On a sunny day in the bush, my numer one directional aid is?

John Y Cannuck

John Y Cannuck

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I use the sun itself as my primary directional aid, with my compass as backup for most short distance walks. Some runs let me use the lay of the land, walking along a ridge for example, and I don't even take the compass out for those. A Gps I take if I'm in new territory.

Have you noted details in your hunting area like.

all the ridges run the same direction from X to Y, and which way that is?
It's NE to SW in my area. That can be a big help if you find yourself out there without navigating gear some day.
 
never thought of it but I have a digital compass watch and a gps and a compass and know the area I hunt like the back of my hand :D


and if I thought I may get lost I would take foxer then I would have somebody to blame and kick around ...and gather firewood :lol:
 
Garmin has those GPS units with built in FRS 2-way radios... I think I need to get a pair for my Dad and I! I know the WMA's we hunt are well-mapped by Conservation, and the software is available to upload into the units. I should know, because I fix their computers for them!

EDIT: I'm never without a compass, either. But it's normally in my backpack unless I need it...
 
and if I thought I may get lost I would take foxer then I would have somebody to blame and kick around ...and gather firewood
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:evil:

I personally rely on the fact that moss always grows on the north side of bone-collector's butt. :lol:
 
I lock in the GPS numbers for the truck and then I'll make waypoints if I take drastic changes in direction.

Other than that, I've been hunting an area this year that is straight up and down, you'd have to be a complete ####tard to get lost... :wink:
 
Your number 1 directional aid is your brain coupled with your field skills.

Always have a compass (preferably a Silva 15TD), know how to use it properly, know the declination of the area you are in and adjust your compass for it (or know how to do this correct this manually).

A compass doesn't weigh much and it is your most important piece of kit in the bush.

Be aware that after 5 or 10 years of use especially with hard knocks, the needle in your compass will de-magnetize and may become un-reliable. I had an old Silva TD 15CL die on me in the rainforest jungle of Central Panama. I had to deadhead back to my dropoff point for my chopper pickup :(

Now I replace all of my navigational compasses after 5 seasons.

A 1:50k topo map plus a smaller scale 1:250k map for triangulation is essential.

GPS's are great. I use them all the time. They can run out of batteries, break, get lost, don't work with thick canopy, steep topography or white surfaces nearby (like limestone cliffs - causes signal multiplexing). Don't depend on them 100%.

Know the general direction of the main road/trail/drainage/ridgeline that will take you back to your vehicle/camp/pickup point.

If you know your general position with respect to the main road, you can run a line with your compass at right angles to it and eventually you'll be safely at the road.

Eg. Main road with truck runs NE. I am east of the road. Set compass to a NW bearing and go for it. Easy peasy.

Gatehouse: I have walked a lot of miles in the bush and I got turned around once hunting in NW Ontario just as the sun was going down. It happens. When I realized that I had not hit the trail I expected I sat down for 5 minutes, calmed myself, figured out the bearing I needed to follow and did the old walk perpendicular to the main trail trick and got back to the trail within 45 minutes.

Of course I had my compass, a small flashlight and a space blanket so if worst came to worst I would be OK.
 
I just cannot abide by those horrible little battery infested gadgets for bush walks...I am old school and I carry a map, compass, watch(wind-up), and I count my paces.

All of my maps have thin differently coloured lines with averaging distances in both meters and paces that tell of all my different walks out back including date/time indicators.

I wonder what you guys do when you forget to check the batteries before heading out and your little gadgets die in the bush leaving you helpless to the elements :?

:wink: A little orienteering and survival courses never hurt anyone...only go where you are familiar or else take a guide...bravado is what gets you in trouble in the bush :D When you have to stop to ask directions just remember that trees don't talk back and the animals don't speak english. :shock:
 
Gatehouse made a point about Up or Down.
Even in the Ontario north, that can sometimes be a good clue. If you get in the trough between two ridges,and head down hill, you may come to a lake, and that will likely have a cottage :roll: , and a road.

Some years ago, we had a guy from another camp come wandering out to one of our guys. He'd been lost for most of the day. He had been wandering back and forth between two lakes on one ridge. He was exhausted, and he claimed there were "hundreds" of ridges in there. Obviously, he never sat down and figured out where he was. The area where he walked has several high points where you can see the entire lake, lined with cottages.
First thing he wanted coming out was a drink of water..... well, NO, he wanted a smoke. :roll:
 
Some people shouldn't be in the bush and would be best served staying home until they take a few courses or at the very least follow instruction from trustworthy friends that are bush-knowledgeable :wink:

I don't know how many times I have come across wandering idiots out back...even here where I live it isn't that far from ATV trails and a power line, yet idiots still get lost. They figure that because they are close to "civilisation" that somehow it is almost impossible for them to lose themselves.

There are black bears all over this area and just last week a neighbour down the road had to shoot and kill a charging griz(it happens, although rarely). We had just seen that griz walk through our landlord's oat field the day previous.

So many unarmed numbskulls...only food for the bears.

BTW...do you know how to tell the difference between griz scat and black bear scat?







