A few weeks ago there were a couple of threads that talked about picking spots on a topo map of hunting ground. As I read through the threads, I heard some things that I haven't previously heard when folks discuss "topo scouting". It's made me wonder what else I haven't heard that would helpful to developing a strategy for big deer.

Besides the normal "topography talk" (i.e. saddles), what are some topo features that you look for on a map? If possible, illustrate what you're talking about with an example on an actual map.

X2 Bible

This book is that good? I may have to give it a read.

start here


http://soleadventure.com/2013/02/how-to-read-and-interpret-topographic-maps/

All good stuff... would like some more detailed stuff about hunting these features. All of these types of resources talk about hunting features like saddles, funnels, etc. However, few talk about practical hunting methods of those places. For instance, saddles are a frequent topic, but few speak about things such as which side of a saddle to hunt, are some saddles more effective than others, etc.

The latter is the kind of info I’m infested in hearing about. I hunt primarily in hilly (not mountainous) terrain and would like to glean as much as I can about terrain traps.

I call it hunting structure , basically the same idea as fishermen fishing structure in the river. Structure holds fish, structure holds deer.

Now exactly where to set up in a saddle, hog back ,knob , point , narrows or any other type of structure or pinch point depends on several factors , no one size fits all. Those are just sure fire places deer will use and travel through and places that are easily identified on a topo map and places to scout. Ya gotta figure out the exact stand site or sites based on what you see on the ground.

Take saddles , stand sites would depend on timber edges, how deep the saddle is, how tall are the two ridges that form it. How do the trails run. Prevailing wind direction and such. Also saddles often have roads going through them for obvious reasons it's the path of least resistance for both man and game. I do prefer to be right in the middle of them , very high in a tree. Saddles are the one place I'd hunt with wide open, mature hardwoods IF it is a very low pressure property. Saddles are usually money. A stand in wide open, mature hardwoods in a high pressured area won't consistently yield mature bucks, least not anywhere I've hunted.

Saddles, secondary points, steep terrain that funnels trails, narrow ridge points, converging draws and bottoms, south facing ridges with prevailing north winds and bedding cover. Creeks and ditches that run into bedding areas, s-curves in larger creeks and rivers, there's more but that's the jist. I stick to hunting bedding areas with fresh sign and good entry/exit routes.

That will work, however, I've discovered in hardwood mountains with huge acreages the whole place is a bedding area. Can often be hard to pin down "a bedding area". Now granted there will be some spots that are used as bedding often , but nothing like a Midwest wood lot situation where they have very limited bedding and it's a no brainer.

That’s true where I hunt... the ends of hardwood ridges are just as likely to hold bedded deer as clearcuts.