Maps & Megabucks
Geographic tools “map” hunting success
Interestingly, David Hicks will tell you his success is a direct result of using maps in his hunting strategies. A few years ago Hicks started using topographical maps extensively, and the result of his hunting efforts since then has been seven mature bucks in nine years. In addition to his dandy buck from 2005, his 2004 buck scored 155 4/8-inches gross. Those are great back-to-back bucks in almost any state.
By studying the contour lines on topographical maps, Hicks is able to pick out strategic ambush locations in the terrain in which to place his tree stands. Saddles are one of the hottest funnels Hicks has found in his hilly region, but inside corners and other terrain corridors whitetails use have also produced for him. Hicks will readily admit that studying maps has enabled him to recognize key ambush locations that he totally overlooked in his early years of hunting.
Throughout the nation, stories such as David Hicks’ are commonplace because more and more each year, deer hunters are learning the value of using maps in their hunting plans. However, many hunters out there still have a lot to learn about the use of maps. I’ve been using maps in my hunting strategies since the 1970s, and in the rest of this article I’ll explain four different types of maps and how each can work to make you a more successful whitetail hunter.
The Plat Map
The four different types of maps used in deer hunting are plat, aerial, topographical, and soil maps. The Plat map shows the ownership of property in an area. They are handy in many ways. For example, if I’m looking for property to lease in a certain area, I’ll check out good-looking regions, then go to my plat map and see who owns the property. Then it’s a simple matter to look in the phone book and call and greet the landowner by name.
I have plat maps of regions in several different states, so I also use them when going door-to-door obtaining permission to hunt, which, by the way, can still be accomplished in some areas of our nation.
Location of property is determined by latitude (north and south) and longitude (east and west) descriptions. On each plat map, these locations are shown and section numbers are recorded on the map. The good news about this is that locations and section numbers are the same on plat, aerial, topographical and soil maps. This means information can accurately be transferred from one type of map to another type of map.
This means if you’re hunting a certain property, you can get the location from a plat map; and by measuring map scales, you can draw your property lines onto the other three types of maps. This way you know exactly where the property lines lie regarding the terrain. This helps immensely when posting a piece of land.
The Aerial Map
The aerial map is a picture of the countryside taken from above, either by plane or satellite. It’s a valuable map for the deer hunter because it enables him to pick out narrow terrain features whitetails will naturally funnel through when they are moving around. For example, if a woodlot is L-shaped, the aerial map will reveal the inside corner that deer will travel through during daylight hours.
Narrow strips of timber or brush deer travel through, such as timber along streams or fencerows, are also easily spotted on the aerial map. And, of course, roads, houses, barns, ponds, lakes and other landmarks are easily identifiable. All in all, the aerial map is an extremely valuable hunting tool for the deer hunter. But it has one weakness – it doesn’t show elevation contour lines, so it is difficult to determine how flat or hilly the land is.
The Topographical Map
If I could pick only one type of map to use, the topographical map would be it. Simply put, the topo map is a drawing of a region made by taking aerial photographs and then using photogramettric methods to record this information. The finished product shows roads, streams, houses, barns, many fencerows, and more; but most of all, it reveals the elevations in a region by implementing elevation contour lines on the map.
Most topo maps in the United States are the 7.5-minute quadrangle size that covers about 60 square miles. Each contour elevation line on this scale map represents a 10-foot change in elevation. Every fifth contour elevation line is accentuated, so each 50-foot change in elevation is easy to see. Once a deer hunter learns to read the topo map, he will be able to discover almost all strategic terrain features found on the aerial map, plus many more.
For instance, in a hilly region, a saddle (a low place in a ridgeline that drops down and then comes back up, much like a horse saddle) is easy to identify by “reading” the contour elevation lines. This is impossible to accurately do on the aerial map since it is a flat photograph of the terrain and usually doesn’t include elevation contour lines. In addition, awesome deer ambush spots such as hilltop field funnels, converging hubs on ridgetops, prominent points in hilly regions and benches in the hills are all revealed to the trained eye by using the topo map.
Interestingly, a few hunters will tell me they don’t need a topographical map since they know their hunting region like “the back of their hand.” While it doesn’t seem likely, I’ve located hunting hot spots in areas I’ve hunted for years, simply by diligently studying a topo map in my easy chair. And some of these hot spots were in locations I had actually walked through to get to what I thought were the real hot spots. This happens because studying maps enables you to take your time and consider all factors that might make a location productive, especially for mature deer.
For example, when you are looking at a map in your den at home, the emotion of seeing deer sign is removed from your thoughts. While sign is important to me – especially large rubs since they indicate a mature deer is cruising the area – location is the most critical factor when it comes to killing trophy bucks. Moreover, a ton of hot deer sign may lie in a hilly valley, begging you to put your stand there; but your success rates in this placement will be low at best because this particular type of terrain location found in valleys results in changing wind directions on and off all day.
