GPS while hunting ! What do you use and why?

I have and use a Garmin Etrex Legend, and spare batteries.
I also carry a Topographical map and a compass for backup.
The GPS is very nice to have...makes trips easy, particularly the return.
Like any electronic device, one should not put complete trust in them.
Eagleye.
 
Would have been nice to have had all this info on the different gps models when l started. The info will be a great starting point for others looking into navigational equipment.
 
kenguitarz said:
Would have been nice to have had all this info on the different gps models when l started. The info will be a great starting point for others looking into navigational equipment.
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I agree, it can be a little overwhelming when your standing in the store stairing at all of the different models, prices ranging from 200-1200 dollars...........
 
Im a traditionalist hunter at heart, and a firm believer that modern gadgets have taken a lot of the hunt out of hunting, ive never owned a gps in 20 years of hunting but are contemplating purchasing a Bushnell Backtrack device. Basically it is a simple gps device that can mark 5 way-points and will point you in the direction of a stand or home, i defiantly see the benefit of one of these, more as secondary insurance to the traditional map and compass which through experience are completely reliable but not entirely dependable in conditions of fog, whiteout, darkness in giving precision directions in unfamiliar territory. Anyone here familiar with the accuracy and reliability of these devices?
Forgot to mention its only about $100
 
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I would look for a older discontinued unit like a magellen 4000 or 4000XL, I have the 4000xl and all it pretty much does is plot your track, but it will store way more waypoints and landmarks. For just a back track unit 100 bucks will buy alot of ribbon and string..........
 
yodave said:
I would look for a older discontinued unit like a magellen 4000 or 4000XL, I have the 4000xl and all it pretty much does is plot your track, but it will store way more waypoints and landmarks. For just a back track unit 100 bucks will buy alot of ribbon and string..........
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Good point, i never looked at it like that, im opposed to spending 4 or $500 on something ill never use 2/3 of the features but despise buying second hand electrical equipment, any suggestions on where one can purchase 'new yet redundant devices'?
 
KiwiScott said:
Good point, i never looked at it like that, im opposed to spending 4 or $500 on something ill never use 2/3 of the features but despise buying second hand electrical equipment, any suggestions on where one can purchase 'new yet redundant devices'?
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throw a add in the EE.........
I have seen a couple surface over the last couple years
 
It may well be a mistake to think "ill never use 2/3 of the features". If you get a device that can do many things well, you may find many of those things are useful in ways you didn't anticipate. One of the most important parts of making a GPS really useful, is to be able to connect with your computer and use it to manipulate waypoints, tracks, and routes, to improve their "usefulness" to you in many ways. I would advise sticking to brands and types that have lots of map options, software choices, and computer OS compatibility. As you grow into what the devices can do, you will find yourself using and enjoying them more than you anticipate in the beginning.

There is a reason the military developed the whole thing. They are very helpful if you ever get very far from roads and vehicles, especially in territory you don't know well. If you never get more than half a kilometer from your truck, you likely won't use much of the system's potential. If you really do hunt on foot, or actually travel in wilderness, they are marvelously helpful.
 
KiwiScott said:
Im a traditionalist hunter at heart, and a firm believer that modern gadgets have taken a lot of the hunt out of hunting, ive never owned a gps in 20 years of hunting but are contemplating purchasing a Bushnell Backtrack device. Basically it is a simple gps device that can mark 5 way-points and will point you in the direction of a stand or home, i defiantly see the benefit of one of these, more as secondary insurance to the traditional map and compass which through experience are completely reliable but not entirely dependable in conditions of fog, whiteout, darkness in giving precision directions in unfamiliar territory. Anyone here familiar with the accuracy and reliability of these devices?
Forgot to mention its only about $100
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I feel much the same about begrudglingly accepting technology. For the most part I hunt very familiar hunting grounds with obvious boundaries.
But a few near misses of disorientation this fall while in different areas, convinced me I should have GPS at least for new hunting grounds.
And God forbid some kind of unforeseen emergency.
It would be very nice to have nearly exact ground co-ordinates for the 9-1-1 operator! :)
 
rral22 said:
It may well be a mistake to think "ill never use 2/3 of the features". If you get a device that can do many things well, you may find many of those things are useful in ways you didn't anticipate. One of the most important parts of making a GPS really useful, is to be able to connect with your computer and use it to manipulate waypoints, tracks, and routes, to improve their "usefulness" to you in many ways. I would advise sticking to brands and types that have lots of map options, software choices, and computer OS compatibility. As you grow into what the devices can do, you will find yourself using and enjoying them more than you anticipate in the beginning.

There is a reason the military developed the whole thing. They are very helpful if you ever get very far from roads and vehicles, especially in territory you don't know well. If you never get more than half a kilometer from your truck, you likely won't use much of the system's potential. If you really do hunt on foot, or actually travel in wilderness, they are marvelously helpful.
Click to expand...

I'm coming around to that train of thought myself friend........
 
