Maps

Ed B.

New Member
Nov 16, 2017
27
4
What is your favorite map to put in your backpack?
I have OnX and use other digital maps. I also bought a Gazetteer. Now I'm looking for something to put in the pack.
My wife and I are going to Colorado for the first time and it's also our first elk hunt and i want to make sure we are covered in that area.
Almost 100 percent of my hunting is in southern Michigan where we have little need to carry a map in the woods.
Heading into unfamiliar territory I can't rely on electronics alone.
I'd love to hear about what type of map you carry and whywhat brand? Is it laminated or just paper?
Also if I hunt a certain unit, 62 is certainly in the running, would we get a map that covers the unit, or a map that covers a certain mesa or mountain or county?
I may have more questions but I'll try to steer away from questions like "hey, where's the best spot to hunt elk."
Thanks in advance.
 

mustang8

Active Member
Jan 30, 2017
284
72
Central WI
Id say as long as you have OnX, why not just download whatever maps you guys want and save them on there? You don't need cell coverage and with your phone in airplane mode you wont use up much battery life. Why carry more stuff than you need to....
 

Prerylyon

Veteran member
Apr 25, 2016
1,334
511
50
Cedar Rapids, IA
I guess I might be some combination of cheap or a minimalist-I guess 'minimalist' sounds better [emoji38] - but I still like a paper game unit map in hand - and use a stand alone handheld GPS loaded with an accurate map that shows public land boundaries. The paper map, in conjunction with the GPS, at least helps me quickly visualize landmarks and orient myself. The Mytopo hunt area paper maps made off the BLM maps are my favorite. There is another company too, Huntzone maybe? that makes a nice paper hunt area map-I picked up one of those 2 yrs ago in Laramie at the most awesome 'gas station-man-store' on the planet.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 

tim

Veteran member
Jun 4, 2011
2,407
1,057
north idaho
usgs topo maps can be very useful. however you always need more than one, since they are never centered where you want.
i prefer maps over electronics but that is me.
delorme has a program that you can make your own maps, however they only work for big picture stuff, the trails are never accurate, ect
 

Fink

Veteran member
Apr 7, 2011
1,961
204
West Side, MoMo
I always build a custom map from Mytopo.com. You can buy a map by GMU/hunt area, that will cover the entire unit, but for elk or deer, I don't really find it helpful, it seems to be more geared towards antelope, where you can see whats public/private, and you're scouring an entire unit.
The custom map feature lets you zoom into specific ranges or areas that you want to focus on, and then select a map scale you'd like. You can also add public roads and boundaries, get it waterproof, and folded or rolled.
OnX is excellent, and I wouldnt leave home without it. But, I also wouldnt leave home without a custom map of my hunt area. Makes it easier to 'see' the lay of the land for me, its good for taking and keeping notes, and, sometimes you just like a paper map..
 

wy-tex

Veteran member
May 2, 2016
1,059
341
SE Wyoming
The BLM land status maps are great but you will probably need more than one. Laramie has an Geo survey office on campus to buy topo quads and land status maps.

Sounds like you stopped in The West Laramie Fly Store Prerylyon.

Onx Is great but can be wrong, we always have a paper map to compare with, however BLM maps can be years old.
 

Big Chief J

Active Member
Feb 25, 2016
169
50
Texas
I use the OnX application on my phone and the card in my handheld GPS. That way I have a backup in case one fails. A GPS unit is always tougher than any phone and you can quickly swap batteries. I figure why go cheap when you're out at least $500 for a bull tag.

Plus I buy paper maps just for the fun of it.
 

taskswap

Very Active Member
Jul 9, 2018
523
379
Colorado
I use caltopo.com for trip planning at home. It has a ton of tools and I can switch around between satellite, topo, and USFS to plan routes around, to, and through parking areas, forest service roads, meadows, ponds, public land, and so on. I plan these rough routes for areas I want to explore, then download a KML.

I then import that KML into both OnX and Locus Pro. OnX lets you download satellite, but Locus has much better route recording. When I'm scouting I take a LOT of photos of bedding areas and wallows, travel routes, water sources, and so on. Locus is better at tying those to where I was an making them easy to export back to CalTopo. To be honest, I've considered dropping my OnX subscription. It costs as much per year for one state as CalTopo charges for all 50, and CalTopo does more (though it's desktop only).

The advantage of this is CalTopo lets me then print the topos for the specific area I'll be in. It saves paper and weight because you just get the area you want, and you get more features: you can choose the base layer you want, it'll show markers you've made like ponds or other features, etc. And you can print different zoom levels so you can get an overview but then also zoom-ins at usable sizes you could actually navigate from.

As a backup, in my truck I keep one of every official USFS map, the big ones sporting goods stores sell for around $12 apiece. I find I mostly use them when I get up some forest road that's unexpectedly gated or closed, and I need to find an alternate route. But they're there if I need them. I think I have like 8 of them and it was money well spent. I like to wander.
 

Ed B.

New Member
Nov 16, 2017
27
4
Id say as long as you have OnX, why not just download whatever maps you guys want and save them on there? You don't need cell coverage and with your phone in airplane mode you wont use up much battery life. Why carry more stuff than you need to....
I'm concerned about the phone failing be it a dead battery or clumsy owner. Plus if it's raining the phone screen doesn't react well when it gets wet.
It would make me feel better to have a backup.
 

HighPlainsHunter

Active Member
Mar 1, 2018
419
3
Laramie
Id say as long as you have OnX, why not just download whatever maps you guys want and save them on there? You don't need cell coverage and with your phone in airplane mode you wont use up much battery life. Why carry more stuff than you need to....
I'm all for less stuff but a paper map is one of those things that for me is worth it in many situations. I like electronics but don't completely trust them.
 

taskswap

Very Active Member
Jul 9, 2018
523
379
Colorado
It's also worth saying that good planning just can't be replaced. Planning doesn't stop in the field. Even when I'm on GPS, when I'm checking it, I'm aware of the public-land route back to my truck (or any other road-exits). Even back-country I can do 10 miles in a day, and at least here in Colorado it's pretty hard to stand anywhere and be 10 miles in SOME direction from a road. Safety doesn't have to be about precise navigation. Roads are long. If you know "north by northwest I can get over to Rte 10" even the most basic compass skills will get you out SOMEWHERE along it.

And I'm not too worried about walking onto private land, mostly because before I go into an area I've already looked to see where it is. There are only a few times I skirt close to the edge of one and I always have it planned to make sure I'm on the correct side of it. If my GPS failed I just wouldn't get that close. I can make that decision in the field.

I usually have my cell in airplane mode, but if I do find points where there's signal, I mark those on the map. It's nice to know where you could stand and call for help if a buddy gets hurt. Even in Wildnerness Areas like the Flat Tops or Rahwah I've found places where there's service in spots.