Then I'd stick w/topos..... I like sat. images if they are clear and up to date.....but I can use both... SB
Same for me, I guess that's what happens when you live in the sticks I like maps.live.com The birdseye feature is awesome when it is available.
The Sat. picts are great if they are up to date.... for instance it shows my pontoon boat tied up at the dock....cool except that boat hasn't been tied at the dock since my step son's 11th B-day....he's 18 now. So it is a tool....not a magic trick. SB
I'm in the same boat as you DC. I have a couple spots that are flat as can be, where a topo would be pointless. I have other spots where an aerial would be pointless. Both are very useful tools, if you use them right.
I understand everyone is different and utilizes resources differently but topo's, maps, can be very useful even on flat ground. There may be no contour lines but there are still landmarks and you can always add your own "marks". If you take a map with you while scouting and mark down the things you see, patterns will begin to emerge that will give you a better idea of how deer, and even other animals if you want to go that far, utilize and move about on the land. Topo's may be maps that show terrain features but, first and foremost, they are maps and, utilized correctly, can be more useful than most people think.
Excellent example! To take it further, when scouting I would look for trails leading to that spot and mark those on the map also and now the bigger picture begins to emerge.
This is a very good post, lots of good knowledge. Here is a better look at both properties and their bedding areas... The green striped sections are their typical bedding areas. These consist of deadfalls with green briar. The white striped sections are their bedding area for bad weather (snow/rain/wind) which are mostly made up of pines and x-mas trees. The yellow dots are my major treestand sites and the blue lines are the heavier deer trails in the area. The aerials photos seem rather old. The long strip of bedding in my "honey hole" property (the right section) that runs north to south just east of the houses has grown very thick within the past several years and is a major bedding area now. The bedding areas at the right side of the picture are a grown up goldenrod field that is being taken over by multi-floral rose. There is a powerline running through that was cut about 5 years ago and is a major travel route to the fields. Terrain definetly plays into all deer movement, but for this area, the big factor is what Southernboy mentioned earlier... transitions between old and new growth timber. The deer really focus on these edges. The second stand site down on the right side of the page is where I shot my buck on Jan. 5th and where I saw the most bucks this season. There is a small section (75 yards long by 50 yards wide) of crab apple trees in the middle of that section that creates a transition zone between the different types of trees and the deer focus alot of their movement along these edges of that area.
Alrighty then....I think your oict. is from a little too high up ...closer in like BM's would be better...but...Listing your stands left to right and labeling them A-G. The only one I don't see anything attractive to me is E. The rest look pretty good....If I had to guess which stand I thought you did the best from it would be D...followed by F. THe areas I would want to look at that you didn't pick out are first the edge directly north of C, that begins as the western border of the big field and then continues north into a very attractive area full of edges that lead back south towards B. I like that whole area. I also think the edge between D&G might hold some intresting activity, also the clumb of woods north of G would require a lil peek. SB make sure you but those Montecs on correctly. lol
make sure you but those Montecs on correctly. lol If you only knew who all was laughing.....lol Don't blame me if you stick a squirell in the top of an oak, while shooting at a huge buck feeding on the acorns at it's base... I tried to tell ya. SB LOL
I use both topo and aerial maps, in fact I will not scout and walk a piece of ground until I have had time to study both and I never head out on a hunting trip without both in my pack. While a topo is a great tool in aiding finding terrian based features, an aerial is a great tool to help find cover based features. I hunt some spots that look like nothing on an aerial map, but look amazing on a topo map, and I have some spots that look like nothing on a topo map, but one look at an aerial map tells you exactly why that stand is there. I guess what I am trying to say is, both are good tools, but used in combination they are great tools!!!
Using the aerial.. I would think you would want a stand at the red dot. What from the topo or scouting has made you decide to not have a setup there?
I hope you realize, I'm having fun here....I don't think it makes a differance about the alignment...the guy from the local pro shop does and he set it up....I could careless...but they do infact shoot great. But, so you get a good handle on me....I very rarely make fun of others....I'm generally making fun of myself.... I don't take myself very seriously in my hobbies...my job is serious enough....I like cutting up and pokining fun.... When I say.."if your not aligning your Montec w/ your fletching you are messing up".... I am simply acting as if I know better than you when we all know I don't..... It doesn't always come across that way.... It sometimes takes people awhile to figure out SB's schtikk.... SB
