GPS for Hunting

[ThePlinkster]

Hey guys

I hope that everyone is well

I hope that everyone spent a pleasant Christmas with their loved ones after what has been a trying year

I'm just about to get into hiking/hunting very soon
I'm looking at buying a GPS for it
(so that I don't get lost, so that I can easily get back to the car etc)

So far, from the research that I have done, I seem to be leaning towards the "Garmin eTrex 22x"
I was wondering if anyone here would recommend the "Garmin eTrex 22x" or if you guys would recommend something else instead?

The other question that I also had was;
Is there a GPS on the market (that you guys know of) where you can upload GMA/DELWP/More To Explore hunting maps straight into the GPS?
This way you can make sure that where you are is definitely in a state forest where hunting is definitely allowed based on your exact live location?
Is there such a GPS on the market?

I look forward to hearing everyone's feedback/recommendations about this

Thank you

[Blr243]

I have exp with Garmin gps units. I Much prefer them to Magellan....it’s worth becoming very familiar with them prior to needing them in the bush at night when u are lost. I have a couple of the small Garmin e models Once at Goondiwindi at night I was trying to return to camp and I had camp location marked but I could not get it to work so I ended up useing the stars and it took me longer than ideal to get back to camp. ....it was all because my screen was zoomed out to the max showing entire Australia and because of lack of practice with the Unit. Definitely my fault not the equipment.......having it in your pack does not save you from doom and disaster , having it and knowing how to use it will serve u well. Another time a couple of months ago I was hunting in the dark and real thick bush and overcast I could not see the stars. I found myself wandering in circles like a true amateur.....so I dug my gps out of my mini back pack. They are so bloody good when u get yourself in a bit of strife in the dark

[Blr243]

For me , gps units that incorporate mapping is more useful on real big screens. I don’t like to carry big units

[Blr243]

I might also add that for a long time my geographic skills in the bush were never real good .....and as soon as I started to use gps a lot my skills got even worse. Rely on it too much and your original skills fade.....then if the tech fails when u need it most you become a wandering piece of meat hoping for the best

[Larry]

Ozi explorerer is a great program I have been using it for years all over the world exploring places off the beaten track. Takes a bit of learning and preparation but for use with Topo maps nothing is better.

[JimTom]

Mate Garmin in general is quite intuitive. I’d recommend one of those models. Mine is a few years old, being the gps 65 I think from memory.

[ThePlinkster]

Blr243;
Yeah
I already looked up a few demos on how to use the garmin handheld devices
I have some basic knowledge on how to use them based on the tutorials that I have seen so far
I agree with you also
I also don't like big units
I will try to be as light as possible
That's why I don't wanna get something too big as well
As the bigger units tend to be heavier too

Larry;
Thank you for the recommendation of "Ozi Explorer"
I will look into it

JimTom;
Yeah
I heard and read that Garmin's are generally known to be the best on the market in terms of handheld GPS devices
Are you happy with your Garmin GPS JimTom?
Has it served you well?

[JimTom]

Mate I can’t really fault it for what it is. Of course a bigger screen would be nice however it kind of defeats the purpose then of being pocket size. I have messed with Magellan’s and Personally I think the Garmin is the go. Just so easy to use mate.

[bladeracer]

I have avoided GPS, but decided to play with it earlier this year, mainly to be able to very easily send my location to other people.

I downloaded Avenza and a stack of maps from GetLost to use on my phone. It would be worth downloading it just to practice with.
The map pack is "Getlost Maps Donation Bundle 3 - Vic Centre East 25k". I paid $10 for the 74 maps, but you can also download them for free from the site. About 6gb from memory so best to let it download overnight. It says they've updated the maps to V14D - clearer tracks, better satellite, AAWT added. I think it wants another donation of $10 to download the updated maps, which I'll do tonight.

Going from paper and compass to an electronic gadget was a bit of a leap, but I managed to get there, with help from this forum. It's probably more intuitive for people that regularly use touch-screen phone apps.
I quite like it, mainly for its ease of use as it's mainly set and forget. Touch the "button" to start recording, shut the screen off, put it away, and it will track your movements on the map until you tell it to stop. If you do walk through somewhere out of satellite view it will record a straight line between where it lost you and found you again.

While the GPS will probably work when there's no phone signal, I haven't worked out any way of actually sending my location to anybody without having a phone signal.

