Anyone good at reading topo?
 

I have a new area to hunt 2 hours away. It's a ridge and I'm used to hunting fields so I'm lost. I have a pic of topo but don't know what I'm looking at. Can someone point me in the right direction on where to look for stand locations? It's far away and any time I can save would be awesome. Thank you

I’m no expert on this, but here’s what I’m seeing—I write this as if you’ve never seen a topo map. Skip down to the last paragraph if you know the basics:


Notice the two creeks running north-south. Look to the one on the east and just west of it is a brown line. That’s an elevation line. Just to the east of that is another with “1100” marked on it. That’s 1100 ft. above sea level. There’s also another line marked 1200 for that elevation. The other lines are the increments in between. The closer they are, the steeper a slope. The farther away, the flatter it is.

You’ll notice the lines often form shapes like this: < or >. They may face any direction. Those are ravines and gullies. If you go to east of the intersection of the two black lines, you’ll see one. The ravine runs eastward down toward the eastern creek. Notice on the other side of the “crosshair,” they run the other direction, though they aren’t pronounced.

Along the vertical crosshair, you’ll see a couple of circles and one enclosed, weird shaped figure. The “15” actually touches a long arm of it. These are high points. On other pieces of ground, they can be depressions. You just have to figure that out based on elevation markings.


What excites me about this map is that on either side of the ridge is a ravine and they come close together right about the center of the “cross hairs. One runs east toward a creek, the other west toward another creek. North and south are two high points, one of which is green (woods), and the other is white (meadow or crops). The lower ground in between is a saddle, a natural travel route. Deer traveling across the ridge will likely use it to use it to get up and down the slopes of the ridge, and perhaps to graze that open field. I bet you’ll find good trail there at the very least. I’d also figure they’d bed high and move down to feed in the bottoms.

Great explanation Forkhorn.

Thank you. That helps. So basically where that little crosshairs is I should start my scouting u think?

Aerial photo. Not really a meadow maybe just thinner woods

Jackpot!!!

In the aerial photo, note the power line or pipeline that’s cut NW-SE. Find a trail that intersects it and set up down wind. There may be more than one trail so set up down wind of as many as you can, including the best looking one. Set up so you can give yourself a good shot and see up and down the length of that cut.

A cut like that is golden. Deer will often stop right at the edge and look around before crossing, maybe even browse a bit as there’s often new growth to nibble. Have more than one set up for morning, evening and different winds. It looks like roads go close to either end, so accessing it in the dark would be possible.

The ponds may be important, especially in a dry year. Also, some of the surrounding fields may hold crops that are food sources. Try to figure that out ahead of time. Set up on the trails leading into them, closer to the food in the evening, and closer to the bedding areas in the morning.

Another other thing jumps out at me. One is the area that I thought was a meadow. The reddish foliage (picture taken in the fall?) suggests a different species of tree/shrubs than the rest of the area—which would be logical if it was once grass. And has started to revert to forest. I wouldn’t be surprised if its sumac or maple. Deer eat both. Definitely worth checking out if you have time.

Awesome thanks a lot. That power line actually has a nice shelf towards top of ridge I noticed when I was there last. Maybe that would be a good location?

You might be good right where your marker is...close to water and off the power/pipeline clearing. Id walk down the pipeline see where some deer highways are and go in 20-30yds with a shooting lane.

also topo maps the closer the lines the steeper the hill.

That marker is actually where the cabin is. My in laws live there year round. But deer do cross driveway to get to pond though. Haha

I've walked the power line and its hard to believe but no used trails I could really see. I'd think they cross though because its a large tract of woods on other side of it as well. I'm gonna put a couple cameras there to see what's shakin

The topo appears to be drawn in increments of 20' elevation lines. Looks like 1200-1220 is about the max elevation.

As already stated the "closer" these lines are to one another, the steeper the incline. Deer often use a ledge lijke trail about 1/2 way down these steeper drop offs to ease between bedding and feeding areas. Down this way, for whatever reason, deer will habitually travel almost dead center of a dropping off ridge, heading to/from the ledge's point.

I would agree with the comments about what appears to be a utility ROW, the location of ag felds, ponds, creeks etc.

