anethema
09-12-2011, 07:39 AM
I'm not sure how many know about this, but I was going to reply to someone's post. Decided to make it a general thread instead to make sure many see it.
I notice everyone using the backroads map book as their main outdoor book. It works okay.
I'm wary of the backroads map book though as it contains even major looking paths or roads that simply don't and have never existed. I have had to take more long ways around following backroads map book than anything else.
To plan a hunt I usually use the BC Online Cadastre. It is a site put up by the govt that has every footpath to main road that exists in BC. I have almost never come across a path it shows that doesn't exist, though some may be grown in, smaller than you'd think etc.
It also shows private land, contours, anything else you want that the govt knows about the area essentially. Fastastic tool. Hell it will even show orthophotos and overlay the map data on them.
Here is an example map I made of the Carmi area where I was looking for sheep.
http://webmaps.gov.bc.ca/imf5/imf.jsp?session=3628564460887724132
(Sorry to contribute to link rot but I'm sure this link will expire eventually)
Clearly shows where the private land starts and stops, the municipal boundary, how the road follows the ravine, every little creek going in and out of it, etc. Shows everything from hiking trails to main roads. I usually print maps using this tool of the areas I'm going to hunt. Has saved my bacon before for sure.
If only I could hack together a program for iPhone to use this I'm sure it would be an invaluable hunting tool.
Basically if you go on the top and click 'layers' you can toggle on and off anything you'd like to see. The layers I picked in the example are usually what I use. You can toggle off the footpath type fine-grained transportation layer if you just want to see main dirt roads though.
Basically I just wanted to make anyone not aware of this, aware of it, since I find it is the best mapping tool for hunting or just being outdoors in BC. Hell you could make your own backroads map book using it.
I notice everyone using the backroads map book as their main outdoor book. It works okay.
I'm wary of the backroads map book though as it contains even major looking paths or roads that simply don't and have never existed. I have had to take more long ways around following backroads map book than anything else.
To plan a hunt I usually use the BC Online Cadastre. It is a site put up by the govt that has every footpath to main road that exists in BC. I have almost never come across a path it shows that doesn't exist, though some may be grown in, smaller than you'd think etc.
It also shows private land, contours, anything else you want that the govt knows about the area essentially. Fastastic tool. Hell it will even show orthophotos and overlay the map data on them.
Here is an example map I made of the Carmi area where I was looking for sheep.
http://webmaps.gov.bc.ca/imf5/imf.jsp?session=3628564460887724132
(Sorry to contribute to link rot but I'm sure this link will expire eventually)
Clearly shows where the private land starts and stops, the municipal boundary, how the road follows the ravine, every little creek going in and out of it, etc. Shows everything from hiking trails to main roads. I usually print maps using this tool of the areas I'm going to hunt. Has saved my bacon before for sure.
If only I could hack together a program for iPhone to use this I'm sure it would be an invaluable hunting tool.
Basically if you go on the top and click 'layers' you can toggle on and off anything you'd like to see. The layers I picked in the example are usually what I use. You can toggle off the footpath type fine-grained transportation layer if you just want to see main dirt roads though.
Basically I just wanted to make anyone not aware of this, aware of it, since I find it is the best mapping tool for hunting or just being outdoors in BC. Hell you could make your own backroads map book using it.