How to Read Topo Maps - Great Stands the Easy Way | Bowhunting Whitetails w/ Bill Winke

You can learn a ton from a topo map. Once you get the hang of it, you can almost see the deer moving across the map. Deer relate to terrain features in a very predictable way. So, all you have to do is learn to absorb those squiggly lines and learn how use them to visualize the actual terrain. Then you can guess almost to the tree where to put your stands. HuntStand Pro Whitetail - that we have been using - also has a 3-D imagery layer that really helps to make this easier.
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[@sheltonheath9165]

What a pleasure to see You Bill educating us but also Your lovely daughter. She is sooo lucky to have a kind father to teach her & us how to be successful deer hunters. Keep these awesome video coming please & may God continue to bless You & Yours.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Shelton. I really appreciate the kind words and the comment. I hope you have a great day.

[@MrShepherdjo]

Your video is exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you!

[@rogertyler8804]

So much info! Thanks. I've looked and loved maps my entire life but never used them for hunting. This was a great overview of features to look for!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Roger. I am a map lover too. I appreciate the support and the input. Have a great day.

[@tyrelhickerty]

Thanks for this, really appreciate your time. Dream Big

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Tyrel. Dream Big yourself!

[@paulshumate2904]

Great info Bill that's one thing I've never paid alot attention to detail on is Topo maps until started using OnX maps but I believe you explained that to a tee.. thanks Bill ...

[@bill-winke]

I appreciate the comment Paul. Hope you have a great day.

[@joshny4766]

Great video Bill. You have always done an excellent job of describing topos. These types of videos are much appreciated!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Josh. I appreciate your consistent support. Have a great day.

[@bjmgolf3651]

Thank you Bill and Jordan for the informational video. Certainly insightful as far as topo maps are concerned ! Hope you are able to find the other matching shed.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks BJM. We appreciate the support. Have a great day.

[@alexpinnow6509]

Great video guys! The information about creek crossings is very interesting and seems to hold true on larger rivers too in my experience. Very good information

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Alex. We appreciate the comment. Have a great day.

[@ericbowhunter]

Awesome shed guys! Great information as usual. Y’all sure do have a beautiful farm.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Eric. We are proud of how pretty it is. Hunting not awesome just yet, but maybe we can get that changed in time. Have a great day.

[@timbow50]

Knowing, really knowing, how to use these maps CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. In strange country, especially the mountains, you better have quality maps as backup in your pack. Back in the olden days before all this technology I had them and used them in the New Mexico mountains. 👍👍🏹

[@bill-winke]

Tim, agree. I still love navigating by map. I enjoy the challenge. My son and I go canoeing in the wilderness of Canada and often get "turned around". I am glad we don't have a GPS because those adventures we have when sorting things out are some of our best memories. Have a great day.

[@jasonmcrae2675]

Awesome shed!!

[@bill-winke]

Yes, will be good to see what he looks like this year.

[@perryrusso3764]

Great insights Bill…👍

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Perry. I appreciate it. Hope you are doing well.

[@perryrusso3764]

@@bill-winke yes I’m pretty much back to normal after last year’s heart attack while bowhunting. I harvested two really nice bucks this past season. One ☝️ not to far from your neck of the woods - we believe “Issachar” was a 5 or 6 year old - wide and extremely heavy beam buck. The other was in another state and was a for sure 6 or 7 year old so I had a Jim Dandy of a bow season. God is good and always faithful to those who love Jesus…heading down to Louisville Kentucky to shoot in the NFAA Nationals tomorrow - it’s going to be fun

[@mitchellgenz1373]

Great information Bill, hopefully you’ll find the other side to that shed antler.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Mitchell. Yes, that should be a good buck to hunt this fall. Have a great day.

[@JoshT814]

WE APPRECIATE YOU! Thank you for another great one.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Josh. I appreciate you too.

[@shusain78692]

Great video!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated.

[@takurghar1621]

Thank you for another insightful episode. This is really good info that I can use on my dream farm aka hunting public land. 🙂

[@bill-winke]

Your "dream farm" is way bigger than mine! Good luck and yes, topo maps are the key to hunting a lot of public land I have looked at over the years.

[@mitchbryson859]

Good video! Should help alot of people.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Mitch. I appreciate it. Have a great day.

[@mitchbryson859]

@@bill-winke you as well. The habitat work never ends lol

[@colby0082]

Man man that view at 1:40 ish is beautiful

[@bill-winke]

Agreed. That is a very cool view of the farm. I love the low clouds. Have a great day.

