Gun Dog Forum

I am using the Google Earth Pro version.

I would like to display BLM (land status) overlays onto Google Earth.

Can BLM map data be imported into Garmin GPS units as well?

Is there also a way to display WMA (wildlife management areas) on Google Earth and Garmin GPS?

Google Earth is my primary tool for map scouting. Paper maps are thing of the past with me.


PS - I have my own paperwork reduction act and I try to keep information digital as much as possible
to save trees, money, space and natural resources.

I dont know of a way to overlay the BLM maps onto Google Earth. I'd recommend you look into OnX maps. It's a gamechanger if you are hunting Public Land.

Compton30 wrote:I dont know of a way to overlay the BLM maps onto Google Earth. I'd recommend you look into OnX maps. It's a gamechanger if you are hunting Public Land.

I emailed BLM with an inquiry about overlays for both Google Earth and Garmin navigators.

Ideally, I would like to be able to display all hunting lands under the control of various govt.agencies including certain private lands. The Idaho fish and game does indeed have all Access Yes! propertied in kml form for download and importation into Google Earth.

Is there OnX map software for doing hunting map work on a desktop PC?

Does OnX cover all federal and state lands? Does it cover state fish and game controlled hunts and state hunting zones?

It would be nice if there would be a piece of geo software for hunters that covers everything map-wise under one roof, so to speak.

The other tricky part about hunting for novices is mastering map-reading and geography.

Sport hunting needs to truly come into the digital age.

At some point you just have to get off your "bleep", drive the roads, and walk the land. Mark the waypoints under your feet.

Urban_Redneck wrote:At some point you just have to get off your "bleep", drive the roads, and walk the land. Mark the waypoints under your feet.

Jon, I don't think of my self as a beginner but maybe I am since I have never found the need for 99% of the things you are looking for. I never used my Garmin, never Heard of the OnX maps, never thought of the Google earth, and have never been lost while hunting, though I understand how you could out west in particular. One thing is becoming evident though, and that is you need everything spelled out for you rather than you just getting in your 50,000 dollar truck and going on a scouting expedition, which many times is as much fun as the hunting. The reason most of us have never done or used the equipment you are asking about is it was not available, so therefore not needed. Believe it or not, hunting is a sport that we enjoy, not a business that pays for itself. As someone said, get out and do it and then make up your mind if you like it or not, there is no other way that works.

Ezzy

Urban_Redneck wrote:At some point you just have to get off your "bleep", drive the roads, and walk the land. Mark the waypoints under your feet.

Or maybe buy a shotgun and spend a year learning to shoot it. Nah. Too much work.

JonBailey wrote:

Compton30 wrote:I dont know of a way to overlay the BLM maps onto Google Earth. I'd recommend you look into OnX maps. It's a gamechanger if you are hunting Public Land.

Is there OnX map software for doing hunting map work on a desktop PC?

Does OnX cover all federal and state lands? Does it cover state fish and game controlled hunts and state hunting zones?
.

Yes OnX handles all of those things. Its very simple and very handy. An invaluable tool. Especially when looking for a place to hunt. However, like others of said, you really do need to go put in some boot leather time to really know what's going on around a place.

I've known folks who I must imagine think similar to you. Log off, start your vehicle, and visit the places you ask about.

Want to hunt upland birds? Log off, get a shotgun. and kick brush, or get a dog.

The most important lessons in life are neither taught, or learned, in a classroom or behind a computer.

Or you could just be a troll, IDK.

I posted something similar to this on another one of your posts but I was new and by the time it got approved, it was sent to the top of the thread...

I have been reading your posts for quite some time now Jon while I was waiting to be accepted to the site. From day one I pretty much had you pegged. You ask for advice, but you already have a response for yourself made up in your head... Completely disregarding any help given. When asking a basic question, you rant and spew "facts" from literature that you read too much of apparently and take way too much to heart.
This is hunting... Yes you will learn from others experiences in books, but they are not a golden standard.

I am from South LA, one of the places you considered the mecca of bird hunting by the way it was worded... And I don't know what you imagine other places to be like, but very few hunting folks have unlimited access to public land necessary to train a quality dog. However, people have access to private land, and if you aren't super arrogant and are willing to help out when needed, you may be given access yourself. When I got my dog, the only places I had to train within 60 miles of me was a backyard and a recreational soccer field... After getting run off the soccer field multiple times, I was left to a yard. I did what I could with what I had and drove where I needed to train her before she went to a pro for a while. When I got her back, I joined a local HRC, something I wish I would've done from the beginning and met a lot of great people that were willing to help with anything I needed as long as I returned the favor... I went from a backyard to more training grounds than I knew what to do with. My dog went from a started level retriever to working with finished dogs.