The griz scat has those little bells and pepper spray in it...hint hint :wink:
 
I hunt pretty civilized areas for the most part... but I have spent a foggy morning walking circles in a 40 acre swamp :oops:
I have actually cell-phoned the house and told my g/f to blow a fox 40 off the back deck so I could get my bearings. :lol:
 
I carry a map and compass for regular woods trips, but I mostly avoid getting lost by studying the map prior to heading out. From there, I just keep an eye.

Even knowing the land, you can get spun around pretty well in close country while hunting rabbits with dogs, then time to pull out the compass for the walk back.

I use a GPS to 'confirm' my position quickly if 'geographically confused', more to save time usually, or in case of bad weather/darkness.
 
geologist said:
Gatehouse: I have walked a lot of miles in the bush and I got turned around once hunting in NW Ontario just as the sun was going down. It happens. When I realized that I had not hit the trail I expected I sat down for 5 minutes, calmed myself, figured out the bearing I needed to follow and did the old walk perpendicular to the main trail trick and got back to the trail within 45 minutes.

Of course I had my compass, a small flashlight and a space blanket so if worst came to worst I would be OK.
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The area that I am speaking about is on the Fraser River. You are eithger above or below the road. My LEH tag is for below the road, so if you cant' find your way from the river to the road then you are a complete ####tard.

The absolute worst thing that could happen is that you don't know if your truck is left or right on the road. Walk less than a km in any direction, and you'll see a KM marker. You should be able to figure it out then. :wink:

I suppose you could fall down a ravine, too, but we are taslking about getting lost, not losing your footing. :D
 
Gatehouse

The area that I am speaking about is on the Fraser River. You are eithger above or below the road. My LEH tag is for below the road, so if you cant' find your way from the river to the road then you are a complete ####tard.
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I agree with the above.

However, remember that a lot of bush in Canada is very flat, without significant topo or drainages to orient yourself.

Northern Ontario and Quebec are like that.

In the Labrador Trough the bush is so thick that even though we had recent B&W stereo airphotos, portable stereoglasses and 1:50000 topo maps, often we were unsure of our exact locations during long traverses (5-10 miles as the crow flies).

This was in the 70's. No GPS. We would tie in the traverse whenever we got to high ground and could triangulate our position or until we saw a topo feature we could distinguish ie curve in drainage, bay in lake, prominent hill etc.

Trust me in flat topo on a cloudy day, anyone, even a pro can get turned around. It's what you do after you're turned around, ie to think your way out of the situation that distinguishes the guys with good fieldcraft from the idiots.

Idiots should stay in sight of the road. Most of them know this and do. the ones that don't....well Search and Rescue will be alerted :lol:
 
And rule #1 ... If you ever find yourself truely "lost", don't make it worse for yourself by keeping moving around aimlessly and thus forcing potential rescue to track a moving target, stay put, light a small fire (preferably one that smokes alot), make a small shelter, and wait. As for myself I rarely (make that never) get off the roads, wheelchairs and bushes don't mix ya see :wink:. But I did ride around on an ATV as a kid, the sun and a good watch is all I ever needed to know what direction a landmark was (road or river).
 
Never thought about it, have a GPS all times, never used it to hunt though, do a ton of hiking, but never had any trouble getting lost despite being about as smart as a jelly filled doughnut. I may be the one you read about some day.
 
I just wander around teh bush for weeks on end till I find my way out :lol:

Actually I use the sun a lot but have a compass for backup, maps are good if its a new area but if its an old map :roll: things may have changed. I have used a lot ot GPS for work but never got around to buying my own so now I don't have one anymore. If you know your stars night Nav is not that hard, but like the sun if there are clouds/fog your screwed.

Basic minimum a good compass, and a sketch/map of some sort.
 
If its sunny i use the sun. If i know the area i use nothing. If i dont know the area i turn on my gps. If my gps doesnt work i can use my compass wherever the hell it is . :shock:
 
When the great frontiersman , Davey Crockett was first elected to congress a reporter interviewed him and among the questions asked was , Davey , you are the greatest of outdoorsmen but tell me , have you ever been lost in the wilderness ? Davey pondered the question for a moment and then replied , no , but i've been turned around for a week or two . :D

I coulda swore the road was right over here . :(
 
Gatehouse said:
Other than that, I've been hunting an area this year that is straight up and down, you'd have to be a complete ####tard to get lost... :wink:
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Geologist:

You must have a comprehension problem today. :?

Read my first post again. I've made bold the relevant part.

I was referring to a specific spot where I have been hunting this year.

I thought that was pretty clear to anyone, but I suppose not, as you are now talking about Labrador. :shock:

Much of northern BC is pretty flat, too. And there are thick swamps and thick forests, places that you can't see landmarks very well etc in every part of Canada.

So , the smart guy will get some navigation aids and learn how to use them.

Of course, I wasn't speaking about any of these places when I made my post about where I was hunitng this year


But for some reason, you keep talking to me as if I have never been anywhere without a road. :?

Some kids get taught at an early age how to use orientation skills and tools in the bush to find thier way. Some of these kids also learn survival skills so that they could stay alive and stay reasonably comfortable, too. :wink:




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