[@artbrennhofer8283]

Great video, I wish I had seen a video like this when I had my lease in SE MN. My land now is pretty flat. Thanks.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Art. I do like hunting ridge and valley country because of the terrain features, but the wind swirling all over the place can make it pretty challenging. The steep entry and exit routes to the stands can also be a challenge. Have a great day.

[@johnr4070]

Very informative. Thank you

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the comment John. We appreciate it. Have a great day.

[@ryanh7373]

Let's see a shed hunt video now!!

[@bill-winke]

Jordan and I did cover about five or six miles by ATV and didn't see any others. It is big country - lots of places for an antler to hide! We will look through the bedding areas on foot soon. Have a great day.

[@catchemalive]

Bill, when it comes to hunting a saddle, how do you normally hunt those with the swirling winds that I would assume go with higher ground on each side of you? Plus the steap slopes on the other sides going downwards? Thanks a lot for this video!!

[@bill-winke]

CatchEm, I would hunt below the sidehill trail that leads into the saddle from one of the sides. This should give you two options (one on each side) You can better control where your scent goes there (usually down the hill assuming you are on the downwind side of the ridge). I would not try to hunt the middle of the saddle (where all the trails converge) unless you use a blind. That would be one option, make a small clearing in the saddle and put a blind on it. Keep the windows closed to contain your scent. Good luck.

[@nelsonchandler1015]

our property in north west georgia is on the side of a mountain . i always wondered if the deer bedded up top against the bluffs . nothing could get to them from behind and i have a hard time hunting the property up there in the mornings and i believe that might be the case . thank you for all the information i can get from you each video !!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Nelson. I appreciate the support. It is pretty standard for deer to bed high. Good luck with that challenging country.

[@RS-ms1bz]

In the deer world, contour is king. If you have a property that has contour, and you understand how deer use it to their advantage as far as sight and wind checking, it will be the very best hunting you've ever experienced. Having WV property on the Allegheny Front, I can attest to how awesome elevation change and contour hunting is.

[@bill-winke]

So true. I find it much easier to hunt areas with a lot of terrain features than flat areas. Those flat big woods settings are so hard to hunt - at least for me. I bet your place is beautiful. I have driven through there - it just screams "Whitetails" to me. Have a great day.

[@j23bizzle]

On a ridge system. With a T intersection, and a steep drop off into bedding in all the valleys around How can one get close enough for a daytime opportunity for a shot.? Thermals are killing me... thanks . What you guys are doing is nice to see!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the support Jon. I have had good success getting up on ridges like that during windy afternoons. You have to do your best to avoid the places where the deer most often bed, but it is amazing what you can get away with when it is windy. The exact stand site will depend on what you can get to without spooking bedded deer and the terrain. Ideally, you want your scent blowing off the ridge top (not down it) and in a direction from which you don't expect the deer to come. Spend a few hours with the app and you will find a likely spot that with the right wind direction you can hunt without being smelled. Good luck.

[@jamieyarbrough5229]

How did you get your contour lines on topo map on HuntStand where it shows your features

[@bill-winke]

There's an icon next to the name of the map area on the app or top right corner on website. That gives you all options for background layers that you can choose from. I like the Mapbox Satellite background layer myself. Have a great day.

[@justinmasters2651]

I would love to see a shed hunting video

[@bill-winke]

We drove the 4 wheeler at least five miles and didn't find a single other shed. If we start walking bedding areas, we will definitely film that. Have a great day.

[@stevenschmidt5712]

Next year he’s a 95 inch per side but attached and at 20 yards on November 7th. Only question, who’s in front of him with a bow in hand? You or Jordan? Can’t wait to find out!

[@bill-winke]

Hopefully it is Jordan. Thanks for the support and comment.

[@michaellewis7117]

Bill, when a cruising deer comes to a big bowl in the woods, do they tend to go down thru the bowl, or to walk the rim and look into the bowl? What do you think. Tx.

[@bill-winke]

That's a tough one, Michael. If the bowl is big, or the cover is thick so they can't see into the whole thing from one end, I would say they will drop in search it. Also, I assume that does bed the fringes of the bowl, probably the upwind edge. They will definitely drop off the slope and swing in that direction along the sidehill. They do depend on their noses to a degree when searching large areas, but during the heat of the rut they also cover ground and physically find the does. If I was hunting it, I would probably be on the upwind rim, expecting bucks to cruise that edge looking for does. Ideally, your scent would then blow out over the bowl. Hope that helps. Good luck.

