How many of you have GPS for hunting?

[Tahoe]

I'll post my story as to why I'm buying one later.

[hknut]

I have one and still learning the ropes.

[Capt Charlie]

A must have item, IMO, but definitely not something you can take out of the box and use immediately. Before you even attempt to use it in earnest, plan on spending a couple of weeks practicing with it first. They're not for the technologically challenged :D .

[raymond-]

have been using them for about 10 yrs....when I'm flying, when mountain
climbing, when driving. great to have. but you should shop for the features
so that you maximize for your purposes.

- an street detail, moving map unit will be worthless in remote areas
- a car version will be poor performer in the air
- a basic (non-moving map) unit is almost primative in metro areas

but i've also found that i use the smallest GPS when in the mtns and prefer,
by far, to use mechanical altimeter + topo map + compass first

[FirstFreedom]

I want to hear this story of you getting lost. :)

[dead-eye-ked]

at first I used to laugh at the techno hunter, I used to go out w/ a T, Blue jeans, and a gun and take game. BUT I keep a GPS on me now as part of standard gear...

When it really works is when you are in marsh and duck hunting all day. and you have been walking all day, retrieving birds, and are beat, and sun is going down, and all the cat tails look the same.. With the GPS you know where you are, exactly where the truck is, and the fastest way back, and your tracks you used to come in ( where the road is )..

2 things to note.. 1) I got a water proof / rugged version. I got the mono screen but I suppose color could be nice also. and 2) TURN OFF SOUNDS.. lol last thing you need is to be tracking deer, or anything, and have the silly thing going *Beep* on you.

also when you are deer hunting.. they are so nice.. you know where camp is, truck is, where you shot from, can re-trace steps. and know where you took shot, and use it to track game after the kill.. also they are so nice when you travel you know where food is, gas is, and can find things fast. I got a Garmin, but I am sure others are nice too. I just know I DO NOT hunt with out one now. When Duck hunting it can slip in your blind bag, or a coat pocket, and no one can see it. no one can hear it when you keep audio off, and you will know it is worth every penny when you know that camp is 250 yards north, instead of climbing a hill or a tree to figure out where you are. or walk around aimlessly..

[rwilson452]

Mostly I don't need it but I might need it. I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[Pointer]

GPS?

The one I need costs $300 :(

The one I want costs $500 :mad:

The one I'm not getting is free! :D :D

[30Cal]

If you are considering one that will take topo maps, keep in mind that any scale larger than a USGS sectional isn't really that useful if you're on foot. Most of the Garmin maps (except National Parks) are 1:100,000 and what you need is 1:24,000.

I have a topo map software on the PC and print out maps with Lat/Long grids on waterproof paper that I can use with the GPS.

[nbkky71]

I've got a plain old Garmin eTrex that I take along when backpacking, but it's not my primary means of landNav. I've always been a map & compass kind-of-guy, using the GPS occasionally to verify positions or when I'm really lost.

GPS units are great tools, but I think that folks nowadays have come to depend on them more than they do their own route/wayfinding. I say take a good landNav course.

If you really want to get some practice with your GPS, then look for a local geo-caching treasure hunt around you area.

[R.D.Wheeler]

I have a Magellan. I use the 'go to' feature for finding my stands in the dark. It's usually accurate to within 30 feet. I don't like trail markers and flagging is not allowed where I hunt, so it works well.
Robbie

[bacardisteve]

the only gps i have ever used was in the military. When i go hunting i use a topo and compass. I laminated the topo and use a grease pencil to mark locations. I guess that week long land nav course in survival school really helped cause even in places like Bangor Maine ive never gotten lost.

[Rangefinder]

I have an old Garmin, too. It usually goes in the pack with me just in case I wanna play around with it---see how far from home I am, etc. If I find something interesting I'll mark a waypoint on it. Other than that I really don't use it for navagation, more of a play-toy. If I AM navagating, I still like the topo and compass, the batteries never run out.

[FirstFreedom]

I have one and still learning the ropes.

That's me too. I have hunted only in familiar areas since I bought it last year, so haven't really needed it yet!

[arizona hunter]

I got one last summer (Legend by Garmin). It is pretty basic but already on two occasions got me headed in the right direction and back to camp quickly.

Widh I had bought one years ago!

In my pack I keep extra batteries and still carry a compass.

[claude783]

Well, let's see, I go prospecting in the desert. After finding some "interesting" color and not being able to find that "color" again at a later date, no matter how good of notes I took, I looked into GPS units.,

My first unit I gave to a co-worker to give to his son who was heading to Iraq. The son told his dad that he could have sold it everyday he was over there as the military units were big and bulky.

Now, I have a Magellan Meridian, with a 128 SD chip in , programed with my desert and the L.A. area.

Have a Magellan 300 explorist which my son carries (the small blue one).
I have a Magellan 400 explorist which I am just now getting programed with SD chips.

And for a back up have a Geko which slips isn't much bigger than a cigerett lighter...To really learn how to use these machines, go to the Geocache website and get into the adult's version of hide and seek.