You're going to fail. Accept it and learn from it.
I grew up duck hunting, I've only duck hunted as far as bird go. I am moving to West Texas this fall and am going to try and give some quail heck with my spaniel. I know it will not be perfect and I am accepting the fact that I will more than likely kill very few, if any birds at all for a while. There is a learning curve to everything and you're trying to be at the top without starting at the bottom. You have said multiple times, something along the lines of that if you read and research that you will be a good hunter. This is FAR from true. It doesn't matter what you think you know going into it (as long as you get the general idea... and are safe and considerate to others), when you get out there, it is a different ballgame. And until you see it for yourself you don't even know what questions you should be asking.

If you have an iPhone, it has maps... thats all you need. Drop a pin and drive.
As far as "sport hunting" coming to a digital age... You can now purchase an e-collar that tracks your dogs every move, how fast they are running, whether it is pointing or not, will make noises to locate them, etc.

I would say you would be better off just paying someone to launch birds for you, but then again you won't save any pennies doing that either.

Urban_Redneck wrote:At some point you just have to get off your "bleep", drive the roads, and walk the land. Mark the waypoints under your feet.

I think to be a successful bird bagger one will have to first master:

1. map reading
2. land navigation
3. GPS operation
4. scouting from a desktop PC
5. scouting in a vehicle

A good hunter has to be a good detective like Sherlock Holmes. A crackerjack P.I. like brothers Simon & Simon. I have to know how to get hot leads.

As a soldier I was trained to SHOOT, MOVE, COMMUNICATE, SURVIVE and NAVIGATE using topo maps and a lensatic compass which I sucked at.

randomnut wrote:I've known folks who I must imagine think similar to you. Log off, start your vehicle, and visit the places you ask about.

Want to hunt upland birds? Log off, get a shotgun. and kick brush, or get a dog.

The most important lessons in life are neither taught, or learned, in a classroom or behind a computer.

Or you could just be a troll, IDK.

I could be a bot too but my wording should seem far too human for that.

I wish I could just take hunting lessons somewhere. Bird Hunting 101 at a college or university.

My father never wanted me to go hunting as a boy because he said there were too many idiots out their packing guns.

"My father never wanted me to go hunting as a boy because he said there were too many idiots out their packing guns."

Maybe your father was being very kind to you.

2+2....it ain’t that hard.

No....not math re the map data.

JonBailey wrote:

Urban_Redneck wrote:At some point you just have to get off your "bleep", drive the roads, and walk the land. Mark the waypoints under your feet.

I think to be a successful bird bagger one will have to first master:

1. map reading
2. land navigation
3. GPS operation
4. scouting from a desktop PC
5. scouting in a vehicle

A good hunter has to be a good detective like Sherlock Holmes. A crackerjack P.I. like brothers Simon & Simon. I have to know how to get hot leads.

As a soldier I was trained to SHOOT, MOVE, COMMUNICATE, SURVIVE and NAVIGATE using topo maps and a lensatic compass which I sucked at.

All you need to do to be successful at bird hunting is to buy a public land maps of some form, scout the country and don't be afraid to get out of the truck and walk over a hill or two. You'll find a "nugget" every now and then. Nugget = a cover/place where there's game. You're over thinking it

Gordon Guy wrote:

JonBailey wrote:

Urban_Redneck wrote:At some point you just have to get off your "bleep", drive the roads, and walk the land. Mark the waypoints under your feet.

I think to be a successful bird bagger one will have to first master:

1. map reading
2. land navigation
3. GPS operation
4. scouting from a desktop PC
5. scouting in a vehicle

A good hunter has to be a good detective like Sherlock Holmes. A crackerjack P.I. like brothers Simon & Simon. I have to know how to get hot leads.

As a soldier I was trained to SHOOT, MOVE, COMMUNICATE, SURVIVE and NAVIGATE using topo maps and a lensatic compass which I sucked at.

All you need to do to be successful at bird hunting is to buy a public land maps of some form, scout the country and don't be afraid to get out of the truck and walk over a hill or two. You'll find a "nugget" every now and then. Nugget = a cover/place where there's game. You're over thinking it

I'm gonna have to go out on a recon mission. Ever notice all these hunting videos on YouTube? Isn't it funny how the map coordinates of the hunting places are never disclosed?