I bought my first GPS back in 1997 when I was fishing the bass tournament circuit here in Ontario. The units available at the time were limited in capabilities compared to today, yet I still found it a very useful tool. On one occasion, when the weather conditions changed rapidly, my GPS enabled me to get off of Lake Erie and into safe harbour (about a 7 mile run) when visibility was limited to 30 ft or so.
I am now on my third handheld since then (currently using a Garmin GPSMap 62), and keep finding new ways to utilize it to enhance my outdoors experiences. Although I am not very computer savy, I have found that the software that supports the current Garmin units has some very useful and convenient features. We geocache as a family and with this unit I can link and transfer the geocache waypoints, hints, and logs directly to the GPS from the geocaching.com website. With older units I had to manually enter each geocache into the GPS. Not a hunting application, but it has helped to get my stepsons away from the video games and outside more often. They now ask if we are going to geocache even when we head into the city to go to the mall.

I downloaded the Icybus topo map (a map set available for free on the internet and much better than Garmin's pricey topo map set) and have it as my background on the unit. This allows me to see my current location on the map. Very useful when planning a route to my next desired location.
Another very useful application I have found took me a bit to figure out, but proved to end some (at times) rather heated discussions in our hunt camp. To explain, let me first give you a some background on our camp.

I am a member of a camp in central Ontario. The camp has no road access, it is a boat-in location that is not even atv accessible. It was established over 40 years ago on a 99 year lease from the MNR. We have one founding member still hunting and most of the rest are sons of founding members. We have a huge area of rugged cambrian-shield terrain to hunt. Our oldest hunter is 81, and most are over 60 years of age and have hunted there more than 25 years. Traditional hunting areas have changed over the years as previously open areas have grown over etc. Also mobility issues have reduced some members ability to access areas they used to get to, forcing us to develop new areas and techniques to hunt. Only 1 other hunter in our gang carries a GPS (the 81 year old). I found that trying to explain new stand locations to members using hard-copy topo maps and hand drawn diagrams about as successful as pushing a rope uphill.
Here is what I did to help them to "see" what I couldn't explain to them. At home I transposed stand location waypoints from my GPS to the Garmin software on my computer. Then I was able to overlay Google earth imagery onto that software as well. What this did was show the waypoints on the satellite image of our area. I then zoomed in or out as was necessary to get very good overhead photos of the terrain with the waypoints shown right on the image. I then took screen shots of the image and saved them to a usb drive. I took the usb drive into my local Staples store and had them print out the screen shots in colour on their large paper printer. Then I had them laminate them for me. The result was 3 large (approx. 22"x16") colour satellite imagery "maps" with our waypoints printed right onto them, for about $16.
These "maps" sure made explain new spots to the guys much easier as they could see the terrain much easier using these, rather than trying to have them visualize the spots off of a 15 year old topo map.
 
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I carry a compass and a GPS unit -Garmin Montana. It has a relatively large colour screen that I can read without putting on reading glasses. Why - 2 X walking out of thick bush in the dark, first time no compass or GPS and lucky it wasn't that remote so I could walk towards highway noise about 2km out of my way and second time compass only, pitch black night, very thick bush, couldn't see the sky and lost sight of the flagging tape I marked the trail with. Walked 20-30 minutes what should have taken 5 minutes. With the GPS I can see where I am relative to waypoints and map points.
 
Explorist 100. Not the most high tech, no background maps, just a basic gps but it works and I have saved all my spots and have been working on creating trail routes and saving them.
 
Had problems where compasses were unreliable in areas with iron deposits and a map can be mostly useless to orient yourself if you don't have good landmarks.

Garmin Model 60 with Garmin Topo maps and a couple sets of spare batteries, with a backup GPS.

Dan
 
Garmin Etrex Venture with a Portion of TopoCanada.

It lacks the SD card capability, but the on board memory is all I've ever needed.

I use the GPS to mark waypoints so I can find things again. Like when you have to leave downed game to get help. Also when I'm entering new terrain. But even then, it's as backup to my compass. I use the GPS to establish direction, the compass to travel it.

Why? because the compass is simpler, requires less of my attention, and saves GPS batteries. (yeah, I really am that cheap)
 
As of a month or so ago a Garmin 60cx with Ibycus maps. Before that a triton 400 from Magellan with topo maps from mapmagic.ca (this unit is now sitting in a beaver flood.

I also carry a compass and a good map if I can find it. This year I experimented with google maps on my galaxy s2. Download the maps aheaed of time and you don't need cell service to view them. However I am leery of losing my phone or wrecking it, especially after doing the same to my gps this season.

Seen a lot of guys in this thread saying all you need is a map and compass and a gps isn't as skillful etc. My view is that I will take every reasonable measure to ensure my and my party's safety. Mark your starting point on the gps and then use the map and compass if you want. I do. The more options and ways you have to get where you are going safely the better.

On a fishing note, I find a gps way more accurate for marking good holes and obstacles than a map and compass.
 
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