Newbie doing some topo scouting

[375HHM]

Hi. I'm a newbie to hunting. (I did some rabbit hunting on my grandpa's farm in NM and also killed a deer once there when I was a kid). I have gotten the itch to hunt and can't wait until next year. This last year I didn't plan very much and just went to some DNR land and they were overcrowded. Now I am trying to find some spots that aren't as easy to drive to. I may also buy a muzzleloader for next year as well.

Anyway, I have been trying to find some spots on Onx maps to scout out later. I have been trying to find bowls, saddles, etc. But to be honest I have no idea what I'm doing. Here are some pictures of a few spots that may be good? There are a couple others that I don't have a marker on, but may also be decent spots. What do you guys think? Thank you!

https://imgur.com/a/o6vn4Pg

[Stein]

Deer or elk don't really care about what we think is a good place for them to be.

Get numerous places you think are good and then drive out there and check them out.  Cross them off one by one and go from there.

Many times, I've circled a can't miss spot only to get there and find 1,200 head of cattle or multiple outfitter camps right were I planned on shooting one.

[Aginor]

There are several places you marked that look promising, but as was stated, you have to go out and look to be sure. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve marked up Shangri-La on a map just to get out there and find out it’s a devil’s club infested Olympic hell hole. I specifically look for benches/flatter ridges/buttes/plateaus above tree line. I’ll Mark of all the ones I can find in an area then get out and try to hit them all in a weekend trip. Save the good ones, remove the bad, then move on to another area, rinse and repeat. It helps that I can hike 50+ mile weekends and knock out huge swathes, but if you’re looking at a place within a couple hours’ drive, you should be able to cover it over a few trips easily. There’s also a class from Treeline Academy that you can take to help identify potential hunting areas. It’s focused on elk, but the principles are the same. Good luck out there

[fishnfur]

Good responses above. 

I'm not really sure if it matters whether you're talking East Side or West Side.  Most of the topo features that deer relate to are the same everywhere, though the increased cover on the Westside may allow more variation in how deer move. 

This is an excellent book on hunting bucks based on topo maps.  As was said earlier, you still need to go out and check it out.  Check for "new and used" for steep discounts:
https://www.amazon.com/Brad-Herndon-Mapping-Trophy-Topographic/dp/B00HTK5K5Y/ref=sr_1_2?crid=LFUZHMIER7LZ&dchild=1&keywords=mapping+trophy+bucks&qid=1616567812&sprefix=mapping+for+tro%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-2

[pianoman9701]

Welcome to our forum. Topo scouting is a good start until the snow melts at elevation. There's no replacing boots on the ground in the areas you find interesting.