Using Topo Maps To Hunt Rutting Bucks

deerhuntingschool.com/
Jacob Schmitt from Deer Hunting School talks about using topo maps to hunt rutting bucks.

[@biasedharold3613]

Great information for planning hunts out of state! Will definitely be studying and taking notes on your videos! From one hunter to another, I appreciate the information most would charge for. Great info and a great guy, good luck in the upcoming season!

[@HeyImFlex]

This video was an absolute eye opener for me! Explained so well! I’m very new to hunting as of 2 years ago and I’m trying my best to make since of how to bow hunt deer effectively thanks so much!

[@boomerrangerron]

Hi Jacob, Great job of explaining how to e-Scout using topo maps! I just used them to find likely areas on a watershed public lottery only hunt. Boots on the ground verified I'd done my homework right as two veteran hunters were carrying their ladder stands to this exact spot I'd picked on my I MAC. 🎯

[@milboltnut]

didn't realize at all what topos do for the average hunter. I just located SGL's and DMAP areas, and that's it. Maybe drain offs and elevation, but there is so much more to learn with these maps. Thanks Jake !

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Your welcome and thank you for watching and commenting

[@fabianrichburgh6517]

Dude, you just changed the game! Thank you

[@gsterscanman4855]

Super good info...food for thought.😊

[@darrenrocheleau974]

I consider myself a map junkie and I never new about caltopo! Thanks for sharing

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

+Darren Rochereau You are mighty welcome!!!

[@kennyguy2986]

One of the best tools ever... I love it

[@reedmitchell6716]

U

[@adampaniczko8198]

Thank you for the video ,first time trying this type of way to scout. Hope I can get ahang of it kind of always been a kind of a slow learner 😆

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Your welcome! You stay at it you will figure it out.

[@juanpinedo1683]

hey Jacob I have a creek bottom with heavy trails. Two ridges on each side. I grunted and a buck came in out of range then winded me. Later on same hunt grunted again 3 does came in on me. Which leads me to believe their bedding in the heavy pines across the creek. I love your video best one on reading maps so far. I watch it over and over trying to figure out the funnel bc this creek has big ditches so I know they'll only use certain spots to cross. Do you ever look at peoples topo maps and help them?

[@scottmcelroy8413]

where do you think would be a good spot to hunt at Sam Parr Park Newton Illinois I looked on Google not much there if you pinch points maybe along the shores

[@heartdart2327]

How did you end up doing in this spot? I hunt similar places & I was just curious about how you handled the wind or what you saw. Thanks

[@aarongreen39]

The thing that messes me up with talking over this type of subject is the words people will say like saddle then the next time call it a bowl, point and then say ridge, draw then say the large ravine, the saddle. Are some of these often interchangeable? The saddle you say is something I would maybe call a bowl but I might say saddle idk so I often just don't mention it, so I'd say bowl where you said saddle that has four big points where you said ridges on each side, but you want to hunt over one so you can see into the ravines you call these ridge lines going into the bowl you call saddle, or go to the very top of the mountain that has the creek running you say draw through that's in-between and going through and hunt the ridge facing north. So this isn't exactly what I'd say vs what you say but my point is either way put(said) I feel like I get to the place I was told. And this couldn't be the case unless some are often used interchangeably idk it's confusing to me for this reason, sorry I probably confused half America with this. But thanks for the vid awesome one

[@randyhelgeson1254]

Jacob. What kind of Cal Topo map app do you use? I looked a couple of them up and I still can't figure out how to see the service roads on the Cal topo map version. I figured out how to get the red on it. That was nice. Thanks for all your advice. Merry Christmas. And Semper Fi

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

On my phone I use hunt stand it’s has several different maps. Marry Christmas to you as well!!!

[@thereelaccountant9246]

what do you think of the OnXMaps app? Where you can use topo, sat, or a hybrid?

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

I never used it. Sounds like a good app.

[@colinremmer2417]

Hi, Can you tell me why you are particularly interested in draws? What do the deer find there or use them for? Do hogs use the same sorts of places?

[@rickhoward1516]

Hunters hunt them because of visability.

[@mostlycensored7668]

Draws conceal the deer and also direct wind, usually downhill making it easier to detect predators when moving up.

[@blzn04]

I hunt primarily east texas pine thickets. I can locate these topo areas but my total elevation change will only be 50 feet or so. Do you think deer will still funnel into these areas even if there isnt drastic elevation changes?

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

They might use the topography a little depending on how it is laid out but what I find in flatter ground like that the habitat comes into play a lot more especially in pine thicket areas where a lot of logging takes place they love the edges where multiple types of habitats come together

[@blzn04]

@@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool thanks. Yea i found a really good area last year where the pines meet the hardwoods. Its a 2 mile hike so most people arent willing to go there. I found probably 12 nice rubs and 20 scrapes including a community scrape last year in an area the size of 2 football fields. I also found a cluster of 6 oaks that were producing acorns. This year i did some post season scouting and found some good doe and buck beds. I setup 6 trail cameras on what i think are the travel routes the will be using from bed to food. They have been soaking for 2 months. I will check the cards on my first hunt of the year and hopefully leave them running all season to get as much data as possible on the area

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Sounds like a good area to me

[@ressikanflute]

So how did you do? Thank you for sharing...

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

I hunted a different spot close by and had a good buck come in 2 times could not get a shot at him. The first time he came in I should of killed him but I messed it up and was not ready when he came in my shooting lane.

[@richardsillery324]

That's hunting!! @@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

richard sillery yes it is what’s the saying that’s why it’s called hunting not killing

[@instadrop4535]

rut sign is way different that pre velvet sign...