What I cannot tell is are the woods filled with acorn bearing oaks? Are there areas of good browse along the edges such as honey suckle? All of this sort of information you will discover during scouting. I'd be looking for creek crossings. As pointed out it appears to be a few naturally occuring funnels due to the topography. Might be the best place to start looking for evidence of frequent travel. If you have not hunted this area much, be on the lookout for small trees scarred with 1-3-year old rubs, because this might be an indication of traditional territorial marking patterns.

Good luck and hope this helped.

Sounds like to me that the deer are pressured there. I draw this conclusion from no noticeable trails coming out and crossing the line. Deer here at least will scatter where crossing openings if they have been pressured very much in the past. I would follow the line while in the woods roughly 20 to 30 yards. This should allow you to find the trails they use before crossing the line. Also almost due south of your marker/cabin is a place the looks like saplings or small shrubs growing across the line?? If that is the case deer will try crossing there where they can receive some cover from the opening.

Now I am looking southeast of your marker/cabin and it looks like a skidder trail running towards a field? If so they make great trails to watch for deer traveling. Skidder trails or logging trails make great deer trails if you can spend the time setting and watching them.
Good Luck on your scouting.

Thanks. As far as pressure it doesn't really get any during bow season. They gun hunt the heck out of it and have gotten very nice bucks but nobody hunts bow around there. M father n law has been there 30 years but never bow hunts so not sure what's up. I'll check power line again. I did notice as I walked up power line about 30-40 from top of ridge it flattened out for a minute. Like a shelf on the power line. Would that be a good spot to check the wood line for entry and exit trails?

That spot will pay off eventually.

That shelf you mention earlier might make a good funnel. See if you can figure out if it forces deer to move in a certain direction and set up an ambush.

I'd take the time if you have it and walk the entire piece of property. You'll find what you're looking for with a little boot leather and patience!

This...theres got to be some trails going to the water...follow them back and find your self a good spot to ambush them with a bow.

I look at all maps available, topo, ariel, whatever, come up with a plan based on travel and food supplies. Google maps/earth often go around the area and often you may see where other hunters park and enter, good if your new to the area.

After that and searching hunting web sites related to the area for any info hunters give out (typically hunters can't shut up about a place :)) I then make a scouting trip, off season and early before it gets thick with a gps in hand that already has possible spots imported to it. Ispend a day following trails entering new way points along the way and making notes of how to hunt it (what kind of shots I think will have to be made).

With this info I return to the puter and build a map using mapping software. With this map I can return years later, early in the morning, go to a selected spot and be effective. First time in is always the best. One of my software's allows for pictures to be added. I know what I'm looking for and what I'll see when the sun comes up.

With the info acquired setting a few stands right about now will get me going. I say a few because once hunting guess's will either be confirmed or denied and adjustments made accordingly. I don't expect season one to produce much and am happy with taking anything. By season 4 though it's a whole different ball game. I know what I need to do and how to do it, stands are set and every hunt is productive in some way. Be patient and spend the time up front being smart, don't stink up the place, don't shoot your mouth off about it, and do your best not to educate the game.
I never scout like I hunt, if I spook game I want them to be looking for what spooked them when I hunt and not what I am when I hunt, it works. When I hunt animals hardly ever know I'm there, when I scout they see me coming from 100+ yrds. away. I even take a leaf blower along and clear paths to stands so that when I enter to hunt I'm silent and they are looking for that crazy blower. Deer also like clean ground because it means food has been uncovered.

Another trick you can use if you can't hunt where they travel is to drop trees that direct them past you. They look for the easy path, you just have to give it to them and not spook them when they do.

This. :party0005:

thanks, guys!

Hilly terrain is really pretty easy to read and predict deer once you understand it. I produced a major DVD called "Hill country" Deer bed on the points over looking the valleys, mature bucks prefer to have the wind comeing from above and behind them and bed right where the daytime thermal up draft connects with the wind "the thermal tunnal"... In the picture I posted mature buck bedding is most likely in the spots I marked.
Red dots= West wind bedding
Yellow= North
Blue = East
Pink = South

Purple spots are some likely hunting spots...