Tips on marking maps while scouting
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Tips on marking maps while scouting
I have watched both Dan's videos as well as Eberhart's. I'm going to scout a pretty large piece of public. I have a GPS and I need some ideas on how to note trails, bedding, primary scrapes andn rub lines most efficiently. Everhart suggests walking the perimeter and following runways into the woods. He also says to wait for snow to thaw as snow bedding will be different than prerut /rut bedding.
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- checkerfred
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
I mark everything...beds, scrapes, rubs, creek crossings, any bluff accesses, trails, old logging roads etc. On rubs and trails I'll mark direction. I don't necessarily walk them all off. I mostly hunt ridges so I'm walking the 1/3 elevation a lot too. I also keep a track going for each area to see exactly where I walked.
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
Do you bring a printed aerial map to write on?
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
One thing that helps is to download a gps app for your phone, then you can mark trails, way points etc... and export it to g. earth if you want as well
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
Video camera notes for me.
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- Southern Man
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
maukings wrote:Do you bring a printed aerial map to write on?
I do... always.
I also use topo maps on my phone and a compass for knowing my location but do not use it for marking sign. all wind, sign, and other note worthy stuff is marked on a printed map and in a small notebook. When I get home I transfer that info onto PC maps for future use.
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- Jonny
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
I use my gps to mark waypoints and read topos, phone for aerials and a pen and notebook for notes. Ill go home and export my waypoints onto an aerial, and then change my waypoints to either stand locations, trials, routes, etc on garmin basecamp. As for waiting for snow to thaw, I do if I can but usually I scout with snow simply because thats when I have the the time to do it. Yes snow beds could be and probably are different than prerut and rut beds. However, the snow gives you an idea on the amount of deer in the area and the areas they like. Use that to cover more ground and go back when thawed to confirm your findings and find specific things. Don't pass on scouting cause there is snow on the ground. Use the snow to your advantage.
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- checkerfred
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
maukings wrote:Do you bring a printed aerial map to write on?
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No I don't. I have the OnX maps to show public land boundaries and topo but I don't like the topo on it. It's not as detailed as a USGS topo. So I carry my phone too and have topo maps + on the iPhone. It allows me to cache topos or aerials or whatever maps I want do I don't need cell signal...I sometimes put my phone into airplane mode to conserve battery and the gps still works.
With the Garmin at home, I download and organize my data and once that's done I can select whatever data and view it in google earth. This is handy for hunting flat terrain but not so much hills unless you just wanna see how your data relates to thicker cover. I also export my data from Garmin and import it into topo maps+ so I can see a good topo map with my marked sign while in the field.
There are some disadvantages of the phone app. The aerials while good are older so sometimes cover doesn't look like you think it will. It's not free. Well it is but the paid subscription gives you more detailed maps as well as some other benefits. It's not much per year for the middle version. There may be something better out there but my requirement was to cache maps to view without a cell signal. I also wanted the aerials to be winter maps to see transitions to hardwoods or other winter type transitions.
I do always carry a compass and make note of how the land lays when I leave my truck. There's usually a road within a mile so as long as you know the general direction, even if the phone and gps quit, walking back to that direction would get you to the road.
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- Dewey
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
I mark everything I find and also save my walking track on my GPS. I then download everything into Garmin Basecamp for viewing on topos and Google Earth for aerials. When viewing all of the info you input it's amazing how it all comes together and allows you to figure out specific patterns.
- hunter_mike
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
One thing that has helped me recently is differentiating size of sign. On my gps, I mark "small rubs" "medium rubs" and I reserve the "large rub" for the top 5% of rubs I see size wise. Same goes for beds and tracks.
I am pretty reliant on the electronics. I use my gps for marking locations and I also have my phone out for detailed aerial photos.
I am pretty reliant on the electronics. I use my gps for marking locations and I also have my phone out for detailed aerial photos.
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- Southern Man
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
hunter_mike wrote:
I am pretty reliant on the electronics. I use my gps for marking locations and I also have my phone out for detailed aerial photos.
Ya know, that's probably an age thing for me. I can't seem to get away from a pencil, paper and a compass even though I use some electronics too. Old school I guess
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
I have been using Backcountry Navigator lately on android and like it, but I'm open to looking at other programs. BN supports caching of map data so it can be used when there's no cell signal, and allows you to mark locations and tracks. The map source "USA Topo Maps - ARCGIS" gets used a lot. Have not found a way to figure out property ownership info yet in BN but I've heard it's possible.
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- hunter_mike
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
sureshotscott wrote:I have been using Backcountry Navigator lately on android and like it, but I'm open to looking at other programs. BN supports caching of map data so it can be used when there's no cell signal, and allows you to mark locations and tracks. The map source "USA Topo Maps - ARCGIS" gets used a lot. Have not found a way to figure out property ownership info yet in BN but I've heard it's possible.
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Do you use the free version of the app or the paid version? I am currently using the free one. I am on the verge of purchasing the app.
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
I need to rely on a printed map ad gps as I have poor signal on my cel to use any map app.
- hunter_mike
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Re: Tips on marking maps while scouting
maukings wrote:I need to rely on a printed map ad gps as I have poor signal on my cel to use any map app.
If you run the Back-country Navigator App on your phone, you can pre-load the aerial photos so that you can view them with your phone signal turned totally off.
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