonight/tomorrow) and I'll post again with a possible amended version. I wanted to show my initial version to see if the right things were jumping out at me.

For the record....I stayed awayf rom the lookout tower....ONLY because I didn't know if it was routinely manned.

Thanks, again.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Ok, I will post or PM you the key when ever you won't. You do have the right idea.

I have to leave in a min.

The aerial shows nothing, it's all big mature hard woods.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Just ride the train...;)[8D]


Need a glassing buddy?

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

The one spot that jumps out at me I marked with a red dot. That looks like a place I would hunt during the rut. Looks like a couple of spots I hunt that the bucks like to corner the does in and bed down with them till they are ready. Specially if that grass is tall and weedy. I bet there are beds in that ditch right now. Get in there real early when the bucks are chasin hard and you might see a parade.

The blue spots are just funnels and likely ambush spots on trails.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

The yellow circles with dots in them is where I would concentrate. The lower one looks like there is a fence line between the beans and grass and there are several ravines to the east and south of there. Natural for deer to follow on their way to the beans. The upper one is a good vantage point for watching the North and West.

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Tell me how I did, Gri22. I'm OK with my picks.:)

RE: First attempt to read a topo on new land
 

Here is a fast look over before I leave this morning. I marked 7 spots in blue.