[@kennyguy2986]

I have no idea on how to hunt the wind while hunting a saddle? To use the wind while hunting the saddle in the video. Should I wait for a N or S wind and back up against the hill over looking the low part of the saddle? Should I not hunt in the saddle, rather on one of the sides? I find these to be great travel corridors even in early season in SE Ohio.

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

I try to get on the high side so my scent will blow over the deer and I am very scent control freak.

[@christate7584]

Need to search for information on thermals and how to hunt ridges depending on wind and time of day.

[@johnnytravis6697]

Get the book Mapping Trophy Bucks by brad Herndon. You’re welcome!

[@jessmorris2243]

What settings do you use on CalTopo to get the shaded relief and colors, etc?

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

n the top right of the map there is a thing that says USGS if you put you mouse on it it will have a drop down and you can the check shaded relief. Sometime I will make a video showing how I do it.

[@harryjohnson3617]

@skylar blankenship how u been doing hunting

[@devinsduncan89]

This is great info for people wanting to learn but when it comes to hunting bucks in the mountains a plain topo is useless just about useless if it doesn't show the habitat diversity as in where the mountain laurel thickets are located. There's lots of apps out now days that show the topo and the vegetation. Where ever you see bull pine trees on a hybrid topo there will be laurel there and vise versa. We key in on steep laurel thicket faces that transitions into another laurel thicket. The big old mountains move in the daylight in the laurel thickets. Topo is great but that saddle might be wide open woods it might not be but you will have much more success hunting the laurel thickets in the mountains. Use a mapping app like a hybrid that shows both the topo and the natural vegetation and cover. Its important that what ever mapping app or website you use that you can see the vegetation in the winter so the bull pines and laurel thickets stand out. The steeper, thicker, rockier the better it is.

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

devinsduncan89 you have a good point with the vegetation and all thats habitat a topo shows topography deer use both and you are correct when they both work together it is awesome but they will use topography alone in open woods that is what this area is mostly it’s in Arkansas and we don’t have laurel but the deer use it a lot of deer

[@jackylord7989]

Anyone knows how I can reach this guy ??

[@openureyes929]

Hey.. that's my name to!!! sorry..couldn't help it.

[@dannykirk6146]

Good chanal

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Thanks!!!

[@hughparsons3362]

Do you think you could help me with a spot I want to hunt if I send you the map ?

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Hugh Parsons check out video analysis on my website DeerHuntingSchoo.com

[@johnganshow5536]

Using terrain features, bottlenecks, etc.. It's called, a window of vulnerability...

[@tinyman520]

I’ve killed and seen some big nasty bucks in the nastiest steepest paths of most resistance. I hunted the path or least resistance and went four years without harvesting a mature buck. I decided something had to change. I started hunting the spots on ridges that I sometimes would have to crawl, grab onto small trees and brush to pull myself, and sit in bent over trees. It paid off in a big way. First year I done this I saw more mature bucks then I had the previous years combined. If you want gnarly bucks... hunt the gnarly spots.

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Nice I hunt some nasty stuff to and it’s good because nobody else goes there

[@tinyman520]

Jacob Schmitt yeah that’s a big plus too. The deer on hunted land know where there is least likely for predators to be and it’s usually like you said in a place no one else wants to go. I don’t know where you live but where I’m from there is a ton of mountain laurels/rhododendron on these ridges and the deer will bed and use these as their travel routes no matter the terrain. It’s hard for a human to walk through them but I’ve seen deer run full speed. Just have to find a tree in them and get as high as you can. Usually only have one or two shooting lanes but gives you the best odds of seeing big deer, or any deer for that matter.

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

tinyman520 most of our ridges in this area are pretty open but here and there there will be a little thick stuff on the ridge and the deer definitely like to bed around them the deer bed on the open ridges too and them are the ones that are hard to get to because they can see you coming from a long way and they like to bed with the wind and ridge to their back looking down the mountain but there are a lot of deer that get pushed back in there when the hunting pressure hits

[@jeffscott3433]

I would always look for bluffs that funnel deer. Always look for natural creek crossings.

[@rickhoward1516]

Is it TOP-O or TOE- POE? 🤣

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Rick Howard I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in

[@andrewblair1276]

get past the stupid accent and it's TOPO

[@noro305]

Tow-po'

[@andrewblair1276]

@@noro305 oh yeah "Towpography" got it....

[@rickhoward1516]

@@andrewblair1276 🤣

[@dejavu0000]

Hahahaha.... Toe-po! Bra... Top-O... like top-o-graphic!

[@rickhoward1516]

This has to be for White tails? Mule Deer expecially Mature Bucks dont take the path of least resistence. Lol

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Yeah it’s whitetail

[@--Justin--]

Ohkaaaay.

[@capitalistwire]

What are you taking about dude. You literally marked up everything in the entire map. Lol Points, secondary points, draws, ridges, etc. Lol

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

That’s what I was talking about. Showing everything on the topo map.

[@capitalistwire]

@@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool Overall, thanks for the content man.

[@scottyou5443]

It's pronounced "topo" not "topo"

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

What’s the difference in topo and topo???

[@davidsoloninka7742]

Thanks Jacob this is the type of terrain I hunt (SE Ohio) and I am trying to figure it out. Thank you. Can I contact you via email or facebook etc..?

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

Thanks I just got your email and replied to you.

[@fabianrichburgh6517]

Dude, you just changed the game! Thank you

[@JacobSchmittDeerHuntingSchool]

You’re welcome and thanks for watching and commenting