Critique my map scouting

[Randtheman]

I'm 2 years into beast style hunting and trying to connect the dots. One thing that I need to improve on is map scouting. This map is from the hills of NC where we have plenty of pines and oaks with a bunch of trash trees.

I will be getting a few hunts on this public area in early season (early september - early october) before the gun hunters get to it. It will be HOT and I don't think many people bow hunt this area based off of my 2 bow hunts there last year. I think that my focus should be on the creeks and the oaks.

The RED pins are sign that I found scouting last year (don't necessarily pay attention to these). The BLUE lines that I placed are the creeks that run through the property (sometimes they are completely dry). The BROWN pin is the parking lot. The WHITE line is the access trail. The YELLOW pins are where I think bucks would possibly bed based on my recent forum reading from Dan and Autumn Ninja. These woods are very thick and I think that the majority of hunters head to the southeast of the walking trail.

I left the coordinates on the image so that people could go and view the original map without pins if need be. If someone wants to hunt the area, so be it. I am posting this to learn.

Am I headed in the right direction or way off? What is my next step? Thanks

Rand

[Quest1001]

I’m not the best source, but I’d like to see what the northwest bowl next to Wades property looks promising.

I’m looking forward to what others have to say as well.

[Tennhunter3]

Hard to tell without aerials for transitions.

Their is several promising spots for potential bedding.

[Tennhunter3]

This point caught my attention for bedding coming back from Am feeding areas or leaving going to feed on neighbors. It appears to have several deep cuts which will force movement high or low on the hill.

Depending how thick it is and how pressured the area is surrounding it on neighbors. It would be for sure a point I would pay close attention too if theirs transition nearby.

On a north or northwest wind blowing torward the south that drainage is going to pull all the scent from the neighbors field into it on a falling thermal Bucks would cruise it to scent check the fields to the north.

Rising thermal it's a perfect area for scrape activity which may be at night if bedding is not nearby.

Those little points might be good.
North of your west yellow mark torward the property boundary.

Those knobs will be bigger in person then appear on map often time sticking out off the hill.

That one shelf point that goes torward the river is a perfect pinch point.

The point by the property line I like. Perfect bedding on North wind blowing to south. Perfect visibility and escape. Able to scent check field from bed.

Screenshot_20200606-201413_Painter.jpg

[Randtheman]

Thanks Tennessee for explaining. I’m attaching a few different aerials. Looking at the area that you focused on, that would be a thermal hub, correct? I think I should go back to the thread I was reading last night about hubs and reread that.

[Tennhunter3]

Thanks Tennessee for explaining. I’m attaching a few different aerials. Looking at the area that you focused on, that would be a thermal hub, correct? I think I should go back to the thread I was reading last night about hubs and reread that.

Yes it's a hub at least appears to me that way.
Though what some call a hub is a high spot that scent rises too.

Or a low hub that falling thermal goes too in between points. Often These are a nightmare to hunt due to the wind swirl that takes place down in the hub.

[Tennhunter3]

I like these for whole map.
Probably only one or two of these will be good but it will take boots on ground to find out. If I was scouting this property I would search these points. Then find transition lines nearby.

Course the bedding elevation will change depending on the area. Bucks seem to bed lower down the points where I hunt because of pressure up high on ridges. I find alot on the small overlooked knobs off the hillside.


If people arent getting to the back of that walking trail I like the south, southeast point of it too. Directly above my content.

Screenshot_20200608-172855_Painter.jpg

[seazofcheeze]

Delete the GPS coordinates...

[Randtheman]

Delete the GPS coordinates...

Read the post. I don’t care that they are on there. I’m using this map more to learn than to hunt. Wanted people to be able to go pull it up on their own map source so they could zoom in and out for better clarity. Thanks for looking out though Man

[seazofcheeze]

Delete the GPS coordinates...

