Reading the thread on Garim's ransom I wondered where a person would be able to get map reading skills. Does anyone know of a course other than someone's you-tube video? I can read maps from my military experience but where would the average "Joe" find instructions? I struggle with distance traveled when using maps and would like to "brush up" on some of what I haven't used in a while.
Map reading course
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AvidIndoorsman
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This is the web site for the Rocky Mountain Orienteering Club (RMOC), located in Colorado, USA.
There are a number of groups like this around.
I had my first map reading course in the Army then took a collage course in maps and map reading a few years later. One of those easy credit summer courses. One of my Nephews asked me to teach him how t read a map. I taught him the basics but soon realized it takes Many many hours to really learn everything a map can tell you.
1100RemingtonMan
Well-known member
Watch some YouTube videos.
I'm not exactly the most practical navigator. I still use GPS all the time, but I enjoy the idea of navigation by other means 
. Two of my favorite books on the subject are:
Natural Navigator
https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Navigator-Rediscovered-Letting-Nature/dp/1615190465
And
https://www.amazon.com/Green-Berets-Compass-Course-Anywhere/dp/0938263005
Neither use a traditional landmark and topographic map based method of way finding, but there's a bunch of "free" info out there on that.
. Two of my favorite books on the subject are:Natural Navigator
https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Navigator-Rediscovered-Letting-Nature/dp/1615190465
And
https://www.amazon.com/Green-Berets-Compass-Course-Anywhere/dp/0938263005
Neither use a traditional landmark and topographic map based method of way finding, but there's a bunch of "free" info out there on that.
@huntnpack thank you I will look into to those. Here in South Texas if you cross a fence. Your on the wrong side of the property to be pulling a trigger maps are needed. But we are going hunting out west this year first time figure I needed to learn something before I go.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
Just remember there are a number of " you can't get there from here" places out west. The topog will give you the trend but can't reveal the cliffs that exist between the contours. I have a number of maps with "don't go here" written on them after some field recon.
To be clear, I use GPS constantly. But if I get in a situation where my GPS is dead, my compass is out or doesn't work, and we have a situation like now where smoke has obscured navigation by stars/sun, then I can use a few context clues from the landscape to head in a direction that helps me find a way out. Something as simple as heading in a general direction toward a "handrail" like a major river, road, or lake to find my way out. Have I tested these skills much? No. Am I bit more confident in the woods with that added knowledge? Probably.
Around here a lot of the country is so steep that you can't find a topo map with less than 80 ft. contours. You can hide a whole lot of nasty terrain between two 80 ft. contour lines. One time at work the map showed the spot we needed to be on the side of the hill on the other side of a steep draw. But because of the 80 ft. contours the map didn't show the 70 ft. high ridge between us and our destination.
From working and playing in the forest my whole life I developed a habit of continuously taking mental notes of landmarks, sun angles and anything even slightly distinctive in the landscape that might aid in navigating from one point to another and more importantly, back again. I don't even notice I'm doing it until I find myself in the forest with someone with little or no experience with navigation. In my whole career I only lost newbies three times. One guy twice but we were able to find him without anyone else being the wiser. The other we had everyone in the whole ranger district called out after dark organizing a search party before we finally found him. If I had my way I would have left him out there all night. He got lost because he did exactly what I told him not to do within a minute or so of me telling him not to do it. so I didn't feel too sorry for him. But considering the half hour butt chewing I got from the district ranger for not following protocol, I guess it was good we kept looking for him.
@gouch thats great. I am a hunting guide down here in South Texas. I don’t feel bad when they do something I told them not to do and the go and do it anyways. Yours is a bit more serious situation then mine. I ain’t losing someone back in the woods, and having to spend all night looking for them. They just blow shots on nilgai bulls or other exotics. But none the less I don’t feel bad when they miss a good opportunity.
thank you everyone for all the good times. I’ll definitely print out some paper maps to take with me and write down where I can’t pass through.
thank you everyone for all the good times. I’ll definitely print out some paper maps to take with me and write down where I can’t pass through.
D
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I agree in that contour interval is critical.
