Handheld GPS

[Tru2Life]

Ya'll use one hunting or just use an app on your smartphone if you ever need a GPS?

 

[TNReb]

Up until now, I've only hunted private land and my phone has worked just fine.

I'm hoping to do some hunting out of state this year (public land) and I would like a GPS to take with me so I'm not depending on cell phone signal and battery. I've been eyeing the Garmin 64s. It pretty much fits what I want, but I don't really want to spend that much money on one!

 

[grolfesst]

I've used a garmin handheld on public land and game preserves it's worked great. On a bigger tracks of land that you are unfamiliar with its great for dropping pins for points of interest like rubs and bedding areas and even trees you think will be great for your climber or hang on. I've also used it boating/ hunting you can use it to nav to a certain entry point once you have marked the point during scouting. in the early mornings when it's still dark and you don't want to be shining light constantly it's worth it. I'm not familiar with any of the apps but my garmin has been very useful along with the desktop app you can even do pre scouting with topos and sat imagery.

 

[catman529]

I'm holding one now, it is an iPhone 6


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[Andy S.]

Part time GPS, iPhone, full time GPS where battery usage will be a factor, Garmin 62 or 64 series. You can't go wrong with any Garmin products, whether it's for woods, auto or boat.

 

[Tru2Life]

What app catman529


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[catman529]

What app catman529


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Trimble and Antler Insanity


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[huntncoach]

Use my old Magellan GPS when I need it. Most,y when hunting new stsnd/area and don't know my way around. Also helps finding stands in the dark without a light

 

[7mminatree]

I use Backcountry Navigator or Trimble on my Android.

 

[Andy S.]

As mentioned above, Trimble GPS Hunt is a good app. I mainly use it to look at topographic maps when I'm in terrain that has substantial elevation relief.

 

[Headhunter]

I'm holding one now, it is an iPhone 6


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me to, what happens when your phone has no service? I carry a garmin, it is great.

 

[Andy S.]

.....what happens when your phone has no service?

The Trimble app mentioned above uses the GPS in your phone to track your location, thus you don't need a cell signal (service) to use it. You do need a cell signal to refresh aerial/topographic images UNLESS you pre-load them beforehand at home over wifi, which is very easy to do, and something I recommend if you suspect you will be in an area without cell coverage. This way your map backdrops (aerials/topo maps) are saved to your phone and the app just updates your location (blue pulsating dot) on the maps as you maneuver.

 

[Wildcat]

I bought an Garmin when they first came out and got a new model when the map software came out.

This gives the name of the land owner and it DOES show the real property lines.

http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/

My cousin had just had his farm surveyed and I took my GPS with the OnXmaps and went to several markers, it was dead on target.

 

[Ironsmith-Jared]

I highly recommend you take a look at OnXMaps! It is extremely accurate with a lot of great features. The coolest thing is that it gives you private and public land property boundaries and land owner information.


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[lightsareout]

I used to use my phone but issues with service and battery drain I picked up a garmin with topo and road maps on it. Definitely worth the money if hunting WMA land

 

[alaska_av8r]

Used iPhone for a long time but got tired of spotty coverage so I got a garmin Montana with satellite imagery and just imported my google earth boundaries, roads, trails stands etc. no more worries.

 

[Andy S.]

....I got a garmin Montana with satellite imagery and just imported my google earth boundaries, roads, trails stands etc. no more worries.

Was that a one time fee for the imagery, or a recurring annual fee? Also, is the imagery ever updated, or are you stuck with the time stamp imagery that you originally purchased? I have never had a need to go this route, but always wondered what the cost of doing business this way was, and what other caveats were involved.

 

[alaska_av8r]

Andy the birds eye imagery is recurring if you want to keep updating imagery, however if you don't want to keep updating the downloaded imagery stays with you, unlike some it doesn't disappear. I believe the fee is $25 year. The imagery stays on your computer in the base camp program (free) provided by garmin.

There are a few minor issues, one of the items has to be converted to GPX before importing to base camp for it to work correctly but the rest base camp just imports the kml.
When some items are imported to base camp they do not keep the colors you have in the kml file and default to gray so you have to change them prior to putting it on the montana.

If you update the map on the gps it turns all tracks, waypoints etc to OFF, you have to go back and turn them on "show on map" individually, no select all option.

 

[Andy S.]

Gotcha, thanks for the explanation.

 

[Winchester]

I have a couple but don't use them as a rule. One very handy lil gps is the Medallion which just basically stores a few locations and will get you there with size being very small and very simple!