Now that you have some topographical maps spread out on your table, here are some of the basic things to look for…

First, each line represents a specific elevation.  Say a line is labeled 3200, this means that as you follow the line, you are really following the elevation 3200 around the lay of the land.  The tighter that contour lines are to each other, the steeper the terrain…and vice versa - well-spaced contour lines indicate flatter terrain.  You also need to pay attention to the ’scale’ of the contour lines.  Some maps are based on 20 ft. elevation changes, some 100 ft. or maybe some different unit of differentiation.  Usually every 5th or 10th line will be shaded darker to indicate a larger difference in elevation. 

Alright now to using the topo maps to your advantage…

#1 - If scouting for an early season mule deer, elk, or pronghorn hunt out West, you can find isolated water holes and creek drainages by looking in low spots for just a smidge of H2O.  The smaller they are, the more likely no one else knows about them, so pay attention to the finest details on the map.  You can verify these water features sometimes with aerial photos of the same area.

#2 - Ridges show up as fingers of tightly spaced contour lines, the more contour lines the higher the contour.  Certain ridges are great places to glass the surrounding landscape and early morning or evening ambushes can be made as deer round the points of ridges instead of going vertical to get where they are going.

#3 - Saddles.  I think this graphic can best describe a saddle. 

Saddles are low spots in the midst of a series of hills and ridges that offer the least path of resistance.  Ungulates are lazy animals when moving about undisturbed, and older bucks are the biggest couch potatoes of all.  A distinct saddle in an otherwise steep ridged terrain is certain to produce some traveling action. 

I’ll list one or two more uses for topo maps and a personal experience in tomorrow’s post, so tuned back in…But, I hope you begin to see the value that a $8 map purchased from our federal government can serve in your upcoming fall hunt.  They can give you that step up on the competition even if you are a couple thousand miles from where you will be hunting.