Stephen A
New member
Did you find any good map reading courses? I need all the help I can get lol
diamond hitch
Well-known member
I just thought of something no one has talked about. A tool I use extensively is an altimeter in conjunction with the maps. The elevation will change during the day with pressure changes and even more so on the coasts but the altimeter keeps me from losing or gaining a lot of elevation. It also gives me a check as I hit highs and lows in my traverse. To be accurate the compass needs to be adjustable for declination or otherwise you are just looking for a general direction. That declination is on each topo map but over time it moves.
Most of the time I'm only looking for orientation because at times you can find yourself in heavy vegetation, fog, or the land of no identifiable features. Rather than wandering in circles The map and tools can save you. GPS covers a lot but in areas of heavy cover, deep valleys, etc. where satelites are not available you will find that it might give you erroneous readings that you should question.
I ride into places, tie up my stock where they won't get shot and hunt pockets out on foot. The maps, tools and GPS help me find my horses again.
My GPS has topo on it but the field of view is small for planning. The map helps me plan traverses and allows me to predict what I may encounter.
I suggest a training method might be to get a topo map of an area you know and then try to navigate from point to point on it. Plan "B" find a boy scout troop and ask about map training. I think they used to have a merit badge for it. I learned mine on the job. Both in smoke chasing and habitat typing for the Forest Service I had to be able to locate myself on a map. Later for the US Bureau of Mines we had to traverse miles of wilderness and find mine workings and map geology.
Another method may be to find an older vet that has had the training and see if they would share.The end product will be to be able to think in three dimensions.
Most of the time I'm only looking for orientation because at times you can find yourself in heavy vegetation, fog, or the land of no identifiable features. Rather than wandering in circles The map and tools can save you. GPS covers a lot but in areas of heavy cover, deep valleys, etc. where satelites are not available you will find that it might give you erroneous readings that you should question.
I ride into places, tie up my stock where they won't get shot and hunt pockets out on foot. The maps, tools and GPS help me find my horses again.
My GPS has topo on it but the field of view is small for planning. The map helps me plan traverses and allows me to predict what I may encounter.
I suggest a training method might be to get a topo map of an area you know and then try to navigate from point to point on it. Plan "B" find a boy scout troop and ask about map training. I think they used to have a merit badge for it. I learned mine on the job. Both in smoke chasing and habitat typing for the Forest Service I had to be able to locate myself on a map. Later for the US Bureau of Mines we had to traverse miles of wilderness and find mine workings and map geology.
Another method may be to find an older vet that has had the training and see if they would share.The end product will be to be able to think in three dimensions.
AlaskaHunter
Well-known member
Many of the topo maps in remote Alaska are 30-50 years old.
Topo lines do not change but glaciers and rivers do....imagery can be more useful from that perspective.
One common error I hear newbies make is trying to navigate to an exact location.
For example, shoot a moose up in the hills, now need to navigate back to the raft location.
Navigate back to the river location...no raft. Not a problem...
Go upstream 100 yards, nope, so walk downstream now 200 yards, nope.
You get the picture.
Better to navigate so you know your either downstream or upstream of that raft location.
Even with GPS, dense alder and willow, so better to navigate to upstream or downstream location first.
Topo lines do not change but glaciers and rivers do....imagery can be more useful from that perspective.
One common error I hear newbies make is trying to navigate to an exact location.
For example, shoot a moose up in the hills, now need to navigate back to the raft location.
Navigate back to the river location...no raft. Not a problem...
Go upstream 100 yards, nope, so walk downstream now 200 yards, nope.
You get the picture.
Better to navigate so you know your either downstream or upstream of that raft location.
Even with GPS, dense alder and willow, so better to navigate to upstream or downstream location first.
Gellar
Well-known member
The Boy Scouts orienteering manual can be found for free online and is pretty useful IMO.
file:///C:/Users/accbn/Downloads/Orienteering%20MB%2035925_low.pdf
diamond hitch
Well-known member
Good points. I don't trust any one tool because they often fail. I also carry flagging. When I kill something I pick a point of reference within 100 yds, and make a GPS point. Then I flag my way to another reference point and take another gps point there. If in a snowy time of the year I blaze a tree above the kill. I've had people lose their kill in a 3ft snowfall. What procedure you develop is usually dictated by disasters you have experienced. In the 80s on the Idaho border people were stealing our kill. We got good at hiding our meat. I've never lost my meat but I have had a distressing time of confusion a time or two.
WVmike
Active member
Use youtube or you can find books on military survival and navigation. There are numerous books out that there that will show you the basics and then it's up to you.
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