Custom topo hunting and aerial map now available from http://whitetailresearch.net
July is time to start preparing for upcoming hunting season. Soon you will want to start scouting the area you plan to hunt in the fall. A good topo map and aerial photo will assist in making your scouting time more successful. http://whitetailresearch.net
(PRWEB) July 20, 2004 -- Almost every hunter is aware of the need to scout an
area before they can successfully hunt it. Many will make an attempt to learn
the area they are hunting in to some extent.
The biggest obstacle in
scouting an area is time constraints. I primarily hunt in Florida, where
navigating around the thick swamps will consume a considerable amount of time
and learning a new swamp or thicket can only be achieved over repetitious
scouting trips. Southeast hunting is unique because of the flat terrain, dense
under growth and numerous cypress swamps. Not a whole lot of area for glassing
down here.
After the first couple of trips into a new area you will start
to get a mental picture of the layout of the terrain. Once you have established
an overall picture of the area then you will need to figure if the area you are
scouting has a deer population worth pursuing further, or should you move on to
a new location to learn.
At this point you are probably thinking, "This
guy must hate the woods, he is making it sound like a lot of time wasting work."
In all actuality, like you, there is no place else I would rather be. My scope
is to provide a systematic approach for you to work smarter not harder in your
approach to scouting. With a little planning the amount of time-spent scouting
will be very productive and value added.
The first step to learning a new
area in a very short time is to obtain a topographical map of the location you
are interested in. I prefer a 48x36 map because it contains the most amount of
area coverage and is only about $29.00 (small price for the amount of time you
save). Smaller versions are available in 24x36 and priced at about $17.00. Each
map is custom design by you. The software allows you to focus a center point for
your map anywhere you want, making every map unique. When designing a map be
patient when using a dial up Internet connection, allow time for the map to
compile after each change.
Once you have a map of the area you plan to
scout, study the map looking for water sources and natural game corridors. Note
the small creeks, these may be dried up, deer tend to use these as natural
travel routes. Use dry erase makers to make temporary notes on your map
(laminated and waterproof available) or to highlight an area you plan on
scouting. If you plan to make permanent notes use sharpie pens, they are great
for assigning names to the unimproved roads or ponds on your map.
Before
you head out with your map in hand, you will need to dip into your wallet once
more. You will need to purchase a GPS. Personally I use the Garmin eTrex it has
a low cost (approximately $110.00), available in advantage camo, rubberized
coating and has feed times built in. The base model does not have the built in
maps of the more expensive models available from Garmin, but works perfect for
hunting and scouting.
Now that you have the proper tools for scouting it
is time to use them. Once you have arrived at the area you plan to scout, fire
up that GPS and find the longitude and latitude of your current location. Next
refer to your topology map using the readings you have just taken from your GPS.
Mark this starting waypoint on your GPS and name it something. Now refer to the
topology map and find one of the locations you would like to go scout first,
noting the longitude and latitude of the location on the topographical map.
Using the waypoint setting on your GPS create a new waypoint and edit the
longitude and latitude settings with a location you have chosen on your
topographical map you would like to navigate to and name it. Next refer to the
topology map and find one of the locations you would like to go to next, noting
the longitude and latitude of the location on the topographical map. Using the
waypoint setting on your GPS create a new waypoint and edit the longitude and
latitude settings with a location you have chosen on your topographical map you
would like to navigate to and name it.
As you can see repeating this
process will quickly allow you to triangulate an area and give you a good visual
reference of the region you are in. Now that you have quickly familiarized
yourself with the layout you can concentrate on locating the bedding and feeding
areas the whitetails are using. If you prefer to input the scouting destinations
into your GPS before leaving your home it will save the added time of entering
them at your scouting site. This would also eliminate the need to carry a large
topographical map in the woods with you.
http://whitetailresearch.net
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/7/prweb142445.htm