PLEASE HELP me understand what I am looking at

[backstraps]

Here is a topo of a farm I am very familar with.

If you could give ideas of what you see here (other than very little woods, and a lot of pasture) if you were going to hunt, and maybe explain what you are looking at...I could possibly understand looking at virgin topos a little better.

Basically everything inside the center triangle I know every foot of the land. THANKS!!!!




The RED line on the bottom of the aerial...I misplaced that line...I can go to the very bottom of the aerial

[dan]

When looking at topo's each line is an elevation height. If you look close you will notice some of the lines mark the elevation height... So basically, the tighter the lines the steeper the hill.
bucks like to bed at ends of hills and knobs sticking out (points) They prefer to bed right where the elevation drops of dramatically looking downhill with the wind coming over there back. So certain beds will be ised more in certain winds... The explanation could go on for pages... We do have a DVD available here in the beast store called "hill country bucks" that goes into great detail about how they bed in this terrain, and how to kill them... Not trying to pressure you in any way to buy, just want to make sure you know its available.

[backstraps]

Dan thank you for your reply, and you are exactly correct with those red dots. Those are ALL bedding areas.
The ones I am curious about though..the three to the right side of the map above the pond. There is a saddle just south of the beds... If I wanted to hunt a buck that is bedding in one of your three dots... how should I approach this area, would you consider it an AM area or PM area?

I will attach another aerial map of two HEAVILY bedding areas not noted in your repl...and your ideas would also be greatly appreciated there as well.

PS: I bought 4 of your DVD's and have watched each once, watching the Hill Country DVD again tonight.
Thanks again for your help!!!!

[backstraps]

[dan]

The ones I am curious about though..the three to the right side of the map above the pond. There is a saddle just south of the beds... If I wanted to hunt a buck that is bedding in one of your three dots... how should I approach this area, would you consider it an AM area or PM area?

PM. When I scouted those beds, I would of gotten into them and tried to figure out how close I could get undetected... I would look at the deer trails coming from those beds and try to figure out which one is most likely getting used at the time you intend to hunt. I would set up as close as possible along his current travel rought...
AM. I would set up right over one of the primary beds an hour before daylight on the correct moon phase or weather condition. I would expect the buck to likely come in with the wind to his back, so I would approach with the wind in my face, and set up down wind of the bed.

[dan]

I will attach another aerial map of two HEAVILY bedding areas not noted in your repl...and your ideas would also be greatly appreciated there as well.

Knowing the exits and entrances and where the beds are located in those woodlots would be of a lot of help for approaching to hunt. It might also help to glass from a distance occasionally to check whats coming in and out and where.

On a side note, you may want to go into your photo-bucket account and edit those pictures to cover up the lat. and long. at the bottom of the pic. If you edit it in your account it will change here to a little while later.

[backstraps]

[/quote]
PM. When I scouted those beds, I would of gotten into them and tried to figure out how close I could get undetected... I would look at the deer trails coming from those beds and try to figure out which one is most likely getting used at the time you intend to hunt. I would set up as close as possible along his current travel rought...
AM. I would set up right over one of the primary beds an hour before daylight on the correct moon phase or weather condition. I would expect the buck to likely come in with the wind to his back, so I would approach with the wind in my face, and set up down wind of the bed.[/quote]

The PM setup, I done just what you suggested, this pass Feb. After watching your DVDs I know the exact tree, as well as an entry / exit route I will need to take.

As for the AM setup... I struck out on my AM setup. So, my question is... is it TOO LATE in the year now to go back in his bedding area and try and figure an AM setup out?
If you think I could get away with intruding his area again... it has been in the upper 80's low 90's here with no rain... should I wait until the next rainy day to attempt going in his bedroom again???

[backstraps]

On a side note, you may want to go into your photo-bucket account and edit those pictures to cover up the lat. and long. at the bottom of the pic. If you edit it in your account it will change here to a little while later.

Thanks Dan, for the side note. I cannot get the edit option to work in photobucket for me for some reason. I pulled them off. Will try to correct the pics and re-upload in photobucket.

[backstraps]

Newbie here

[dan]

The PM setup, I done just what you suggested, this pass Feb. After watching your DVDs I know the exact tree, as well as an entry / exit route I will need to take.

As for the AM setup... I struck out on my AM setup. So, my question is... is it TOO LATE in the year now to go back in his bedding area and try and figure an AM setup out?
If you think I could get away with intruding his area again... it has been in the upper 80's low 90's here with no rain... should I wait until the next rainy day to attempt going in his bedroom again???

Its hard to say how much damage you would do... I would assume you would need to do some trimming and such. If I had a solid PM set up on the bed, I would not worry about hunting it in the AM. Next spring set up an AM spot.

[backstraps]

The PM setup, I done just what you suggested, this pass Feb. After watching your DVDs I know the exact tree, as well as an entry / exit route I will need to take.

As for the AM setup... I struck out on my AM setup. So, my question is... is it TOO LATE in the year now to go back in his bedding area and try and figure an AM setup out?
If you think I could get away with intruding his area again... it has been in the upper 80's low 90's here with no rain... should I wait until the next rainy day to attempt going in his bedroom again???

Its hard to say how much damage you would do... I would assume you would need to do some trimming and such. If I had a solid PM set up on the bed, I would not worry about hunting it in the AM. Next spring set up an AM spot.

That is exactly what I am going to do then... I am going to go with ONLY the PM setup.
Dan, reading your replys again, it amazes me how you can look at what little info I provided, and come up with your replies. It is like you have seen the land first hand! Thats my personal goal...I want to learn how to read
these dang maps!!!!!! I need to learn how to internet scout because I hunt out of state 75% of my season.

THANKS AGAIN !!!!

[dan]

That is exactly what I am going to do then... I am going to go with ONLY the PM setup.
Dan, reading your replys again, it amazes me how you can look at what little info I provided, and come up with your replies. It is like you have seen the land first hand! Thats my personal goal...I want to learn how to read
these dang maps!!!!!! I need to learn how to internet scout because I hunt out of state 75% of my season.

THANKS AGAIN !!!!

I have been looking at maps then scouting or hunting the land a long time... The longer you do it, the better you get.

[backstraps]

That is exactly what I am going to do then... I am going to go with ONLY the PM setup.
Dan, reading your replys again, it amazes me how you can look at what little info I provided, and come up with your replies. It is like you have seen the land first hand! Thats my personal goal...I want to learn how to read
these dang maps!!!!!! I need to learn how to internet scout because I hunt out of state 75% of my season.

THANKS AGAIN !!!!

I have been looking at maps then scouting or hunting the land a long time... The longer you do it, the better you get.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind you have done it a long time. "Proof is in the pudding" as people around here says!

I just hope over the next few years, I can get to where I can utilize a topo to at least get me in the general area, and then use foot work to close the distance.

Until a few years ago, I was a deer hunter. About 4 years ago I began a conversion from a deer hunter to a buck hunter. I still put backstraps in the freezer, but the majority of my days in the woods are spent after a mature buck. Being over 5 hours from my main hunting counties, it makes it even tougher to narrow down 10 spots to hunt without the proper knowledge of topos, thermals, wind reactions, baro pressure, moon phases, etc.
These are the things I really never payed much attention when I was a brown deer hunter. I basically located food and beds, hunted the transition areas, or feeding staging areas. NEVER shot a mature buck (3.5+ year old)using this method.

I really look forward to getting to know the BEAST community. Just get so tired or reading people complaining about deer limits, season dates, and which bow to buy or which bow is the best.... :)

[mibowhunter]

I found this thread very informative... thanks for sharing guys!