GPS while hunting ! What do you use and why?

Never did use a compass, let alone a GPS. I guess that I was gifted from God with a great sence of direction...........where in the hell did I park my truck, darn Walmart parking lots are just to big!
 
I use a Garmin 76CSX, I like it a lot due to the color maps, and the fact that it floats. I use it in the bush, on my boat and my motorcycle and it does everything I need and more. I also always carry a compass usually my 25 y/o Silva Ranger, but sometimes just a baseplate Silva, I think it's a Polaris.

Try as I might I can't teach the wife to use a GPS, so I bought her the Backtrack GPS, at least she can find her way back to the truck when she goes out hunting alone.
 
I got an Explorist 210 and the screen crapped out on me before I even figured out all the features. I'll never buy another Magellan product again.

I went back to the same thing I've been using for the previous 45 years; a compass.
 
iPhone 4S with all the hunting apps . You can drop a pin save contact point text your currant pin location to the rest of the group and within minutes see the hole group on the map .
Range finder , ballistics calculator , wind meter
Altimeter, thermometer , video . The days of GPS are gone
 
Tikkam65 said:
iPhone 4S with all the hunting apps . You can drop a pin save contact point text your currant pin location to the rest of the group and within minutes see the hole group on the map .
Range finder , ballistics calculator , wind meter
Altimeter, thermometer , video . The days of GPS are gone
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Theres no cell phone service where I hunt. a compass is neccessary and a GPS is sure handy.
 
I use a compass, and my GPS is a Magellan 610. It works pretty good and has a Canadian topo map in it, plus has a camera, video, I can talk to it and record messages, plus a lot of other features. Its great with the map in it because you can see where the water and big hills are, whereas my old one didn't show that. The only negative is that it eats batteries compared to my old one, but as long as you carry a spare set your fine.
 
Wired leader said:
Try reading it in the dark...unless you have a flashlight. Oh ya, you need batteries for that.
Good luck!


I was able to find my way out of some thick bush at night once thanks to my gps.
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Well some glow in the dark... you can use moon light to see if your not deep in tree cover but if your in tree cover and it's that dark moving around just might get you hurt.
 
haha49 said:
if your in tree cover and it's that dark moving around just might get you hurt.
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You are right about that.. I tripped on something and landed on a small broken stump. Hurt for a couple of days, left a good bruise and lost a pair of glasses, but I did make it out.
Always carry a flashlight now, no matter what.
 
Like many others in this post, I learned with a map, compass, and MK.I eyeball in the military. A buddy gave me a Bushnell Backtracker as a gift and it's absolutely marvelous! As opposed to compass and map; you don't have to set the annual mean declination, you don't have to worry about low light, you can set several way points, and you don't have to worry about magnetic influence and deviation. Sure batteries can die which is why a smart person carries a spare set. You can also lose a compass, or a map. Last year, for the first time, I could push unfamiliar terrain for my buddy instead of him pushing for me, and all due to the backtracker. As a traditional trained carpenter, I know how to use all the hand tools, but when I have the option of using power tools over hand tools, guess which ones win? That's exactly how I feel about the new technology. It's great to know how to use low tech, but why walk when you can ride?
 
another point I like is I have a topo map for my entire province that cost me 100 bones. Could not buy paper topos of the whole province for that kind of money...and they never get crease lines

BTW Love that last line Lawrence !!
 
:dancingbanana:
rral22 said:
Any hunter who thinks GPS is just a gimmick knows nothing about GPS. I've used GPS of one kind or another for canoe tripping, hiking, and hunting for over 12 years now, and I would never go anywhere seriously wild without one. A spare set of batteries is prudent, and a map and compass are necessities still, but I have saved myself many, many miles of effort by using a GPS, and I have been able to set off into country I did not know at all with complete confidence I could meet my friends at agreed upon spots at will. I currently use a 60csx with the Ibycus topo maps. Great combination.

WHAT YOU SAID ALL DAY LONG!!!



Learn to use a good Mapping GPS and you will never give it up. Never depend entirely on any electronic device, however, and always have a map and compass, and the skills to use them.
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Keep in mind that not all GPS units are created equal. The better units have higher sensitivity receivers that deal with signal attenuation due to overhead forest canopy.

The latest innovation are dual system-capable units that access both the US and Russian (GLONAS) satellite constellations at the same time.
More satellites means more chances for the receiver to "see" overhead satellites between the branches, and faster signal acquisition times.
(for faster location fixes).

Non-exclusive example of this latest generation is the Garmin etrex 20.

ht tps://buy.garmin.com/en-CA/CA/on-the-trail/handheld/etrex-20/prod87771.html
 
I guess I have a foot in each world - traditional and modern technological. I have hunted in the same general area for 50 years, so getting "lost" is hard to do. I can, however, still get mixed up in directions. I have never used a compass while hunting, and have only carried my GPS because I am interested in how all the features work.

I like the "cookie crumb" feature. Two of my lifelong buddies got lost, more mixed up I guess, in the bush in Northern Saskatchewan a few years back. They both thought their compasses were wrong! They continued on until they came to a trail or cut line they both recognized, and got straightened around. Scared the crap out of the both of them.

I got mixed up a few years ago, on a chunk of land that I have hunted on for many years. I had crossed a fence into an area I hadn't been on, got muddled up and was able to figure my way out when I caught sight of some huge old evergreens at an old cemetery. It was closing in dark and snowing rather heavily. I was actually reasonably close to some farm yards, within a mile or two, so I wasn't in danger. :redface:

I find it rather odd that people take a nice new GPS out, have the batteries die, and never use it again.
 
I wear one of these so my wife can find me in case I make a few wrong turns...

Gps-Dog-Collar.gif




:)
 
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