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X Marks the Spot By Nate Simmons
(Jul/Aug 2009 EBJ - Advanced Tips and Tactics)
More and more hunts across the West are turning to limited entry, and with that, more hunters are drawing tags for areas where they’ve never been. Worse yet, it might be a once-in-a-lifetime tag where you only get one shot to hunt that area. Hunters have no choice but to do a better job of getting familiar with a specific area very quickly. To add insult to injury, many of the state draws come out only a few months before the hunt, leaving a short window of opportunity to prepare. Fortunately, with all the different ways to view a hunting area today, there is not a big reason to sweat about lack of time.
I get many emails from hunters who have drawn such a tag and are in a panic. After the initial excitement wears off, the pressure of learning the unit and maximizing the hunt sets in. Personally, I was totally blindsided this year when I beat some tough odds and drew a great deer tag. I never imagined I would ever draw a tag in this particular unit, and as a result, I didn’t know much about it. The stats indicate that this may be my only chance to hunt in this unit in my lifetime, yet I’ve never even been there.
Just as I don’t want to be wandering around during my actual hunt trying to figure out the best access points or what roads are open or closed to travel, I don’t want to waste any valuable scouting time on this either. Without good maps, this is almost inevitable. Unfortunately, there isn’t likely to be just one map that will give you all the information you need.
For my upcoming hunt, I’ve ordered a custom map that shows me land ownerships, most roads and trails, unit boundaries, and topography with shade relief. One reason I get a custom map is that I can ensure the area I want to see will be covered on one map. Forest Service and BLM maps usually have a lot of land outside my unit boundary, wasting paper or worse yet, my hunt unit may be not be printed on just one of these maps. However, I will still also get the most current BLM and Forest Service maps. Even though I trust my custom mapmaker, it’s ultimately my responsibility to double-check the info on the map and to make sure I know the most current status for all road closures and public land boundaries.
Custom maps will be far more efficient with space, allowing me to see specific areas at a more detailed scale and making contour lines much easier to read. However, most hunt units are far too large to print at a 7.5-minute (1:24,000) scale (the scale USGS topo maps are printed on). For this reason, picking a specific area to print out or printing multiple maps may be required to see fine detail for specific hunting areas. I would not want to hunt an area without a 7.5-minute map. While larger scale maps are nice for seeing how large drainages tie in together, they simply aren’t detailed enough for trying to plan a stalking route or locating small benches or saddles. In a perfect world, I would get one map that has my entire hunt unit on it printed at a large scale like 1:80,000, and one or two more maps at a scale of 1:24,000 showing specific areas I plan on hunting.
For a hunter in a new unit, picking a good area can be tough. Just because that unit is revered as a great unit and is tough to draw doesn’t mean that anyone can just waltz into it and be tripping over trophy-class animals. I’ve never hunted in any unit that had quality game evenly distributed within its boundaries. There are many factors that will cause game to congregate in some areas and avoid others, even while they look the same on a map - factors such as livestock, ATV trails, lack of water, logging, agriculture, hunting pressure, wildfires.
Before I spend money on a detailed 7.5-minute map of a specific area, I spend some time on Google Earth getting a birds-eye view of the unit. This usually helps me find a few potential areas to investigate. For example, if I’m looking at a unit where I’ll be hunting early season mule deer, I might look for higher elevation areas offering food, water, and shelter and that also is open enough to glass. Slides and meadows next to dark timber are perfect candidates. I might also try to see if there is a good vantage point located in the area. After noting a few potential areas, I will cross-reference the location with a large scale map (either a custom map or a state atlas like Delorme’s) to make sure there aren’t any campgrounds or roads right in the middle of those areas.
The next step is to call local game biologists who know the area and ask them questions about your potential hunt areas. Let them know what you are trying to find, why you are thinking about hunting a particular area, and then see what they think of your selections. Have a notepad and map in front of you before you call. For detailed information on what to ask them, see EBJ 48 (Jul/Aug 2008) in the MRS. After your conversation, you should know if you are on the right track. Other good sources for info include game wardens and other hunters who have hunted the unit. The harder the unit is to draw (meaning less likelihood of them hunting the unit again) the more likely they’ll be willing to part with information.
Now that you have a primary area and a few backup areas picked out, you need to get detailed 7.5-minute maps of these areas to pack with you while hunting. There are many options out there to consider. My preferred route is getting a custom map made. Here at Eastmans’ we have been using Off the Beaten Path maps www.otbpmaps.com (435-678-7821). Another custom option is www.mytopo.com.
Another option is to use mapping software made by National Geographic and Delorme. These are quality products, but unless you have a giant plotter and a roll of large waterproof paper, you will probably be limited to printing on smaller sizes found with most home printers. Too many times I have printed 8.5x11 sheets and taped them together to see a decent sized area. It works, but I prefer not to hassle with it. I’ve also tried downloading these maps onto GPS units, and it works, but I can’t handle only being able to see such a small area; I need a real map on my hunts. However, I strongly suggest having and using a GPS unit when hunting in an unfamiliar area, as a safety precaution.
One of the cheapest ways to get a decent sized printout of a 7.5-minute map is through the USGS (www.usgs.gov). These are good maps, but without the frills you can get with a custom map (waterproof paper, shade relief, larger print sizes, etc.) For those on a budget, these will work just fine. You can order these online for about $8, and the printed map size is about 16x23, which equals roughly 57 square miles of country.
One more option I will mention is 20sub3 (www.20sub3.com). What’s different about this company’s maps is the material they’re printed on. The material is a durable waterproof polyester similar to tent material and is ultra lightweight and compressible. No more map folding; just wad it up and stuff it in a pack pocket.
With all the great gear that’s available to bowhunters, it’s easy to get caught up in collecting the fun stuff like new boots and new broadheads. However, don’t overlook the simple things like maps. They’re worth their weight in gold, especially when hunting unfamiliar country.
