Scouting and Maps Should Go Together From Realtree There are several approaches to scouting but they all should begin with topographic maps of your hunting area. Once you learn to read these maps you can “see” the land before you visit it. By scanning the contour lines you can find the hills, valleys, flat areas, ridgelines and those all-important “saddles” where a ridgeline dips and deer love to cross from one drainage to another. What you can’t see is the vegetation type, agricultural areas, and specific habitat features indicating high deer-use areas. You have to walk the ground to do that. You also have to invade the habitat to find deer trails, bedding areas and currently active food sources. You should do this well before deer season so as not to unreasonably disturb the deer just before trying to hunt them. To get topographic maps, you can try local commercial map dealers (see the yellow pages) or contact the U.S. Geological Service by calling 1-800-ASK-USGS or visiting its website or other sites such as http://www.terraserver.com. Good Hunting! This tip brought to you by TnDeer.Com and the good folks at Realtree Camo...