A question about satellite photos

Dani

Dani

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could anyone tell me where I might find some information on how to actually read a satellite photo? Photos for land, not air. I'm thinking about going into Osceola NWR to do some turkey hunting this year, but it's so huge I'd like an idea of where I might start looking. So I'm looking at aerial and satellite photos for a little bit of prescouting. But I'd like to be able to read the vegetation better than yup...that's trees or that's water. Somewhere I saw something about being able to somewhat decipher oak hammocks from cypress swamp from pine forest. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Dani
 
EASY PEASEY JAPANESY.....

There are five features in the forest....

Since it exists as a planted pine plantation the huge blocks of monotonous similiarity are the Slash Pines, with a palmetto and galberry understory. The little thin lines will be the road system, which in the forest are numbered so that it becomes an easy place to remember if some idiot hasn't used the signs for a fire. If the line is solid its a majjor road that will be passable even with two wheel drive. If it appears broken then its a skid road and you'll need 4WD and bigger "juevos" than even the local dog hunters unless its been bone dry for at least 6 months if you want to try to drive it.

The "blank" spots are clear cuts or recent burns that weren't controlled and got of control. Find one of these on the edge of a good roost area and you'll find more Turkeys there than in any of the other habitats. And they'll actually be killable there because you'll be able to see them. Turkeys love the new vegetation that is created by a burn or a clearcut. I've seen them in area like that when the ground was still smoking.

If, in the monotonous sameness of the pine plantings you see a darker, circular "spot" that will be a bayhead....pushed really hard the Turkeys will often retreat to these but you'll never kill one there as they are a pure hell of greenbrier, sweet bay, titi, and cypress that even the pigs are forced to negotiate via a series of tunnels no taller than the biggest hogs back. If its a wet year they are good roost areas as the depressions will hold water and theres little a Florida Turkey favors for a roost site than a big cypress that ovehangs the water.

The windy, curvy dark lines are the riparian zones of the myriad of little creeks and sloughs that run to the St. Mary's River. If its been dry thats where the Turkeys will roost...usually in either a cypress or tupelo that is overhanging the river...

See....EASY PEASY JAPANESEY

Steve
 
Thanks Steve! I've been looking and have a few places narrowed down. It'll depend I'm sure on how wet it is out there. We've gotten quite a bit of rain in the last week so we'll see how filled the areas are. I'm thinking tomorrow I'll head out there and give it a try for a bit of looking. Who knows..maybe I'll hit the jackpot :)

Mike- Thanks...I had not seen that one. It sure helps to be able to see the shadow sometimes. I think that between using that one and the google maps I'll be able to figure something out.
 
to you with what used to be good ares marked up...

If its wet there are so many neat little heads that will be holding water, and have birds on the edges that it makes it much easier to find birds. The down side if that the road systme becomes hard to negotiate.

Start looking to the north of St.Mary's at the prison farm turnoff....the area around the Olustee battle field used to be good too.

Plan on a couple of days after Easter Sunday and I'll show you the places we used to hunt.

Steve
 
What days will you be in town? The weekend will be better, if you're still here, but we'll see what I can pull off and when I know you'll be in town.

A few years back it was so wet that we were fishing the ditches that had become filled with river runoff from the tail gate of the truck sitting in the middle of the road. This year, I don't know that it'll be that wet. But it was some tricky driving that day.
 
creeks for Warmouth and Pumpkinseeds.....and that area has a world of crayfish as well....we used to set up Turkey Camp in the Forest there and leave it up for the entire season....one of the guys that staid in camp with us was a member of a nearby lease and he was always able to produce a young, "eatin sized" hog when there were more than a couple of people in camp.

We arrive on Saturday in Orlando and will do the Easter thing with Debby's niece on Sat. and then surprise my Mom at church on Sunday. That means weekday or nothing...let me know if you can make it.

Steve
 
Well I'll try and figure out a way to at least get one day while you're here. If my hours truly are as flexible as they say, I may be able to work a day or both days over the weekend then have a few days off and go turkeying. I'll figure it out though and let you know. :)
 
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Well I'll try and figure out a way to at least get one day while you're here. If my hours truly are as flexible as they say, I may be able to work a day or both days over the weekend then have a few days off and go turkeying. I'll figure it out though and let you know. :)
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HA HA HA!! She hasn't even started the dang job yet, and she's already talking about skippin work to go hunting HA HA HA!!

It doesn't surpise me.
 
before I get the kid fired before she's been there long enough to get wear the price tag off the sole of her "Sunday go to meeting" flip flops?

I'm going to be back in your area by Tuesday after Easter. If you have some time off I'd love to go visit Island X while I'm there.

Steve
 
Sounds good, Island X it is. I'm still trying to find boiled peanuts on the way.

Hitch
 
Man...you guys are killing me! I'm sitting here in north central Ohio. Last week they forecasted a warm up to the mid to upper 40's most of the week. Opps, they missed it! High of 36 today and 30 tomorrow!

Steve your dexcriptions remind me of hunting around Orange lake while in graduate school. I never did shoot an osceola turkey but, I sure did have fun out in the swamps around the River Styx! Except for that time I stepped on the water mocassin!

Have fun Dani et al!

Tom
 
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