JonBailey wrote: Ever notice all these hunting videos on YouTube? Isn't it funny how the map coordinates of the hunting places are never disclosed?

No.

JonBailey wrote:

Urban_Redneck wrote:At some point you just have to get off your "bleep", drive the roads, and walk the land. Mark the waypoints under your feet.

I think to be a successful bird bagger one will have to first master:

1. map reading
2. land navigation
3. GPS operation
4. scouting from a desktop PC
5. scouting in a vehicle

A good hunter has to be a good detective like Sherlock Holmes. A crackerjack P.I. like brothers Simon & Simon. I have to know how to get hot leads.

As a soldier I was trained to SHOOT, MOVE, COMMUNICATE, SURVIVE and NAVIGATE using topo maps and a lensatic compass which I sucked at.

If this is true then I know why I am not good as I never did any of that.

Ezzy

Steve007 wrote:

JonBailey wrote: Ever notice all these hunting videos on YouTube? Isn't it funny how the map coordinates of the hunting places are never disclosed?

No.

+1
You know I worked in the natural resource business for over 40 yrs, FS, BLM and F&G. When I started we all learned to read a map, use a compass, look at the sky and atmospheric conditions to tell present and kind of predict weather conditions. Then came the digital age with an app for everything. In the latter part of my career I had summer technicians who had no real ability to read a map or use a compass. (I can tell you horror stories about them trusting GPS, but that's for another time) Every morning before they went in the field I asked if they had their cell phone and GPS, if they were charged up and if they had a spare battery for both. If not I asked them to leave a sock so the search dogs would have something to go on.
So Jon remember there is no Bird Dog hunting app or college course called Bird Hunting 101. And if you insist on using digital navigation and communication devices and write off paper maps and compasses, make sure they are charged up and you bring extra batteries or else leave a sock with a friend so the dogs have something to go on.

The most efficient bird baggers are found hunting the refrigerated cover at the back of the supermarket.

Hunting birds is an exercise inefficiency, it is a pastime. Embrace that or not, you cannot change it.

JonBailey wrote: As a soldier I was trained to SHOOT, MOVE, COMMUNICATE, SURVIVE and NAVIGATE using topo maps and a lensatic compass which I sucked at.

I bet the drill sergeant really loved You .!
I somehow imagine you asking for a Risk assessment and cost efficiency analysis before you are asked to put Your left leg in front of your right.

JonBailey wrote: I think to be a successful bird bagger one will have to first master:

1. map reading
2. land navigation
3. GPS operation
4. scouting from a desktop PC
5. scouting in a vehicle

A good hunter has to be a good detective like Sherlock Holmes. A crackerjack P.I. like brothers Simon & Simon. I have to know how to get hot leads.

As a soldier I was trained to SHOOT, MOVE, COMMUNICATE, SURVIVE and NAVIGATE using topo maps and a lensatic compass which I sucked at.

You are so wrong it's pathetic. As other have said, log off your computer, get a map from the state of the public hunting areas, get in your vehicle and do some scouting. Forget all the navigation and GPS crap. While it can be a neat tool it's not needed.

Personally Jon, from reading all your posts I think it would be in your best interests to forget about bird hunting since you are so far off base in your thinking.

Bird hunting is beautiful because of it's simplicity. A dog and a gun and time enough to get out and walk. It doesn't need to be any more complicated than that.

If you're doing it to save money, find another hobby. I hesitate to even consider what the costs are of the birds reduced to possession. But if only reducing birds to possession is your goal, again... find another hobby because you won't often be satisfied.

It can be...can be very very simple if you let it.

If you want Pheasants, go to the WMA when they release them for put and take
If you want Chukar, take a drive through Hells canyon and when you see the roughest toughest places that you don't want to go... go there... you'll find birds.
If you want Quail, look for water and thick cover along creeks.
If you want Huns, they probably have a greater distribution in the SW Idaho area, but good luck in finding them in any concentration and without a big running dog they live everywhere but not in great abundance in any one spot.
If you want woodland grouse (Dusky, Ruff and Spruce) go to the national forests and walk the ridge lines that have more grass and brush then timber and closed (Closed to motor vehicles) forest service roads.

Stop the thinking, get your public land map, put your boots on, put the dog in the truck, your fly rod and vest in the bed (Just in case) and go for a drive. Find a creek and take a walk preferably NOT on an established trail as you won't find many game birds where there are lots of people.