Conversely, an inside corner that is on high ground only one-fourth mile away may look like a dismal spot because it only has a single deer trail skirting the corner and few rubs or scrapes nearby. Yet this inside corner may turn out to be the key to killing the best bucks in the region. This is true for three reasons.
First of all, the inside corner is likely to be located next to a pasture or grain field. This provides an ideal, low-impact entry to the stand site when the correct wind is used. Secondly, the inside corner is a half-funnel that will pull whitetails through it when they are out traveling during daylight hours. And thirdly, because this inside corner is located on high ground, the wind remains consistent out of the predicted wind direction for the day, rather than swirling around like it does in low-lying areas in the hills.
Topographical maps are also invaluable when hunting out-of-state since you can read the lay of the land and pick out key deer travel corridors before you ever leave home. It’s common to walk right to a hot location in another state even though you’ve never stepped foot in that forest before. I’ve done it many times, and so have many other deer hunters.
Incidentally, the one weakness the topographical map has is that it doesn’t show all of the brush in the terrain like the aerial map does. A fencerow that has grown up in heavy cover, thus providing a breakline whitetails will travel along, is one example of where the aerial mapbeats the topo map. While I favor the topo map overall, I use both the topo and aerial maps when planning a hunting strategy of an area. This way I have all bases covered.
I personally know hundreds of whitetail hunters who are now using topographical maps; and without fail, each of them have told me they have become more successful hunters since they started using both types of maps.
Admittedly, it does take some time and effort to fully understand map hunting; and to shorten up the learning curve, three years ago I wrote a book entitled, Mapping Trophy Bucks. It explains everything about map hunting you need to know, and I have to say I have been extremely happy that I shared with others what I know about map hunting since the book has been one of the best-selling deer hunting books in the nation over the past two years. (I have listed in a sidebar where the book can be purchased.)
Soil Survey Maps
The soil survey map is a map that doesn’t get a lot of press. Essentially, it is a complete compilation of every type of soil found in each county in the United States. This map explains where each type of soil is located within each county, what that particular type of soil consists of, and what crops will best grow on that soil.
The soil map is obviously valuable to those hunters running a quality deer management program in their hunting area since it allows them to pinpoint the most fertile soils on their properties. The soil maps also tell them what type of food plot products will grow best in that location. If the location contains wetter soil, Imperial Whitetail Clover will do well. If the soil is well-drained, then Alfa-Rack PLUS may be the best product to use. And if the soil is dry and droughty, then Extreme may produce the most nutritious browse for your deer.
As with the topo map, some deer hunters don’t see the value of the soil map because “dirt is dirt.” This simply isn’t true. In fact, soil types can change dramatically within a few feet. One half of a food plot may look great while the other half doesn’t look so hot. This leads the food plot manager to believe he did something wrong in one half of the plot, such as not getting the lime or fertilizer spread evenly, when in fact the soil types changed within that small plot.
At this time, roughly 80 to 90 percent of the counties in the United States are covered by a Soil Survey Geographic Database that can be obtained on CD for either no fee or a nominal fee at your county Natural Resources Conservation Service office. Few deer hunters know about this soil survey database, but it should be a must-have for every hunter.
Using A Soil Survey Geographic Database
After placing the soil survey database of your county in your computer, simply click on the township where your hunting area is located. This will bring up an aerial map of this township. From here, click on the Zoom-In tool, and then click on the map to make it bigger. After locating your property, you can click on Soils, Streams, and various other items and they will show on your map. The Soils feature is what will tell you about the types of soils in your area. If you wish, you can even click on Topographic Map, and your map will convert from an aerial map to a topo map. It’s awesome how it works.
Now for a neat feature I use a lot. Let’s say you’re in aerial view, and you zoom in to a field where you want to place a food plot. By clicking on the Acreage Tool, you can draw in the plot on the map the size you think you would like to make it. Once this is completed, a window will appear that tells you the size of the plot in acres, and it will also tell the yield per acre of various products that might be planted in the plot. Included are corn, soybeans, hay, pasture, winter wheat and more, depending on the county.
To give you an idea of how quickly soil types change, I drew in a food plot of 1 1/4 acres in a corner of a field that just happened to have a change in soil types. The chart of this small plot informed me that one half of the plot would produce 80 bushels per acre of corn while the other half would yield 115 bushels per acre. This shows the dramatic differences in soils within a small area.
In summing up, this article has covered the four types of maps that will provide valuable information to a deer hunter. The plat map can help you find property to hunt, buy or lease. The aerial map will increase your hunting skills and success rate by revealing key hunting locations to you. The topographical map will reveal even more hot deer funnels than the aerial map since it shows the contour elevations of your hunting areas. And finally, the soil survey map will allow you to grow better crops in your food plots and thus grow healthier and bigger deer.
In the end, mastering the use of maps will result in more megabucks on your wall. It’s worked for thousands of hunters in the last few years, and it will work for you.