GPS or Rangefinder?

Suther said:
Yes the phone works without cell service. It has a GPS receiver, as do most if not all smart phones these days.



But do the benefits of a dedicated GPS outweigh the benefits of a rangefinder, considering I have a cell phone that has GPS functionality...
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What phone do you have? My gps and mapping only work with cell reception. Where i back pack hunt in northern ontario my phone is a clock flashlight and music player thats it
 
brybenn said:
What phone do you have? My gps and mapping only work with cell reception. Where i back pack hunt in northern ontario my phone is a clock flashlight and music player thats it
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Samsung galaxy S6. I've used it multiple times, and it works fine for recording a track.

The Canada Topo app suggested in another thread doesn't seem to record a track for me, and the app I've been using has all the functions I'd want except a basemap. Itll download basemaps when in cell reception, but I haven't really looked into whether I can get them ahead of time before I lose cell reception. It'll tell me where I've been though, which is really the most important part...
 
Have both, Range Finder would be my first choice.
Getting to know the land I hunt fairly well, that said, still carry a compass & cell phone.
 
I carry a map and compass, and hunt in areas where landforms create a relatively easy way to find civilization again (Head towards, or away from the lake/river/whatever and you'll cross a FSR)
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Take that logic far enough, and all you have to do to never need what a gps can offer is to never get out of the truck.

If you've never been "lost" or "turned around" or "confused" in the bush, you just need to go where that can actually happen to you. And your comment ignores the fact I already mentioned about a gps being able to save you lots of time and energy MANY times, even if you still know which way civilization lies.

The advantages of gps do not lie ONLY with keeping from getting lost. I have (several times now) marked a kill site so I could go back to vehicles, travel several miles around a route to get the truck much closer to the site from an entirely different direction, and then found my way to the spot without trouble. Time and energy savings are far more often why I use mine than just the issue of being lost.

Then there is fishing spot marking. Get a GPS and learn what it can do for you. THEN get the rangefinder.
 
freddyfour said:
I don't have cell reception where I hunt so a GPS for me, but also always have a rangefinder.
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Clay00019 said:
Same here.
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All modern cell phones have GPS which is completely independent of cell coverage. They don’t even use the same antenna or frequencies. GPS is receiver only and passive, meaning your phone can be on airplane mode and still receive signals from the satellites to calculate position, exact same system the handheld GPSs use and identically accurate. I can even use ForeFlight (an aviation navigation app) on an airliner while on airplane mode and get position, speed, etc.

In fact when in the bush using your phone as a GPS it should always be on airplane mode to conserve battery, I guide / outfit for a living and navigate exclusively by old fashioned map and phone GPS. The phone apps are superior to the GPS manufacturers and updated more often. And, more weight I can shed.
 
Suther said:
So I have a few bucks to spend on getting some better gear for hunting, and I've decided I want to get either a GPS or Rangefinder next. Currently, I don't have either, although my phone can be used as a GPS if needed (Although I don't like using it due to the lack of being able to run it on replaceable batteries like AAs) and I have nothing for a rangefinder, although as a rifle hunter shooting a 270 I don't need to worry about range until 200+ yds anyways.

The specific models I am looking at are the Garmin GPSMAP 64s, on sale for $269 at Cabelas right now, and the Nikon Prostaff 7i laser rangefinder, on sale for $299 right now.

Given the choice between these two products, which would you pick, and why? (I would also be open to suggestions of other products that do the same task, in the same price range)
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The Nikon 7i is a piece of junk, especially in poor light conditions. Sold mine for $50 just to be rid of it.
 
I am happy with my older pair of 10x42 Bushnell 1600 Fusion bino/rangefinder combo.

Where I hunt I am usually able to navigate by landmarks, I don't use GPS but maybe I should start using my phone since I already have it with me
 
Ardent said:
All modern cell phones have GPS which is completely independent of cell coverage. They don’t even use the same antenna or frequencies. GPS is receiver only and passive, meaning your phone can be on airplane mode and still receive signals from the satellites to calculate position, exact same system the handheld GPSs use and identically accurate. I can even use ForeFlight (an aviation navigation app) on an airliner while on airplane mode and get position, speed, etc.

In fact when in the bush using your phone as a GPS it should always be on airplane mode to conserve battery, I guide / outfit for a living and navigate exclusively by old fashioned map and phone GPS. The phone apps are superior to the GPS manufacturers and updated more often. And, more weight I can shed.
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Interesting, had no idea. I will try it out when I'm back up there. Is there a app you can recommend other then Google?
 
My day job pays for ForeFlight Freddy so I use that, I actually won’t be any help on other apps though I know there’s dozens. Clients have shown up with impressive ones that apparently cost only about $20. This is a screenshot of ForeFlight with the topo using aviation maps.

eSIWQIF.jpg
 
Can you wait till Black Friday? You’ll likely get a better deal on whatever it is you choose to get.

Can anybody share some apps they use for iPhones besides fore flight to use their phone as a gps that allow to to download maps and save/import user waypoints
 
I'd rather have a GPS over a rangefinder, it will be more beneficial over a rangefinder, in Ontario we don't shoot much over a 100 yards most times. My GPS has a camera, voice recorder, altimeter, notepad, and a few other things, to me its a lot more handy than a rangefinder.
 
Your right, but I have no cell service where I hunt, and I like using the gps function better than the one on the phone, I find mine easier to use and it shows better details than the phone. And I guess I'm more familiar with its operation.
 
legi0n said:
if you cruise the timber then get the GPS
if you hunt from a blind or foresee long range shots, get the rangefinder
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This. They're for different sets of problems.

I have a rangefinder, I don't have a GPS. I bought the rangefinder for long-range target shooting across clearcuts, but I've found it useful for archery. If you're not in open country or not bowhunting, you're not going to need it.
If you're in dense woods, the GPS can be useful for tracking or marking a kill site. It's not entirely necessary but useful, the other method being a compass and marking tape. If you're in open country that has landmarks, it's less necessary.

Good binoculars and practice ammo are always useful.
 
northern skies said:
This. They're for different sets of problems.

I have a rangefinder, I don't have a GPS. I bought the rangefinder for long-range target shooting across clearcuts, but I've found it useful for archery. If you're not in open country or not bowhunting, you're not going to need it.
If you're in dense woods, the GPS can be useful for tracking or marking a kill site. It's not entirely necessary but useful, the other method being a compass and marking tape. If you're in open country that has landmarks, it's less necessary.

Good binoculars and practice ammo are always useful.
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I never go hunting without a couple rolls of marking tape.
 
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