Suggestions? Techno Gear...

[dust_101]

Greetings all,

For the last year or so I've been reading, and searching, and taking safety courses, and getting ready to go out hunting. Finding a mentor has been slow going, so I may very well be going myself. Private property has been very hard to locate, but there is some state land that abuts to a private campgound where I can get a cabin opening weekend.

My thought is now going towards a piece of hunting/hiking equipment that I may need to invest in. A GPS.

Has anyone bought a GPS for hunting/hiking in area they are not familiar with enough to just "know" where they are while out walking. If so, what did you like or not like about it, and what would you recommend?

I've used a compass to find my way in woods before, and a topo map, but the state land I'm looking at is difficult enough even with tried and true tools. So looking for some pointers, or thoughts on the GPS.

 

[EatBugs]

Oh yeah! Get a GPS! They don't work as well under heavy cover in the summer months but I never have a problem in the winter months when the leaves are down. They can get a bit tricky in canyons and steep valleys but only if you are tying to find a certain spot like a geocache. I use mine alot for any type of hunting or fishing. Hunted last year for the first time and used it to find my truck and to mark were the deer was shot, where the deer was found and other likely hunting spots for the next year. Interesting to see your path and other info on the screen. I have a Garmin 12XL and I love it. I still take a compass and map with me because the GPS can only tell where your going when your moving and sometimes that takes a bit. I actually ran out of batteries while squirrel hunting and had to resort to compass and map(don't leave the unit on during the entire hunt )

In the off season I love to go geocaching. ( geocaching.com ) You get or download coordinates off this website and then find the caches that contain a log book and small objects than can be as useless a 25cent plasic toy to finding a new in box GPS unit. "use a multi billion dollar technology to find little trinkets in the woods." Fun and addicting for the entire family. Geocaching also leads to finding parks and public lands you never knew existed. Next thing you know, you will be hiding caches of your own .

I don't think it matters what model you get. Just get one that has the features and a price you like. I prefer Garmin