Armored farmer
Member
Cheap compass is pinned to the shoulder strap of my hunting bibs.
What navigation tech are you using?
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cheygriz
member
If I lived in the flatlands, a GPS would be of limited value due to the forest canopy blocking the signal.
TOPO maps would be virtually useless as well.
Learning to use a compass, and dead reckoning would probably be your best bet.
Much of navigation is common sense. If I park my truck on a logging road that runs north and south, them enter the woods in a westerly direction, all I need to do if lost is head east. I might not get right exactly to the truck, but I will get to the road the truck is parked on.
TOPO maps would be virtually useless as well.
Learning to use a compass, and dead reckoning would probably be your best bet.
Much of navigation is common sense. If I park my truck on a logging road that runs north and south, them enter the woods in a westerly direction, all I need to do if lost is head east. I might not get right exactly to the truck, but I will get to the road the truck is parked on.
RedlegRick
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Where I hunt I get good phone service, but I tend to use the map I have of the area and my old Scout compass just so I don't totally lose the skill. And to be honest, you'd have to really try to get lost in there, even as thick as it is.
Patocazador
Member
Me too. It usually comes in handy when shooting a deer from high in a tree with an arrow. Take a compass reading of the last spot you see him by glancing down at the ball compass. When you get down on the ground, things look a lot different. It will lead you to the blood trail without searching in circles.
Armored farmer
Member
In the dark, looking for blood trails in the little circle if light from a flashlight can get you really lost in your own woods.
MCgunner
Member
See, that's why I really prefer to bow hunt in the morning. I HATE tracking in the dark. Only thing, if a rifle doesn't kill DRT, you won't get the blood trail that you get with an arrow (or bolt in my case).
Armored farmer
Member
I know. I hate it too. I swear between the bifocals and the inability to see in the dark, i step on every stick in the woods.
splattergun
Member
My GPS goes with me on most trips, but it doesn't work real well in the trees, but my compass always works. I always have one when I leave the truck off-highway, as are a knife, a fire starter and other emergency items.... even if it's only a short day hike.
How about a zooming, lens flashlight? Mine goes from a spot to approximately 120° flood and illuminates surroundings pretty well. Then again, if I ever need to track a blood trail in the dark I've already screwed up royally...
Most apps don't need cell service to work, just a view of the sky for the gps sats.
Armored farmer
Member
Ive got 3 boys. Those late night blood trails weren't always mine, but i have had a few.
Back in tne days of foster slugs and brass bead sights, it was pretty common to track a poorly shot deer.
Slug guns and sabots hgave come a long way. And...so have flashlights. Those adjustable beam models are a huge improvement.
I thought they still triangulate off multiple cell towers.
Mauser lover
Member
The GPS navigational apps use the GPS in your smartphone. If you don't have cell service, you will have to be using some sort of app with downloadable maps. Otherwise (like Google maps when not downloading the maps), you need both cell service for your web data and the view of the sky for the GPS.
JeffG
Member
Moon and stars, the sun and a lensatic compass with glow in the dark dials.
MCgunner
Member
Jeez, a REAL mountain man, doesn't even carry a flashlight to check out his compass dial.
Yeah, don't rely on tech, I guess. Jim Bridger didn't have a flashlight and if he did, he couldn't have gotten batteries for it.
cheygriz
member
Another little trick if you're hunting in the mountains.
Go downhill! sooner or later you'll cross a stream. Follow the stream down and sooner or later you'll cross a road. When you're on a road, you're not lost anymore.
Go downhill! sooner or later you'll cross a stream. Follow the stream down and sooner or later you'll cross a road. When you're on a road, you're not lost anymore.
<*(((><
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@cheygriz has good points that common sense can go a long ways in not getting yourself lost. I live in the wide open west along with the rugged rocky's where landmarks to get a compass bearing on are a dime a dozen, however in the dense woods of the east, having some common sense and understanding terrain/roads off a map and orientation of said terrain/roads one can get themselves in the ballpark of their final destination with very little technology.
GPS's are very nice when scouting, returning to deceased game, marking game trails, fishing spots in low water seasons, where camp/truck is, etc. But they should not be a substitution for common sense and orienteering skills. There are some pretty nice Garmin GPS watches out there that are a minimalist approach to GPS that allows one to mark individual locations, and simple bread crumb tracking. I've strongly considered such a watch as it would be nice to mark areas when scouting, hiking, etc. And one can upload waypoints and bread crumb trails to a computer at a later date.
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dh1633pm
Contributing Member
Garmin GPS, gps watch, compass, and VFR. The Garmin has excellent battery life, and a spare is not out of the question. The GPS watch is for emergencies since when using the battery life goes fast. Compass is nice since it doesn't need batteries, but it only points one way.
<*(((><
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The reviews on the Garmin GPS watches (Fenix 5x and Tactix Charlie) people say one can get 2-3 days on the GPS when on the lessor accuracy settings. I think how I would use one would be to place "pin locations" at camp, any game trails, vantage points, or other POI., and then utilize the azimuth orientation on the watch to gain a bearing periodically to said POI. And if one wants to use the bread crumb tracking which takes more battery, with these new battery banks one can get several full watch charges out of a battery bank the size of an Iphone, for extended trips, and with solar charging the battery bank while away can lengthen that.
I'm always hesitant in embracing technology too much, but with that apprehension one knows that it should be an additional tool and not something that one ultimately relies solely on.
The Garmin GPS watches that seem really rugged and fit the bill for my uses are the Garmin Fenix 5x ($500) and the Tactix Charlie ($600). Which are pricey to say the least but they do more than just GPS, they are a smart watch for other items (fitness tracking, weather, etc.). For me I feel with the preloaded topo maps on these watches they would provide me with my GPS needs apart from my use of local maps and compass.
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