How to Find Deer Land to Hunt
Search for Maps
Editor’s
Note: Some years ago I almost dropped the telephone
receiver when I heard the words, "The landowner
has sold the land, and our hunting lease has been cancelled."
I'd called the secretary of our hunting club to let
him know that I planned to go to our hunting camp three
weeks before deer season started to check several of
my stand sites and get ready for the opening weekend
of bow season. I wanted to scout the areas where I'd
taken bucks before, cut shooting lanes and make sure
that the deer fed on the same nut trees they had in
the past. I enjoy scouting for deer because I consider
it the true essence of the sport of hunting. Scouting
means learning where the deer feed and bed and which
trails they travel on and then predicting where a deer
may appear. When you hunt, you actually climb into your
tree stand and wait on the shot. But this year instead
of scouting for a place to put my tree stand, I had
to scout for new land to hunt.
When you lose your hunting land and need to locate
new land, consult these places for available maps. Once
you have your new land, pinpoint the most productive
places to hunt by
studying and marking the maps. You also may find nearby
camping sites. Here's a list of some of the places you
can search to learn that information.
1) U. S. Geological Survey at www.usgs.gov/.
The U. S. Geological Survey, which has mapped the entire
United States, has topographical
maps to scale available that contain line and symbol
representations of natural terrain and man-made structures.
These maps will aid a hunter in determining where roads,
rivers, firebreaks and property lines are on a specific
piece of property. Most outdoorsmen prefer the 22"
x 27" maps, which depict on a large scale the amount
of land a hunter usually can walk in a day. The indexes
of the topographical maps name the region covered by
each map, the scale available and the year the area
was surveyed. These indexes also include lists of special
maps that have been made of a place as well as the names
and addresses of map dealers, map reference libraries
and federal distribution centers.
Topos also can be purchased from companies that usually
will ship maps within 48 hours of receiving your order.
These companies accept telephone orders and credit cards:
Map Express
800-627-0039
www.mapexp.com
Powers Elevation
800-824-2550
www.powersurveying.com
USDA-ASCS Aerial Photography
801-975-3503
www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/
EROS Data Center
U.S. Geological Survey
800-252-4547
http://eros.usgs.gov/
MyTopo
877-587-9004
www.mytopo.com
TopoZone
www.topozone.com
NAPP
U.S. Geological Survey
Central Region: 303-236-5900
Eastern Region: 703-648-4000
Western region: 650-853-8300
http://edc.usgs.gov/guides/napp.html
Although topos are a man-made representation of land,
aerial photos picture the real thing. Aerial photos
show little-used roads and trails, the vegetation in
wildlife pockets and the plant density in travel corridors.
Too, aerial photos generally contain more current information.
The National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP), which
has photographed most of the lower 48 states within
the past few years, takes aerial photos from an elevation
of 20,000 feet. Available in color infrared and black-and-white
images, their aerial photos range in sizes from 10 x
10 inches (with a scale of 1:40,000) up to 38 x 38 inches
(with
a scale of 1:9,600). You'll need detailed information
to order aerial photos, including the state, county,
township and section number if possible.
Local libraries - Many local libraries have sets of
topographical maps available as well as order forms
and indexes for the maps. Also the library near the
place where you plan to hunt may contain maps of that
county that are not accessible in other parts of the
state.
National Cartographic Information Center
817-509-3200
http://www.ncgc.nrcs.usda.gov/
This center is part of the U. S. Geological Survey
and is the main source for maps that are produced or
distributed by federal agencies, as well as by commercial
publishers. Some of the free publications include the
"Catalogue of Maps," which describes map types
including land-use maps, satellite-image maps, photo-image
maps, hydrologic maps and others, "Finding Your
Way With Map and Compass" and "Popular Publications
of the U.S. Geological Survey." You also can request
these pamphlets by calling 1-800-USA-MAPS.
Back-Country Maps -- Over 100 waterproof, tear-resistant
maps to the top 50 back-country recreation areas and
national parks are available from Trails Illustrated.
Combining four to eight USGS topos onto one, these maps
are printed on both sides and feature trailheads, addresses
for information and more.
For a free catalog, call 800-962-1643, or search:
www.maps.nationalgeographic.com/trails
DeLorme Mapping
800-561-5105
www.delorme.com
State Topos and Back-Road Maps -- DeLorme Mapping has
published full-color state atlases, including topographic
maps, road detail and jeep trails. You easily can find
road or trail access to remote areas with these maps.
DeLorme also has completed its Topo USA on CD-Rom which
gives you seamless, topographic coverage of all 50 states
and includes geographic features like mountains, rivers
and canyons and gives you a 3-D aerial view of an entire
country. You also can print out these detailed topo
maps.
Federal Depository Libraries
www.gpoaccess.gov/libraries
By contacting this center, you can receive a list of
the public, college and government libraries throughout
the U. S. that receive copies of most federal government
publications, including maps.
Don't make the same mistake I made when I started looking
for alternative lands to hunt once I lost my lease.
Take this information, and begin to build a database
of all the places you can hunt close to home. You'll
discover that most states have an abundance of land
available, often prime deer lands, for the sportsman
who spends the effort required to find a place to hunt.
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