How to Read Topo Maps for Hunting
Topographical maps, often referred to as topo maps, are graphical representations of the lay of the land. While a topo map does not show the ground cover, such as trees, brush or grasses, it does show the elevation, steepness and any bodies of water. Hunters find this information useful during the scouting process.
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Instructions
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Learn how to read a topographical map. The lines on a topo map connect points of identical altitude and usually mark 20-foot changes in altitude. Heavier lines may mark 100-foot variations in altitude and will have the altitude noted at some point along the line. Higher altitudes indicate hills or mountains.
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Look for terrain features that will limit the movement of the game. Animals avoid steep terrain, represented on topo maps with contour lines close together, when they move. Game animals also look for low passes, sometimes called saddles, across ridges.
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Locate watering places that game animals may use. Water is often marked in blue on topographical maps. Hunters often use the topo maps to attempt to locate a path that game animals might use to access water sources.
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Eliminate areas that game animals may avoid. Topo maps include roads, highways and communities that game animals would tend to shy away from.
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Tips & Warnings
Use topo maps to keep from getting lost. Hills and streams marked on the topographical map can be located as landmarks while hunting. Roads and other features can then be located in relationship to the landmarks.
The terrain information of a topo map does not go out of date. Hills and streams rarely change. Information on roads and communities does change and can render a topographical map obsolete.
Topographic maps do not include plants or vegetation. The maps are used as a starting point in determining a scouting plan for the area. Cover, trees and brush will make or break an area for hunting and actually determine the process of hunting the area.
Topo maps do not include information on land ownership. Confirm the land ownership. Request permission to hunt if the property is privately owned.