[JimTom]

Remember the Spot 3 we spoke about in another thread mate. Works off sat network instead of phone network. Of course a sat phone would fix that too.

[flashman]

Yer got one a Gamin Trex .....take it with me only as a back up im old school compass and map ...

[JimTom]

GPS handy for marking water etc when chasing oinkers etc, I don’t use it so much for actual navigation, however it will Prevent geographical embarrassment.

[Oldbloke]

Why bother?
Are you going into very rough, isolated country or fringe areas within 4 or5 k from car?
A4 map and compass and google maps.

[Member-Deleted]

Garmin are good.

I have a Foretrex wrist mount that I use in the bush. It’s much more basic but it’s light and waterproof and bloody rugged. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve stacked my trail bike while wearing it and it’s still going strong.
I’ve even had it mounted in a RC airplane and crashed that and it’s still going

Maybe take a 4wd map with you of the area mate as well. Just the normal ‘rooftops’ brand ones. They will show you forest boundary’s and many other useful things like landmarks etc and are gridded with long/lat coordinates to use with the gps. It’s always a good backup to have a map... and get it laminated so it won’t go soggy in the rain.

I wouldn’t go out in the bush without either. I can use a compass but not with much confidence as it’s not something I practice.

Always plan for the worst that say
Emergencies can happen quickly in the bush sometimes you need to exit fast or tell someone precisely where you are instantly. That’s the beauty of gps

[Blr243]

Ther has been times in the dark or daytime very overcast when I hav been very tired an just want to get back to camp with minimum Effort and thinking ...that’s when a gps is a godsend

[JimTom]

Ther has been times in the dark or daytime very overcast when I hav been very tired an just want to get back to camp with minimum Effort and thinking ...that’s when a gps is a godsend

Absolutely.

[Blr243]

27 yr ago when I bought my first it was over 700 bucks and double th size an W eight of current small versions. And I think they were only cababl of tracking 8 satellites. I think 12 is th norm now. They ar also more accurate now

[animalpest]

We - my staff and I - use Garmin eTrex extensively in the bush every day. Simple and robust for everyday use and highly recommend them.

[ThePlinkster]

JimTom;
Yeah I have seen a few tutorials on the Garmin's
I was very happy about how easy they seem to be to use
I liked what I saw
I like simplicity
I wouldn't have time for anything too complex
I would just wanna use it quickly with ease of use

BladeRacer;
If you want a handheld GPS that easily sends your location to other people
I think the Garmin inReach Explorer Plus does exactly just that
I think it does it very well and very much with ease BladeRacer
(From the tutorials that I have seen online)
They're a little dear
But they do exactly what you're after I think

Flashman;
Yeah
For me, I'm gonna use my GPS as my primary source of navigation
Whilst keeping the map and compass as my backup
With a:
- handheld GPS (With spare batteries)
- map
- compass
- hiking friends tagging along with me
I reckon I'll be right to start with/to get into it
Which is peace of mind, so that's good

Oldbloke;
I will be hiking all day long essentially Oldbloke
I wanna be able to hike all day, go wherever I want to go, without having to worry much about how to get back to the car
Hence why I thought that a handheld GPS would be perfect for me
(The "mark waypoint" feature would do just that)
I will still be cautious
I will still be using a map and compass simultaneously just in case if somehow the GPS fails
However
Using a handheld GPS, using the "mark waypoint" option that just seems to be so easy and so quick and so practical to use
Can't go wrong with having a precise handheld GPS as extra backup
I plan to go camping with it as well so
I plan to go quick far deep into state forests to be honest

Blr243;
"There have been times in the dark or daytime very overcast when I have been very tired
and I just wanted to just get back to camp with minimum effort and thinking ...that’s when a gps is a godsend"
That is exactly what my thoughts were as well Blr243
Why not use technology to your advantage to make your life easier/simpler
Can't go wrong

Blr243;
Yeah
That's right
From the research that I have done
Garmin GPS's can indicate to you your location within a 5metre margin of error
That's pretty darn good if you ask me
That's definitely accurate enough for me
Can't go wrong I don't think

Animalpest;
Thank you for recommending the Garmin eTrex to me animalpest
I appreciate this a lot
Thank you
From the research that I have done
They did seem to me to be simple, robust, highly effective and practical also
Which Garmin eTrex do you guys use by the way?
The 10, the 22x, the 32x, the touch 25, touch 35 or?

