Who still uses hard copy maps

[tipsntails7]

Always carry a map, I too am interested in the overlaying YK.

 

[TJ]

Topo maps here also. Mytopo.com custom fit your own maps add UTM etc.

 

[swat8888]

Have any of you found a reliable commercial source that produces the type of topo/imagery maps you take along on your hunts? I know up here in AK Sportsmans used to have a Kiosk that you could print waterproof maps off of....I think it was based on Nat Geo map data. Or I'm guessing, and it sounds like the majority has their own way of DIY map production on their home computer/printer/laminator. Does anyone actually have a plotter to print off larger maps or do you just scotch tape together a bunch of regular sheets of paper like I do? The only reason I carry my GPS is to mark my pack when I drop it. Dang near lost that thing a few times...should have bought a bright orange one instead of foliage.

 

[Yellowknife]

Anyone know of a good tutorial on how to make overlays for Google Earth?

I'm sure there are some quality GE tutorials out there. I just haven't used them, so not sure where to direct you. I get my USGS topo overlay as a free .kml file from the state of Alaska. I assume similar things are available for other states, but have to confess I don't know where. Once loaded, I can click it on and off at will. It's possible to create your own overlays and I assume you could do that with digital USGS maps, but I would be willing to bet that you can find existing downloadable topo .kmls for your area.

The other information I simply put in a folder/subfolder system I create and place under "My Places". In the folder for that project/hunt area I will place all the relevant waypoints and tracks from my GPS (GE now opens .gpx files directly), as well as waypoints I mark in GE (stream crossings, land marks, likely looking cover, etc). Trails, roads, proposed routes and other linear features can be created using the "create path" button. Other information such as land ownership or GMU boundaries are sometimes available in the public domain in a kmz/kml format and can also be imported into the working folder.

If I'm just looking for a fast and dirty local map, I'll then print it out directly from GE using the topo overlay. If I want something higher quality I will export the entire folder as a .kmz and use that in a better map making program.

The advantage to Google Earth is that it's a super easy to use central point to gather and look at data. The drawback is that it isn't really designed to print out maps so the resolution and information on them isn't as good as you would get from TOPO! or similar.

Yk

 

[wapitibob]

Anyone know of a good tutorial on how to make overlays for Google Earth?

I did this last year

https://vimeo.com/45149463



[video=vimeo;45149463]https://vimeo.com/45149463[/video]

 

[Ray]

Here in AK I use this fish stream data base for my mapping.
http://extra.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FishResourceMonitor/?mode=awc

It zooms down to 1:24000 scale, but is most handy at 1:63360 scale.

On screen I zoom in and pan around to where ever I am looking for. Then I print screen and mess around in paint to get an image I want. Then I print it out on rite-in-the-rain paper using the color laser at work. I make sure to leave the simple line scale on the image so that no matter what size it prints to the image and scale will be relatable.

In the field I use my very old GPS to find the meat pile or the truck/boat so that I don't have to think too hard on the trips back and fourth.

 

[Bonedalien]

always have a USGS, makes for good tent reading in rain storms too.

 

[lchavez]

USGS map and gps for planned hunting trips. GPS for hiking and camping.

 

[justinspicher]

I make my maps from the National Geographic software, so yes, I always carrry a map and a compass.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

yep, I print topo maps at home and carry them on every trip with a declination-adjusted compass. Often carry satellite imagery too.

The Garmin eTrex 20 with mapping is my backup.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Im with jags. I like the hardcopy map for putting little notes and things on though. But after a few trips, it really gets clustered.

 

[tttoadman]

I can print photo quality images on 11x17 at work. i will make topo blowups of the area we are going and we just take a few with us. Like everybody else has said. good for planning in the tent and good to get your overall bearings without mini-screen.

Blows my mind how many people don't carry a compass anymore because they have a "GPS".

 

[60x]

interesting discussion and great info.. I am a fossil when it comes to technology but last year I bought a garmin650t and prior to a hunt I went on base camp and google earth and picked out a route up the mountain in a new area and gotta say it was pretty darn sweet.. I am learning more and more on it.. I could see some real value in printing out maps with lots of points of interest to share plans with a partner.. I will say though I hate that google earth makes everything look so nice and easy...lol

 

[Devonian]

I make maps for a living so yes I always have hard copies with me. I typically bring usgs quad excerpts and ortho imagery with trails, utm ticks and other data digitized over the image. I scale all the maps exactly the same so I can flip back and forth if i need to. Sometimes i make custom topographic maps because i find it easier to visualize the terrain with them.

 

[pacific-23]

Still don't own a gps. Money I don't feel like spending and weight I don't want to carry. When they get lighter and have bigger screens they will interest me more. Love being able to pour over the maps as much as I want without burning batteries.

 

[LaHunter]

Definitely carry topo map and 2 compasses along with gps.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Never ever used a GPS and most likely won't. I always carry maps and a silva ranger just in case.

Randy

 

[couesbitten]

Love my maps, I can spend hours just studying them. I've also gotten into the habit of printing screen shots of Google Earth at various angles other than looking straight down, gives you a realistic view without having to actually be there, or show you what's over the next ridge when you're out there.

 

[unm1136]

I have a Garmin Foretrex 101 that I use for running when I am home. I use it as a backup in the field. I learned the hard way that using the GPS to get back does not always give you the same route you came in on. As the Crow Flies does not mean the best route. I have done some bushwhacking as a result of relying on GPS, with a 45 pound kiddo on the cargo chair of my K Marauder, and my wife constantly intimating that my parents were related prior to their marriage. I foresee always having a topo map on every hunt, and more than that, I anticipate buying a new one every year even if I am hunting the same area.

While a BLM or State lease requires access for hunters, some leasees have different opinions. I can't afford a showdown on a piece of land that MAY be private, or MAY be BLM or MAY be State Trust. There is a local survey shop that can print a current, up to date map using the same software as all the GPS guys rely on for knowing what parcels are what. I would like to give a local company business, so I buy maps for each hunting area annually. Waterproof paper costs me about $17 for each GMU. I learned after some confusion last season to also purchase the USFS map of the area, just to head off problems. Sometimes Forest Service Roads are referred to by their County Road numbers, or vice versa, and the S&R guys are more concerned with maps showing access. Use both maps, and a compass, and determine where you are, so you are legal in taking game.

pat

 

[7mag.]

I always bring a topo map and compass. I prefer the Nat Geo maps. I have a good GPS with topo software that I use on the fly, but I like using maps.