Analyzing Hunting Maps by Dan Lavoie

Base hunting is a sport and a hobby to enjoy the outdoors and nature. It is a way to spend quality time with family and friends. The fact remains that harvesting game is a major integral part of the adventure. Today I'm giving you some tips on how to choose the best maps to locate the right hunting areas. 

A text by Dan Lavoie

Not all hunters have extremely game-rich territories, nor are all hunters who have two or three weeks to devote to their hunt(s). It is therefore important to strive to be as productive as possible to increase the chances of harvesting the coveted game. 

Moose being an animal that can travel long distances, it is essential to be able to locate the right areas. You may be the best caller the planet has ever known, if there are no ears to hear you, you will be wasting your time. In the same vein, you can do as many saltworks as you want, if they are not done in the right places, they will not be visited or little visited and you will have spent time, energy and money unnecessarily.

However, there is a solution to improve the efficiency of the efforts to be invested in order to finally thwart this extraordinary panache and to make our hunting party a success. This solution consists in carrying out a complete and precise analysis of the entire forest of your hunting sector.

Tools available to hunters
With the advent of new technologies, many tools are now available to hunters at a budget that remains within reach of most budgets.

Regardless of the type of hunting you practice (stalking or fine) the priority is to walk your territory, however, the analysis of the map of your sector should be the first step. You must therefore obtain the electronic file or a paper or laminated map of your hunting sector in order to indicate the information found during the theoretical analysis and plan potential hunting routes that strategically limit travel. Several types of cards exist on the market and it is also possible to have a personalized one made if you hunt on your own land. 

In this case, I have been using CartesXperts cards since 2020. In my opinion, they are the most complete and the easiest to understand for ordinary hunters.

The maps are tailor-made and the coverage adapts to our territory. For undemarcated territories (e.g. wildlife reserve sectors) they offer several surface options that vary between 5 km x 5 km (25 km2) up to 16 km x 16 km (256 km2).

Their geo-referenced digital maps in PDF format, coupled to l’Avenza Maps application, adapt to our needs and allow us to know exactly in which cover you are walking in real time. They cover all types of territory in the province of Quebec such as:

• wildlife reserve
• ZEC
• Outfitters
• Public territories
• Private territories 

As a columnist, guide and moose hunting trainer, I am one of those who likes to do my own analyzes in order to scrutinize each patch of forest. I therefore add to the cards used different programs in order to accumulate more information and which would allow me to find additional clues.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the different digital tools that are part of my arsenal:

• open forest
• Bing
• Fatmap
• Google earth
• Yandex 

Confirm your analysis
The first step settled, it is now necessary to go to the field to confirm the analysis. Your cell phone or a forest GPS then becomes essential tools since combined with a good topographic map containing the basic information you have entered, you are now able to validate and mark on the ground the information which until then remained theoretical. . Several GPS models are available in specialty stores, so it is important to seek professional advice to make an informed choice based on your needs.

In both cases I use CartesXperts cards. For my part, knowing in real time in which patch of forest I am, what are its characteristics and what are the other habitats that surround it, it is priceless.

Save time to spend it in the right place, that's what the analysis of moose hunting sector maps is for. For those who would like information on CartesXpert, I invite you to visit their website: lescartesxperts.ca. To learn more about the map analysis services I offer, I also invite you to visit my website: danlavoieguide.com.

In conclusion, I would tell you that in addition to the fact that I am a moose hunting guide, I also offer map analysis and hunting sector analysis services (for moose). The groups I have had the chance to work with have seen the relevance of my analytical approach by seeing their success rate increase significantly. 

With that, I wish you an excellent hunting season!