your take on Maps

[ncelkhtr]

Hey fellas, I was wondering about everyone's take on maps. I have been  looking at mytopo.com but before i ordered one I was going to pick everyone's brain about maps first. What company makes the best detailed maps? what zoom level do you prefer? Just looking for some opinions on maps and what everyone preffers. thanks

 

[Big Tex]

I've used mytopo for 4-5 years now and have loved the ease of their service and how quickly they get your product to the door. 

I'm hunting a new unit this year and ordered last week a 1:24k for the area I'm planning to hunt.  The zoom I get usually depends on whether I plan to stay within one particular drainage system or potentially will migrate and want to capture several different nearby areas.

 

[nclonghunter]

I am a map freak....
The 1:24 topo maps are great, but you need to know how to read them. Once you learn how to use them, you can see more about the land than looking at a satellite image. However a satellite image is great to use "with" a topo map.

 

[Biggsbucks]

buy yourself a GPS and then order a chip from huntinggpsmaps.com and select your state. the maps have every detail you need to know and are definitely worth the money.

 

[Matt Brimmer]

buy yourself a GPS and then order a chip from huntinggpsmaps.com and select your state. the maps have every detail you need to know and are definitely worth the money.

I couldn't agree more.  I am a map freak as well and have hundreds of Topo maps that now stay in the closet.  With huntinggpsmaps.com and google earth there is no spot or area I can't get a more accurate view of.  The advantage of a GPS ( Garmin 62s) allows me to look at an exact area on my computers big screen and set a waypoint to that exact spot.  I actually take my laptop with me and keep it in the truck or at basecamp when bivy hunting  Plus you get the entire state you are interested in (state, Blm, Forrest service, and private) all overlaid onto one map.  If you are hunting in an area with blocks of private the GPS with huntinggpsmaps micro SD card will tell you exactly were you are along with whom owns the private property.

 

[no limits do what it take]

with these garmin gps units I'm looking at the oregon 450 or dakota 20 the ones that take the sd card I know you can hook these up to your pc and download maps but can you hook them up with a sd card in them and view the maps off the sd card on the pc like google earth and which of these units would you recommend

 

[Matt Brimmer]

can you hook them up with a sd card in them and view the maps off the sd card on the pc

Yes you can.  I went with the Garmin 62s due to battery life, signal strength, and ease of use.
Give the guy's at HuntingGPSmaps.com a call and ask them what they recommend.