Read the post. I don’t care that they are on there. I’m using this map more to learn than to hunt. Wanted people to be able to go pull it up on their own map source so they could zoom in and out for better clarity. Thanks for looking out though Man

I missed the part about the coordinates.

In my experience, anything that looks like a bedding point on a topo is more likely to be doe bedding, and the bucks bed on smaller isolated knobs and spurs that usually dont show up on a topo. It's still good to check them out on foot and let the sign in the area make the decision whether it's worth hunting or not.

[Quest1001]

Good to know, thanks for sharing.

[rfickes87]

Delete the GPS coordinates...

Read the post. I don’t care that they are on there. I’m using this map more to learn than to hunt. Wanted people to be able to go pull it up on their own map source so they could zoom in and out for better clarity. Thanks for looking out though Man

I looked closely at the maps and skimmed thru the comments so maybe someone else already said this, but... There are some nice old clear cuts in there that will need scouted. To me those are the most important edges that stick out to me. EVERYTHING relates to edges and how you use them to your advantage. I see guys talking about that thermal hub in there and that's all fine and good but to be successful, especially in early season, those old clear cut edges need to be scouted on foot. Also the sharper military crests for bedding will be good edges as well. Try looking at a caltopo map instead of ONX. I use ONX too but their topo features are not as accurate as other sources. On caltopo, where you see a white color on the map (and now overlay it with a current aerial) and it is now forest, that will 90% chance be very thick because it was once an open area and offer great bedding. Use google earth to go back in time and see how old those cuts are. Old winter photos will really help you to see high stem counts.

[Randtheman]

I like these for whole map.
Probably only one or two of these will be good but it will take boots on ground to find out. If I was scouting this property I would search these points. Then find transition lines nearby.

Course the bedding elevation will change depending on the area. Bucks seem to bed lower down the points where I hunt because of pressure up high on ridges. I find alot on the small overlooked knobs off the hillside.


If people arent getting to the back of that walking trail I like the south, southeast point of it too. Directly above my content.
Screenshot_20200608-172855_Painter.jpg

I hope to be able to scout the area tomorrow afternoon after work. I greatly appreciate the input

[Randtheman]

Delete the GPS coordinates...

Read the post. I don’t care that they are on there. I’m using this map more to learn than to hunt. Wanted people to be able to go pull it up on their own map source so they could zoom in and out for better clarity. Thanks for looking out though Man

I missed the part about the coordinates.

In my experience, anything that looks like a bedding point on a topo is more likely to be doe bedding, and the bucks bed on smaller isolated knobs and spurs that usually dont show up on a topo. It's still good to check them out on foot and let the sign in the area make the decision whether it's worth hunting or not.

No worries man. I appreciate the input and will be checking the area out tomorrow

[Randtheman]

Delete the GPS coordinates...

Read the post. I don’t care that they are on there. I’m using this map more to learn than to hunt. Wanted people to be able to go pull it up on their own map source so they could zoom in and out for better clarity. Thanks for looking out though Man

I looked closely at the maps and skimmed thru the comments so maybe someone else already said this, but... There are some nice old clear cuts in there that will need scouted. To me those are the most important edges that stick out to me. EVERYTHING relates to edges and how you use them to your advantage. I see guys talking about that thermal hub in there and that's all fine and good but to be successful, especially in early season, those old clear cut edges need to be scouted on foot. Also the sharper military crests for bedding will be good edges as well. Try looking at a caltopo map instead of ONX. I use ONX too but their topo features are not as accurate as other sources. On caltopo, where you see a white color on the map (and now overlay it with a current aerial) and it is now forest, that will 90% chance be very thick because it was once an open area and offer great bedding. Use google earth to go back in time and see how old those cuts are. Old winter photos will really help you to see high stem counts.

Thanks for the input. There are some thick areas in there for sure, so thick that I can't walk through. I have tried caltopo once before but all of the features can get overwhelming. I'll give caltopo another try. Most of the other areas that I hunt are flat and swampy. I focus on hunting the thickest nastiest edges possible.