Topo maps.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

The best advice I can give you is to NOT overthink this. It really isn't rocket science and i't supposed to be fun. do a little home work and then get your boots on the ground. I have yet to see a deer taken from a desk or table with maps and books in front of you. 

 

It would also help if you put you general location on your profile. There are many members here that are very helpful and could probably lend more specific assistance if they knew where you were. 

Edited October 12, 2016 by Culvercreek hunt club

[grampy]

On both maps it looks like you have marked a gully or cut. Using the top one, on the bottom by the water, there should be a good pinch point for deer travel. I'd set up with the water to my back. And with a NE wind you should be good! just watch the thermals.

On the 2nd map go to the top of the cut, as there is a bench at the top like moog pointed out. Deer will move around the top of the gully along the bench. So set up either on lip of the next bench, so you are looking down at the deer. Or on the same level, with the bank at your back. And again a NE wind will work there. Hope this makes sense and helps you. It is similar to to hill country Iv'e hunted most of my life. Wish you the very best of luck! Just come back if you have more questions, as there are many better hunters than I here.

[moog5050]

I like that bench that Grampy mentioned.  I would take a crack at it and hunt it high (on the ridge side) in the morning and perhaps on the actual bench in the afternoon if you can get in without bumping deer.  Seems like you could hunt it on NE (optimal) and even slightly off winds like N and NW and perhaps even E or W depending on typical deer travel (i.e. learning whether they move up or down in the morning and evening as Culver mentioned) and stand placement.

[Bionic]

Culvercreek- I understand I need to scout, as I mentioned early on, I am trying to just get myself focused on areas to scout in person from looking at the map, because where I typically scout, and where I decide to hunt is not working out lol

Moog, great suggestions, still picking my brain on these maps trying to learn.  Looking to walk in these places this weekend, looking forward to it.

 

I'm in 3K Sullivan County 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

On the second map i like the looks of the draw in the upper right hand corner. the high points on either side would give a good view into the draw and the draw lead down to water. it isn't showing a creek in the draw so that water may be from runoff or spring fed but maybe the vegetation is thick around that one.  you would have a good view and could use either high point to set up depending on the wind. Do you have any Arial views of these areas? 

[moog5050]

5 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

On the second map i like the looks of the draw in the upper right hand corner. the high points on either side would give a good view into the draw and the draw lead down to water. it isn't showing a creek in the draw so that water may be from runoff or spring fed but maybe the vegetation is thick around that one.  you would have a good view and could use either high point to set up depending on the wind. Do you have any Arial views of these areas? 

Agree - a bird's eye comparison really helps sometimes

[Bionic]

Sorry for the delay guys, it has been a busy day.

 

Anyways, I showed you guys a map of an area just past where I can actually hunt.  The area has a couple ponds, and I just plain mistook the two.  The land I showed is still on this piece of land though but at the edge.

I have the correct pic of the maps this time.  Thats what happens when I rush, i mess up lol.

I tried to get the 3 maps as close as I could, its not easy.   I want to hunt the multiple use area.  I will draw on a pic to show where the multiple use driveways are, and where I think might be key areas to foot scout/hunt, and maybe you guys can chime in again to let me know if im applying the info correctly.

The black lines are dirt driveways to drive a vehicle on.  These black lines are the only vehicle access on the property.

 

Edited October 13, 2016 by Bionic

[The_Real_TCIII]

Get "Mapping Trophy Bucks" by Brad Herndon, it's a fantastic book explaining Topo features.

[Jelf]

In case it helps anyone, here is an online map that can display topo lines on top of the Google aerial.  The map is centered on part of the Hickock Brook Multiple Use Area.

https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=41.499192,-74.884057&z=16&t=h,USA_contour_lines

The map is displayed by Gmap4.  I am the developer of this enhanced Google map viewer.  This project is a public service and part of my way to "pay it forward".  Gmap4 can be used for any non-commercial purpose.

To toggle the topo lines on/off click the basemap button (next to the Menu button) and then look under the "Overlay" heading.

For more info, please see the Gmap4 homepage:  https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.html

 

[monahmat]

17 hours ago, Jelf said:

In case it helps anyone, here is an online map that can display topo lines on top of the Google aerial.  The map is centered on part of the Hickock Brook Multiple Use Area.

https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=41.499192,-74.884057&z=16&t=h,USA_contour_lines

This is an excellent resource!  This does 2/3rds of what I've been looking for.  Just wish there was a way to get it to show parcel boundaries.  Is there any way to do what you've done here in google earth so custom layers could be added?

Edited December 29, 2016 by monahmat
Fixed quote

[The_Real_TCIII]

can google earth show property boundaries?

[Zem18]

The Huntstand App shows tax maps boundaries. Used it a few times this year. You get 10 requests per 24 hour period I believe. Not sure on the google earth

[monahmat]

10 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

can google earth show property boundaries?

Google earth will show public land boundaries.  You can also add your own maps as overlays in Google Earth.  So although it takes some work you can save maps from you county tax map website and then add it as an overlay in google earth.  

[monahmat]

12 minutes ago, Zem18 said:

The Huntstand App shows tax maps boundaries. Used it a few times this year. You get 10 requests per 24 hour period I believe. Not sure on the google earth

I just purchased Hunstand and like it so far.  A few little improvements and it will be awesome.  I just hate how you have to move between Parcel Info and Hunting Areas and can't just display both on the same screen.  Or maybe you can and I just don't know how?

[Jelf]

32 minutes ago, monahmat said:

This is an excellent resource!  This does 2/3rds of what I've been looking for.  Just wish there was a way to get it to show parcel boundaries.  Is there any way to do what you've done here in google earth so custom layers could be added?

Thanks for the kind words.  Unfortunately I do not know of any reasonable  way to add that contour data to Google Earth.

Also, I suggest a bit of caution when using online parcel data.  All the online parcel data likely traces back to county GIS systems.  Some of that parcel line data is quite good, some is terrible and most is somewhere in between.  I have often compared survey data for a specific parcel to GIS parcel lines and I can see the differences.

[dbHunterNY]

i've used topo maps from big woods to broken up ag ground.  seems like a lot of good info already given.  they work great on large pieces of public ground.  deer are like hunters.  they'd rather walk the path of least resistance. they can tell you were hunters won't likely go.  also give you an idea of how thermals and terrain will factor into wind direction.