Topo Maps

[couesnewbie]

Being new to the region, I don't have a lot of knowledge of the terrain. I drew for the 36B hunt and was wondering if there are some good topo maps to get started in planning and scouting that area. Is there a forest service map? Are the standard topo maps good? What scaling is good to get started? Very detailed or general overall? If anyone has some of there own thoughts on this let me know.

Thanks

[111]

I just got my unit 9 map from www.huntmap.com and the maps are fantastic. They are a little expensive but it has your unit outlined and all the boundaries and tank names in the unit. My unit 9 map is about 3 by 3 1/2 feet which is a little big but easy to look at. Also I noticed more roads are on this map then any forest service map. It also has elevations and square miles divided out throughout the whole unit. The best map out right now so you might want to consider spending a little extra for a good map.

[TAM]

I would go and pay the $100 it costs for the "National Geographic" topo map software for the state of Arizona. It costs a little more up front but will save you time and money in the long run. It will allow you to zoom in on ANY area you wish in the entire state and also has features where you can import/export waypoints with your GPS. You can print all the maps you please over and over again. If you get drawn for a different area next year you can use the software to look at it to. Don't waste your money on paper maps the software is much better! You can purchase it at Wide World of Maps. I'm not sure, but if there is a forrest service map for your area you may want to buy it just to show you where any private land is located.

 

Good luck!

[111]

I agree with Tam totally about getting a statewide map for your computer. I have Topo USA for my computer and I can look on my GPS where I've marked something and then place the location on my map. Very easy to use and it has every feature you can think of. The only thing is that mine doesn't have the road numbers so I have to type them all in, which isn't hard at all. As far as the huntmap, it is a good map for being out in the unit for scouting good tank locations and roads and it is laminated with very tough bendable plastic so it can't be torn up. This plastic doesn't wrinkle up at all like other maps and is very clear so you can see right through the plastc covering.

[Arizona Griz]

I personally like the paper 7.5 minute maps you get at Wide World of Maps even though they get expensive when you end up buying a lot of them and they are a little out of date. I have the Map Academy Plaatinum CD which is identical to the 7.5 minute topo maps but when you go to print them it takes 9 sheets of paper to cover one topo map. Quite a pain. I haven't tried any othe CD's.

[standman]

Try topozone.com. You can look at topos at all scales of any area. I use it all the time and print out my own maps of little areas I want to look at.

 

Brian

[DesertBull]

I like the 3DTopo Quads from Delorme. It's the only one that comes on a single DVD. All the others you have to swap out the CD everytime you want to look at a different area.

[Arizona Griz]

A couple of other sites with free topo maps are:

 

http://www.maptech.com

and

http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com

[COUESAZ]

I use map tech on my computer. All I realy ever use in the field is the red arizona atlas book for 20.00 . It works good enough for me. I have taken mine and marked out each boundry for each hunt unit on it.

[az4life]

I use the Delorme edition from a few years ago. Pretty good in conjunction with the downloaded arial photos from terraserver! Amazing stuff that you can make out when you zoom in to the 1 meter resolution.! Terraserver also brings down a topo map that you can toggle back and forth from the photos. Not the best top as the elevations are in meters, but hey it's for nuttin.