[@timmytuffy5344]

Another great video Bill. Is your new dream farm complete or with your close proximity to Minnesota would you consider expanding into Minnesota?

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Timmy. Minnesota is definitely cheaper and I did consider starting there (still close enough to Mom and Dad) but being a bowhunter I like Iowa better because of the season dates. I would buy in MN someday if I run into a really good value - a deal I can't pass up. Those are getting to be hard to find. Have a great day.

[@lonniechartrand]

Hey Bill, I have HuntStand and I do NOT get near the contour detail that you show on this video. I don't even get the elevation markings on the contour lines! When I compare the contours of a regular topo map the lines are ten feet apart which is typical. But my HuntStand looks like the contour lines are every FIFTY FEET apart!!! Therefore it is very difficult to read the ditches. Any ideas or thoughts? Do you have to buy the more expensive version of HuntStand?? HuntStand has not been helpful when I contact them. Thanks for listening.

[@bill-winke]

Lonnie, we have been using the MapBox layer for hybrid topo on HuntStand. I think it is about 30 feet between lines. I believe the contours on USGS contour map layer (no aerial image) are 20 feet apart. The very best I have found for Iowa is the Iowa Geographic Map Server-LIDAR. Contour lines are 2 feet apart! You can see every little dip. It is almost overwhelming looking at that many lines, but maybe your state has something like that. It is not an app so you have to search it via internet. Good luck.

[@lonniechartrand]

@@bill-winke Thanks Bill, I will check it out.

[@brettbuckmaster5128]

I love studying terrain and really enjoy these videos. Located in southern md which has a lot of hill country.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Brett. I appreciate the comment. Have a great day.

[@bryanroberts]

The way that terrain lays out in your area it looks like food is going to be huge in raising your herd numbers. I didn't see alot of ag around besides yours in the drone shots.

[@bill-winke]

Absolutely. I am going to plant roughly 17 acres of food plots this year. That will probably be enough, but I will soon have to up the number again as more deer find it and start to move in. Have a great day.

[@JeffreyR]

how do you manage visibility in bluffs when your access is from below the deer and you have to move to a ridge top to hunt them?

[@bill-winke]

You have to find stuff to sneak through or behind. Ideally, the terrain that you are hunting (ditches for example) will also hide you when you are sneaking in. Also, making the cover thicker (if you own it) will help to keep the deer from seeing as far. You are right though, how you sneak in and out is the key to success. Some spots just can't be hunted effectively. Good luck.

[@JeffreyR]

@@bill-winke Thank you!

[@FitzgeraldStudios]

❤❤❤❤

[@bill-winke]

Thanks. Much appreciated.

[@ethicalpursuitoutdoors]

🙌🏼

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the support. Have a great day.

[@nathanworthington7260]

Oxbows?

[@bill-winke]

Nathan, I think it will depend a lot on what is around the oxbow. I am assuming the oxbow has water in it. The end of the oxbow where the deer funnel around it is a likely stand site. Also, if possible, the oxbow itself might make a great entry and exit route to the stand. If the oxbow is dry and filled with weeds, I would probably not go in there but look for trails coming out and hunt the deer along these trails. Good luck.

[@Aaron-sl9lu]

Cedar swamps?

[@bill-winke]

Aaron, that is one I don't have much experience hunting personally. I have hunted swamps in Louisiana but not cedar swamps. Assuming you are up north or NE. I believe I would focus on any high ground within the swamp area where the deer can bed without being in water. Those should be great spots for a stand, but you may have to cut out a small opening to make the stand site better. The opening creates a shooting lane and a social hub for the deer to check out. Otherwise, I think I would stick to the outside edge of the swamp where it borders higher ground and hunt the trails leading in and out. I think any swamp hunting revolves around finding high ground first and then figuring out how to hunt each of those areas (or even if it is possible in some cases). Good luck. I am sure that is a fun challenge.

[@shanetrudell4061]

Bow hunting and fishing is what drives me to eating healthy and exercise very physically demanding.

[@bill-winke]

I agree Shane. For years I trained like an olympian just to be ready for the fall western hunts I had planned. Whitetail hunting doesn't take as much out of a person unless you are hanging a lot of stands. Some of my best fishing has been in canyons that took a lot of work to get into. I am with you. The outdoor lifestyle motivates a person to stay in shape. Have a great day.

[@ronnyg5877]

Chick looks like Him in a wig 😳

[@bill-winke]

I only wish I looked that good!