GPS for hunting...what to get

[bloodhound]

About 10 years ago for Christmas my wife bought me a Garmin E-Trex Legend GPS. She was concerned because 99% of my hunting is done alone and in the mountains between 9500 & 11,000 feet.

I used the GPS every time I was out...cool info and I was able to mark hunting areas and spots where I found game. One time I used it to re-locate decoys and gear while turkey hunting a new area....I got busy following a Tom and lost my way back to my original set....hit "Back Track" and the GPS took me to my gear and to the truck.

Last Spring, I had it and other gear in my 4Runner and a group of kids went through the neighborhood and broke into about a dozen vehicles...all SUV/trucks and took what they wanted. They got 2 sets of binos and a spotting scope and my GPS and my CDs and.....The police recovered some of the items from the spree, but none of my stuff. they caught 2 of the kids but nothing else came of the investigation.

So now, after hunting a season without the GPS, I want to get another one....technology is better and new...and my wife is all about getting me one for Christmas...but there are many options.

Do you use one and what do you like?

 

[ronlaughlin]

What i like is the topo maps that can be installed in my gps. When hunting, i dislike walking back to the truck on the same path that got me here. Studying the map shows a good way to circle back without encountering cliffs, and such. Yes i do this a lot; i hunt new country much of the time.

Another feature that is useful to me is the electronic compass. Years past found me carrying the gps, and a compass, but now a compass is not necessary.

Last week, i shot a deer a long way away from the truck, and didn't want to carry the deer through the ravines i had hunted through. The gps showed me a way to walk back to the truck that was kinda flat. The next morning i pushed a cart to the deer using near the same path i walked out the previous day. The deer was loaded, and hauled to the truck on the cart, without having to go through many steep spots.

In my gps there a maps loaded that show walk in areas leased by fish & game, and state land, and federal land. There is also a map that shows the forest service motorcycle trails, 4 wheeler trails, and truck trails. All the maps in my unit are free downloads.

A unit that has a built in memory, and also accepts micro sd card is a feature that works good for me.

The gps i use, is no longer available for sale. These days a reasonably priced unit that has all the features i find useful, is the Garmin 64s, which can be found for about $220...

 

[Squeeze]

Ive been using a garmin dakota. It really has way more features than i ever use. I would say, as long as it has waypoints is about all I need, and on occasion the tracking feature. No real sense to spend the money for stuff I never use. It has a built in compass, but I use my phone more for that.

 

[willie14228]

If it was me i would go with a in reach or something simulare.
No only do you have GPS but also emergency satillite phone.
check it out, anyone that hunts in woods alone it could be a life saver.

 

[emrah]

I have a Garmin Dakota 20 and I hate it. Not sure what you should get, but don't get that one.

Emrah


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fire Hawk]

Might be too late, but I really like my new Garmin Oregon 600. I bought the OnX map chip for it too. Good battery life and it works quite simply. Very pleased with it and for my purposes. I picked up around Thanksgiving for only $219 at Cabelas.

FH

 

[SteveH]

Likewise might be too late but if you have one, have you considered your iphone? There are tons of nav apps, some specific to hunting, some not, that work fantastic. The screen resolution of a smart phone is far better than the top of the line Garmin and you have a lot more options for chart download. I have been using an app called Motion-X. It cost me 99 cents and has quite a lot of features and chart options. One of the best rated online apps is Gaia. Two of my friends have and say it is great. You can download the USGS charts and navigate right off them. I was too cheap to pay for the app, a whopping $20.

About the only downside to using my Iphone is the battery life, but that can be dealt with by turning off the celualar data and voice in remote areas so basically only the gps function is on. That and I carry a cheap battery charger and I am easily good for a day in the woods.