Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Skyline WMA Zone B Boundaries on your Phone

I've created a KML Formatted File representing the boundaries of the Skyline WMA Zone B for 2015-2016. Some phone apps will accept this, others require a GPX formatted file. You can download the KML file above and convert it to GPX at kml2gpx.com

You are free to use and share this file. PLEASE NOTE: The boundaries in the overlay are not incredibly accurate. They are excellent for planning and other purposes but be aware that they are not exact and can deviate by a considerable distance at times due to the way I created them.

I'm not hunting Zone A this year so I'm not doing that side right now.


For the geeks in the crew, here is how I did it :


1) First I open the SKYLINE WMA permit PDF file and take a screen snapshot (JPEG) of it. I take that snapshot into Photoshop and clean it up, and cut out Zone B.

2) I open Google Earth Pro and bring the Zone B area into view like this :



3) Then I add an "Image Overlay" and pop the screen snapshot into it. I set the opacity to about 40% and move/stretch it around until it fits over the terrain / roads in the the view ... like this :



4) Once I've got it lined up with the terrain/roads I add a "Path" and trace out the boundaries around the WMA Permit image like this :



5) Then I disable the Image Overlay and check the result :



6) Finally I save the Path to a KML file ...

I've used the file in the link below. It's a couple years old now so you'd need to double check it with the 2015-16 permit maps. Works great though and can use it on a desktop computer, iPhone, iPad, etc. I wish I could find the same for the open permit land within the National Forests.

WMA Boundaries

That pretty much agrees with what I posted, less a few small changes in the land boundaries in the past 2 years

You could easily come up with the same for your Natty lands using the technique I described above

On the subject of boundaries, has the state marked the boundaries of the newer areas of the mgt area? ie: Jacobs
I haven't hunted any of it in over 2 years and I know back then a lot of it was not marked.
When I say mark, I mean literally with paint on trees, signs, stakes etc.

Jacobs Mtn area is included on the WMA permit. As far as physically marking the area, I've got no clue as I don't hunt there

Jacob's mountain tract was marked very well with yellow paint before they ever opened up to the public...however, plenty of idiots apparently have a hard time seeing yellow.

Is there a handheld GPS unit that can be bought that has Alabama WMA boundaries? I know in Montana it is almost required to have one to separate public hunting lands from private property.

Thanks for that link!

Here is my Google Maps I created.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z6K2rDHhgwCo.kLWc6ctLyAgM

I was able to get pretty accurate with the Jackson County GIS maps. You can export this one as well. The PDF map is not that accurate.

You guys need to look at this site https://www.powderhook.com/us/alabama

It has virtually every piece of public land in alabama already outlined on the map. The property lines are VERY accurate. I use it often to make sure I am staying on the properties while scouting and hunting.

Dang, I think I was just called an idiot

Ok now thats really slick. How do you export the boundaries of an area?

LOL...sorry, no, what I meant by that was that the people that hunt private land bordering Jacob's are constantly having trespassers that claim they can't see the yellow markings all over the trees. I know for a fact that the south end of Jacob's and the west side of William's Cove is marked VERY well with yellow paint.

This is a gold mine! Thanks guys

If you have cell coverage, you show up as a blue dot on the map and can tell if you are inside the boundary. If you are going to be without cell coverage, open it up to the area you are going to ahead of time and let it draw. Keep that window open and it still works without coverage, just no zoom, moving around too much etc.

Someone stick this permanently to the top of this forum, however you do it.

Here's a great one for Tennessee WMA's

According to that map, the property lines are not accurate, at least the area I'm looking at.