First attempt @ topo /aerial read, please comment / advise

[Farrier]

Here's my first attempt at a topo /aerial read for my next years hunting

There are crop fields to the West of the images, water and springs to the east side.

Majority of the wind is from the West 85% in August / September archery / muzzleloader seasons.
Strong thermals from the West in the day, downhill strong winds from the East as soon as the sun goes down.

All visible is public land, there is a WMA to the North, Canyons with roads to the South.

There is an ATV / 4 wheel trail a mile to the North that will allow access from uphill to the North East, hooking into the area along the 6,200' contour line.

Because of the mountainous nature of the terrain the contours are at 40' intervals, land to the East gets up to 9,000', to the West it's around 5,400' - 5,500'!

topo1


aerial1


aerial2 zoomed in on aerial1


I have worked on the topo1 myself, I'd like a couple of responses before I post it, to see if I'm getting things right!

This will be a Mule Deer hunt and I get that most of the members are White Tail hunters, I'm hoping that the bucks will pattern in a similar fashion.

Thanks in advance for any comments, even if only to tell me how to post better images.

I'll try and answer any questions as they come up!

[Farrier]

Here are my best guesses to start off with!

Food to the West, water, height and safety to the right.

From the West edge of the topo to the foot of the mountains, is cedar and sage scrub land, that gets the majority of the pressure.

ATV track to the North, will bring me in along the contour, without having to climb to get up above the deer.

Red dots, area's I suspect the deer are bedding.

Blue dots, area's I hope I can scope and then stalk from.

[dan]

Sorry for the delayed response... Its hard to keep up during hunting season...
I am not real knowledgeable about Mule deer, but as for the deer I know, whitetails, your a little off base... Your marked spots would be fine if your primary wind was East, but its not, its West... Bucks should be bedded on the slopes facing East looking down hill with wind to back. Your marked beds would be on the windward side rather than the Leeward.

[Farrier]

Thanks Dan!

I'll go back to the drawing board.

Back with a second round after the weekend.