How to Draw Ranch Boundaries on a Map

Mapping from Natural Boundaries

• 1

  Begin at the front porch of the house or the main house and walk the boundary of the ranch in a clockwise direction.

• 2

  Stop at the first boundary post and try to locate the position on the map. Look for relevant features in the landscape like brooks, hills, roads, depressions, other buildings, mountaintops and so on. If you are doing this in an extremely rural area you may need a topographical map and compass to find your exact position.

• 3

  Mark the location on the map using a dark pen or pencil. Make a line on the map that connects the boundary marker back to the main house or to the road where the ranch property ends.

• 4

  Continue this procedure, walking the boundary of the ranch, identifying the position, marking it on the map and drawing boundary lines that complete the boundaries.

Mapping from a Satellite Photo

• 5

  Lay the satellite photo and the map that you want to mark side by side.

• 6

  Working from the satellite photo, draw the longest and most obvious boundaries first, like the ones that follow roads, rivers and other natural or man-made features.

• 7

  Using the satellite photo to guide you, draw in the boundary lines that do not follow natural features by connecting gaps in the existing lines.