Seems that there are hundred's of "hidden" caches all over the country. You get the clues, go and find the cache and exchange minor items: less than a dollar, but it gets ya out of the house and gives you practice with the GPS.

I would suggest getting one that is WAAs enabled. This will bring you to within 10 feet of your target. My first one (300 brown case) was good with errors to 100 yards. Enough with notes for me to get back to my "color".

[HARDCORE]

I got one a few years ago for hunting on state land. It works great in the open but i found out that if you get in some thick woods, even when the leaves are down your satalite reception will go down. I thought it would be especially good for coon or coyote hunting at night. I remember alot of years ago treeing my first coon and getting turned around in the dark. It took a while to find my truck LOL. After that we stood near the truck till the dogs tree'ed and than i would shoot an asmith toward the dogs with my compass to know which way to come out. Thank god for the good old Marine Corps nav training.LOL

HARDCORE

[springmom]

It's a Garmin eTrex Vista. Unfortunately, the data cable that comes with it (so you can actually download the topo maps it supposedly comes with) is configured only for a serial port, and I have a laptop and thus only USB ports. I have a cable on order from Radio Shack, but I can't use it for anything but just getting familair with its operation until I get the cable.

I agree with Capt. Charlie. It is not for the techno-challenged. Or the faint of heart either. OTOH, having topo maps with me and being able to find my way back out of a bedding area in the SHNF will be terrific.

Springmom, who does wish the screen were brighter and in color....although that would eat batteries too fast

[sparkysteve]

I've had my Garmin etrex Legend for about a year and a half. It's pretty easy to use, but I'm still learning new things every time I use it. I've got topo maps of the US and Canada. Loading them and saving stuff on the computer gets kinda tricky. I'm happy with it. Makes it easy to find my treestand in the dark or back to the cabin. I use it fishing too to mark hot spots and getting back to the boat launch in the dark. I bought the car mount and lighter plug cord and use it in my truck on road trips. Pretty fun little gadget. I can play with it too, when I'm not seeing many deer in the woods to keep myself busy.

[lbenson]

I bought the cheapest one I could find at the time,Garmin Etrex(the yellow one)$99.00.Bought it for elk hunting in Colorado and Utah.It's fun to use.Took me a year on and off to figure it out,I also called Garmin when I couldn't figure out how to get the routes back to #1,they were very helpfull and walked me thru it.I've only needed it once in a whiteout in the mountains...glad I had it.I used it in Canada on the many miles of lakes and to mark fishingholes.Just remember that you have to be moving when using the Etrex,I assume all of them are that way.I still carry the compass,the two together is a real confidence builder.

[DanV1317]

I hike alot at night. Actually i do Geocaching.com. It's like scavenger hunting in the woods. When you do it at night, there is no real way to get around without one. Alot of times i dont know the paths of where i am or if i go off the path, i'm lost. I just can either backtrack my path or see where i am in relation to highways/other roads/trails which i have downloaded into my gps.

check out Geocaching.com if you want to try something fun that allows you to become very good at using your GPS.

I have the Garmin 60csx which has memory chips to download more turn by turn maps. It's driving directions which alert you when to turn and everything. Same as in a nice luxurious car!

[Pointer]

I just broke down and bought a GPS yesterday...

I have a couple of friends who are very knowledgable on GPS...

We all agreed that currently the best way to go is Garmin eTrex Legend Cx

It has all the features, storage, color, compactness, lightness and it uses removeable memory chips which can be downloaded into your PC, Mac or laptop.

The price for all these features, plus carry case, lanyard, USB cable and 12 volt adaptor AND the programs for all the US Geological Survey Topographical Maps, would normally be about $500.

There is a special going at Sportsman's Wherehouse offering all of this at $349 and they will give you a free class on how to use it to your best benefit.

AND Garmin will give you a $50 rebate!!!

So bottom line is $300 for everything! :) ;)

[black bear 84]

I have two, a Garmin XL 12 and a Garmin E-Trex Summit, I'll love them, I also have a map printing sofware of my home state, I like to print the map of the area I am hunting with a UTM grid, and pin point in the map where I am with a roamer.

It comes handy to know exactly how far you are from a tote road when you have a deer down.

At night beats the compass and map (as in the dark you can not triangulate your location, also impossible to do it in the heavy woods)


black bear

[Hoverboy26]

I bought a Garmin eTrex Vista CX just about a month ago, for the upcoming hunting season. I have already taken it on a few trips, and marked key waypoints along the way. It has a color screen and moving map, I love it! I should be pretty good with it by next month. It also has an altimeter, and a barometer, both of which are necessary for flying. I have taken it with me on my street bike with the handlebar attachment, and 12 power cord attached. Compact, easy to carry, easy to read, easy to navigate the menus(once I set them up the way I liked), over all pretty awesome! I got mine for $349 on sale at Cabela's during their Grand Opening, then sent off for my $50 rebate from Garmin.

I also use a full size Garmin unit when I fly helicopters, so I know how reliable and accurate they were before I bought this one. :D

-RC