Denno;
That foretrex wrist mount does sound bloody rugged
You're right about that lol
Thank you for the 4wd map recommendation Denno
I was planning to use a map as a backup as well
I like to be very cautious
Yeah
I completely agree with you that it's always good for plan for the worst
I wanna avoid trouble as much as possible
I like the peaceful life that I have right now lol
Dont worry, be happy

[moudzj]

Dont touch the garbage inreach. Biggest waste of $550 ever.

[ThePlinkster]

Dont touch the garbage inreach. Biggest waste of $550 ever.

I also opted against the inReach in the end moudzj
Did you have a bad experience with yours?

[moudzj]

Dont touch the garbage inreach. Biggest waste of $550 ever.

I also opted against the inReach in the end moudzj
Did you have a bad experience with yours?

It does exactly what it lists it does, its just stupid that you cant input your own maps into the device. I purchased it knowing this, and was mostly afer the satelite messaging and SOS, however, it still infuriates me, because im using avenza most of the time.

[Oldbloke]

Plinkster,
You have 3 threads running about,
1. Hunting rabbits in SF
2. GPS for hunting/ hiking
3. What to take for a day or over night hunt.

With all due respect, if you need to ask these questions it sounds like you have NO experience hunting in SF. (Yes, understand your learning)

Crawl before you walk or run.

IMHO.
Get a mentor. Or for the first 10 or so hunts go to areas where there are plenty of roads/tracks or near farms. Learn to use/read a map and compass.

I wouldn't like to hear in a few months that you perished 20k from a track with a broken leg or snake bite..

Oh and rabbits are usually on or near improved pasture. Not deep in the bush miles from anywhere.

P.S. Consider a First Aid course.

[Peter988]

Plinkster,
You have 3 threads running about,
1. Hunting rabbits in SF
2. GPS for hunting/ hiking
3. What to take for a day or over night hunt.

With all due respect, if you need to ask these questions it sounds like you have NO experience hunting in SF. (Yes, understand your learning)

Crawl before you walk or run.

IMHO.
Get a mentor. Or for the first 10 or so hunts go to areas where there are plenty of roads/tracks or near farms. Learn to use/read a map and compass.

I wouldn't like to hear in a few months that you perished 20k from a track with a broken leg or snake bite..

Oh and rabbits are usually on or near improved pasture. Not deep in the bush miles from anywhere.

P.S. Consider a First Aid course.

Exactly what I was getting at when I suggested just a couple hours in the morning. But I was dismissed pretty quick. Only been doing it for over 50 years but what would I know lol.

[ThePlinkster]

Oldbloke;
Yes I have 3x threads running and I don't regret them one bit.

#1
My Hunting Rabbits in SF thread
That thread taught me a lot about rabbit/hare hunting
- having to look for creeks
- having to look for riverbanks
- having to look for forests backing onto cleared farming land
- doing lots of scanning of the areas with binos
- having to develop/fine tune my finding skills
- my finding skills needing to be better than the rabbits'/hares' surviving skills
- having to be strict, focused, walking slowly, stopping, scanning, avoid sloppiness
- rabbits and hares being mainly nocturnal and crepuscular animals
I have learnt A LOT thanks to my Hunting Rabbits in SF thread, A LOT
Not one regret there.

#2
My GPS for Hunting thread
That thread taught me a lot too
It's nice having a chat to the people on here about GPS'
2x weeks ago, I knew nothing about GPS'
2x weeks ago, I knew nothing
Now I know A LOT about GPS', a lot
I found out that a lot of people on here actually are big fans of the Garmin GPS'
(especially the etrex series)
That gave me greater confidence about buying a Garmin GPS for myself
And I did in fact buy my Garmin GPS, just yesterday actually, and I'm very happy with it
Thanks to that thread.
Not one regret there too.

#3
My What to take with you when hunting thread
I think that thread is great too
I think that this thread is freaking awesome actually
We all brainstormed
And we all came up with a great complete list regarding what to take with you when going hunting
I am certain that that thread is gonna be very useful for people who are looking at getting into hunting/hiking in the future
Not one regret there too.
I like helping people
It's a great feeling to help people

You are right, I have no experience in hunting.
Hence why I am asking the questions.
Hence why I started those threads
To inform myself
You are correct.

I can't get a mentor.
No one I know hunts.

