10-14-2008, 06:10 PM
There are few tools as essential to a hunter as a good map. At one time a hunting map was a many-creased affair with coffee stains and blurry pencil marks, dog-eared and soft from use. Today it is as likely to be a digital map downloaded from the Internet. The entertaining new maps available on the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov are of the digital kind. Go to FWP's Hunt Planner on the Hunting page and select Montana Land Ownership Maps under the Resource column.
You will find two sets of maps. The first covers public land ownership, including details on public and private trusts and easements.
The second set of maps show private land ownership. This map includes a text listing of the owners of any contiguous land greater than 40 acres-a handy feature if you can't remember the name of a neighbor down the road who invited you to hunt last winter.
Both series of maps are updated annually and are available in the Adobe PDF format that can be downloaded to your computer and used there, avoiding delays resulting from the speed of your Internet connection. Or, they may be ordered in large scale from print shops listed at the bottom of the web page.
While many hunters, and others, find maps interesting, these digital maps are especially engaging. They are loaded with detail, and it can be easier to navigate by scrolling and zooming in and out than folding and refolding a paper map.
While you are learning the geographic secrets of your favorite hunting district you may also come upon other interesting geographic details about the area.
If you're curious, check out the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov and select the Hunt Planner. There are a variety of maps available, including ones that show the distribution of various species across the state.
You will find two sets of maps. The first covers public land ownership, including details on public and private trusts and easements.
The second set of maps show private land ownership. This map includes a text listing of the owners of any contiguous land greater than 40 acres-a handy feature if you can't remember the name of a neighbor down the road who invited you to hunt last winter.
Both series of maps are updated annually and are available in the Adobe PDF format that can be downloaded to your computer and used there, avoiding delays resulting from the speed of your Internet connection. Or, they may be ordered in large scale from print shops listed at the bottom of the web page.
While many hunters, and others, find maps interesting, these digital maps are especially engaging. They are loaded with detail, and it can be easier to navigate by scrolling and zooming in and out than folding and refolding a paper map.
While you are learning the geographic secrets of your favorite hunting district you may also come upon other interesting geographic details about the area.
If you're curious, check out the FWP web site at fwp.mt.gov and select the Hunt Planner. There are a variety of maps available, including ones that show the distribution of various species across the state.