Suggestions on a GPS for hunting.

C

canoetrpr

CGN frequent flyer
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Just North of Toronto
Can anyone make me a recommendation on a touch screen garmin gps which accepts a memory card so that I can add one of those topo map chips that have public / private property boundaries with landowner names on them.

I'm not looking for the fanciest features but want something easy to use for things like backtracking to my truck and I need to see the maps in the sun. Would be nice to be able to use it on roads occasionally when I'm traveling but it's not the main use; which is hunting.

I live in Canada. Not really sure if I will hunt mostly in Canada from herein or the USA but the hunt chip I'll get for whatever state I hunt in. Don't need one in Canada as most places I will hunt are crown land.

Should I get one preloaded with Canadian topo maps and then buy chips for each State I hunt? Do they come with street maps of N America. To use it on roads I need street maps in the USA as that is where I travel often.
 
i'd say get a garmin. I don't have a touch screen, I went with the 62C, we tried working the touch screen with gloves on, and it wasn't working very well. I live in BC, so I ordered the back roads maps chip for the gps. its awesome. shows me the management units etc, so I know when I have crossed a boundary etc.
 
At a quick glance it looks like a US map. You will find there are a lot better TOPO maps for the US then Canada. I use an older Magellan and it works just fine, I use it as a back up to my compass.
 
Yeah, I've been looking better for Canadian topo maps too.
There are a few interactive on-line maps that may show the crown land boundaries but they have so many layers I don't have a good understanding of that I can't use them. Also they don't export in Garmin format.
 
Check out the rino series. They're tough touchscreens that work well in the cold. Lots of great features including radio between anyone with a similar device. My dad and I use them moose hunting way back in the bush. We can talk to each other and coordinate our movements because they show where your buddy is. Perhaps a bit spendy but they're good units
 
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I have the garmin 650 touchscreen with the radio. It's fairly rugged, waterproof to 10ft or so. Works in the cold. I'm sure you could get a mount for atv or car but it is a handheld unit with a 2" x3" screen (ish), it's not a big 4"x4" car unit.

I have the backroads map for Ontario which is quite good. It was the most detailed and best reviewed map at the time. It has WMU boundaries and private land markings (but not landowner info) and topo information. Mine sites, airstrips, towns are marked as well. I found the map was fairly relevant 50km north of Virginia town, which is about 300km north of North Bay. Anywhere south of there you should be alright. Getting more remote, the detail fades off a bit. I think the backroads brand maps are only available for ON,BC,AB at this point.

Keep in mind that they've just digitized the most recent topo maps, so if the most recent data was 1982, that's what the map will show... I've found that the unit gets lost when travelling on a new highway or a new subdivision in the 'burbs. They should really make an interactive map that you can "teach" so it will recognize a travel path as a new roadway and remember it. They might have one, I haven't really looked.

The radio will work with any of the small handheld Canadian tire type radios, or any other garmin radio.
 
I've been using an App called GPS Kit on my phone. Works pretty well for just over $10 and I can cache the mapping information on the phone so it still works without cell service.
I use a Google sat image to get the "birds eye view" of where I am and it's easy to mark waypoints or your truck. If you do have cell service in your area you can even set it up so your partners running the same app can be seen on your screen.
It's not the best viewing in bright light however and it obviously uses battery power on your phone which must be managed if you are out on an extended trip.
 
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