Field Maps

[kelley12]

What does everyone do for Maps while in the field and for scouting from home. I am planning my first elk hunt and will be hunting unit 71 in Colorado.

I have been using google earth and Colorado's Hunt atlas but I would also like to have something printed while in the filed. I will probably be getting the onXmaps for my GPS just have not purchased them yet.

Be great to have a map that shows public land, Trails and roads. I find my self switching back and forth a lot between maps. Not sure if anything out there offers that.

Thanks

 

[recon6036]

Bowhuntrben turned me on to the National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps a few years ago. Been using them ever since.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

As mentioned, the Nat Geo Trails Illustrated maps are awesome if they have them for the area you're looking at. In cases where they don't have them, I tend to just go get maps from USGS online and print them out.

 

[Khunter]

for the purpose noted in you last paragraph I always buy BLM surface management maps, and USFS map if hunting forest. very useful, easily understandable overview of an area.

that plus the map chip in GPS gets it done for me. i quit buying/hauling around usgs Topos except in very certain circumstances.

 

[JColony]

I've found www.caltopo.com and www.hillmap.com to be very useful. I am yet to do it, but supposedly you can print maps from caltopo. Hillmap is nice mainly for the split screen format. Nice to not have to flip back and forth between sat. images and terrain on google maps.

 

[hank4elk]

BLM & FS maps as starter,then I add to my map collection....map junky.
I do like mytopo's for durable, specific maps.
I get some printed at a techi-survey/map store occationally.They print on quality WP paper. Hate it when 4 topos are in the middle of my hunt target.

 

[teej89]

Just curious... is there a reason more people don't like mytopo? I love em but I use them mostly out east and just started using them last fall out west, is there something I'm missing that people aren't a fan of with using them out west? I love it because you click the state then click the unit and bam there's your map of the area. Granted it's $20 a map.... maybe that's why not a lot of people enjoy it.

 

[teej89]

I've found www.caltopo.com and www.hillmap.com to be very useful. I am yet to do it, but supposedly you can print maps from caltopo. Hillmap is nice mainly for the split screen format. Nice to not have to flip back and forth between sat. images and terrain on google maps.

oh man hillmap is nice! thanks!

 

[esracerx]

I also like mytopo when I'm out in the field with only a map and a GPS to compare. Onx is a must Imo.

The nice thing about mytopo is they're durable as hell...printed on a plastic type paper. They show public, private, state, etc. And are unit wide. No need for multiple usgs maps from different years. A good overall map. Maybe not quite the detail. But enough positives to make it worth it. Had the same map for 5 years and other than a few marks from a pen looks brand new. I've also got a good national forest map made from the same material, with a few other features the mytopo doesn't. The 2 together work well for me.

 

[esracerx]

Also a map junkie. I'll buy whatever I can find because you never know which one might be more useful. When you get back to camp after a crappie hunt and have nothing else to do, I pull the maps out and go for a little drive. No such thing as too much information. Gives you the option to have options. (That made sense in my head)

 

[silasd]

I go with MyTopo, the local USFS map, USGS paper copies I order online and my GPS. I've found they help to generally orient me to an area but help from buddies and just plain shoe leather are best. Haven't looked at onXmaps but will definitely check them out.

 

[danadrums]

I like the nat geos, and forest service.
However, I don't carry much paper anymore since I got the onx on my iPhone. Cannot say enough good things about that app.
*Probably* would be nicer to have it on an ipad, but then that's a bit more to carry. Besides, my wife got the ipad, I just have the phone...

The nice thing about paper is you can mark it up a bunch. 'Course, I mark up my maps online with onx, then that transfers to the app on my phone, so
I guess it works out the same.

I will say that I gave up on the "Huntin' Maps" which are available here in CO. They're OK at best, but they fall apart if you fold them over 3 times, and don't even think about getting them wet.

Just my opinion, worth every dime you paid for it.

--Dana

 

[esracerx]

What if you're in an area with zero service? The app is useless then right? This is a serious question.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Just curious... is there a reason more people don't like mytopo? I love em but I use them mostly out east and just started using them last fall out west, is there something I'm missing that people aren't a fan of with using them out west? I love it because you click the state then click the unit and bam there's your map of the area. Granted it's $20 a map.... maybe that's why not a lot of people enjoy it.

The mytopo that I got didn't seem to have very good resolution. Maps like nat geo seem to do a lot better at giving road names/numbers. I do like the land ownership aspect of mytopo though.

 

[teej89]

What if you're in an area with zero service? The app is useless then right? This is a serious question.

there's an "offline maps" option to where you essentially download the map to your phone and even though you don't have service the GPS still works.

 

[esracerx]

Appreciate it! Having my topo and the onx for my gps already I don't think it'd be worth it for me. But if I get a new unit its something ill think about

 

[teej89]

Appreciate it! Having my topo and the onx for my gps already I don't think it'd be worth it for me. But if I get a new unit its something ill think about

I carry all three, topo, OnX for Garmin and OnX for iPhone. Mostly use the phone but the garmin is my backup.

 

[danadrums]

What if you're in an area with zero service? The app is useless then right? This is a serious question.

No, just download the maps at home. This is how I use it, since I usually don't have service, or it's spotty at best.
The maps download relatively quickly at my home, and you get all the functionality without service.
Also, it seems to not take a lot of power to use the maps.
Always a good idea to have a charger stick with you, though. They're cheap and work well.

--Dana

 

[esracerx]

No, just download the maps at home. This is how I use it, since I usually don't have service, or it's spotty at best.
The maps download relatively quickly at my home, and you get all the functionality without service.
Also, it seems to not take a lot of power to use the maps.
Always a good idea to have a charger stick with you, though. They're cheap and work well.

--Dana

So what's the difference between a physical map and the downloaded map? What are the advantages?

 

[rideold]

downloaded maps have more detail and you get the GPS functions.