I am learning how to use and read a map and compass
You are correct there too
I bought my GPS yesterday and I bought my compass today
I bought my compass this afternoon actually
I have it in my hand right now
Both my GPS and my compass seem to be working well
I am happy about it.

Yes
I am aware that rabbits are usually on or near improved pasture
I learnt that thanks to the hunting rabbits in SF thread that I started.

And yes
I have considered doing a First Aid Course
You are correct there too.

[bladeracer]

I wanted to respond to all three threads, but just haven't been able to sit in front of a computer for long enough recently to do so.

Oldbloke;
Yes I have 3x threads running and I don't regret them one bit.

#1
My Hunting Rabbits in SF thread
That thread taught me a lot about rabbit/hare hunting
- having to look for creeks
- having to look for riverbanks
- having to look for forests backing onto cleared farming land
- doing lots of scanning of the areas with binos
- having to develop/fine tune my finding skills
- my finding skills needing to be better than the rabbits'/hares' surviving skills
- having to be strict, focused, walking slowly, stopping, scanning, avoid sloppiness
- rabbits and hares being mainly nocturnal and crepuscular animals
I have learnt A LOT thanks to my Hunting Rabbits in SF thread, A LOT
Not one regret there.

#2
My GPS for Hunting thread
That thread taught me a lot too
It's nice having a chat to the people on here about GPS'
2x weeks ago, I knew nothing about GPS'
2x weeks ago, I knew nothing
Now I know A LOT about GPS', a lot
I found out that a lot of people on here actually are big fans of the Garmin GPS'
(especially the etrex series)
That gave me greater confidence about buying a Garmin GPS for myself
And I did in fact buy my Garmin GPS, just yesterday actually, and I'm very happy with it
Thanks to that thread.
Not one regret there too.

#3
My What to take with you when hunting thread
I think that thread is great too
I think that this thread is freaking awesome actually
We all brainstormed
And we all came up with a great complete list regarding what to take with you when going hunting
I am certain that that thread is gonna be very useful for people who are looking at getting into hunting/hiking in the future
Not one regret there too.
I like helping people
It's a great feeling to help people

You are right, I have no experience in hunting.
Hence why I am asking the questions.
Hence why I started those threads
To inform myself
You are correct.

I can't get a mentor.
No one I know hunts.

I am learning how to use and read a map and compass
You are correct there too
I bought my GPS yesterday and I bought my compass today
I bought my compass this afternoon actually
I have it in my hand right now
Both my GPS and my compass seem to be working well
I am happy about it.

Yes
I am aware that rabbits are usually on or near improved pasture
I learnt that thanks to the hunting rabbits in SF thread that I started.

And yes
I have considered doing a First Aid Course
You are correct there too.

[Oldbloke]

"
"I can't get a mentor.
No one I know hunts."

Perhaps join a club.

Field and game?

[ThePlinkster]

Peter88;
Yes, you did suggest just a couple hours in the morning.
That is correct
You did do that
And I did take note of it
And I gave it serious thought what you said to me
I haven't forgotten what you recommended to me
If anything, I really appreciated the advice you gave me
I didn't "dismiss you pretty quick" at all
If anything, I actually replied to you every single time
(See evidence here: viewtopic.php?f=70&t=14873)

Moudzj;
Yeah
The fact that the Garmin inReach Explorer Plus
The fact that:
- it doesn't take batteries
- it only has 2gb memory
- it doesn't include "points of interests"
(such as parks, campgrounds, scenic lookouts, picnic sites"
- it doesn't have external memory storage capabilities
- it doesn't have glonass capabilities
Those are the reasons why I chose the Garmin etrex 22 over it
The etrex 22 does all of those things that I have just mentioned above where the inReach doesn't
I'm very happy with my Garmin etrex 22
I have been playing around with it today
It seems to do everything well
I got it on special for $260
I think I made the right choice choosing this one

BladeRacer;
Yeah man
I don't see anything wrong with starting threads, starting conversations, brainstorming ideas
I enjoy putting knowledge on display so that everyone can learn from one another
Knowledge is power
It doesn't matter if you're a new or old hunter
Everyone can learn from one another
And that's pleasant

Oldbloke;
Thank you for recommending Field and Game to me OldBloke
I will look into it
Lucky I started this thread so that you could comment on it recommending Field and Game to me!

[animalpest]

We use the 62s model. They are perfect for us.

We use them for setting trail logs and GPS everything from the location of baits, traps, cameras and various points of interest.