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Can you Make It Without a GPS?

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Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Indian Summer » 03 14, 2019 •  [Post 1]

But seriously... what would happen if your GPS died? Could you hunt without it? Could you find your way in and out in the dark without it? I don’t think elk hunting would be what it is these days without satellite navigation.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby >>>---WW----> » 03 14, 2019 •  [Post 2]

You bet I can! I grew up in the Midwest and ran coon hounds almost every night during the hunting season. We were poor and couldn't even afford the luxury of even owning a compass. I learned to navigate by the stars and various constilations.

GPS is a great tool but like any electronic gagit it can be prone to familiar. Get yourself a GOOD compass and learn how to use it!!!!!!!
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Lefty » 03 14, 2019 •  [Post 3]

I know the general area I hunt And have decent wood-smartsI do not use a gps or mapping system while hunting
Mountain navigation is easy for me
Generally it’s uphill or downhill to the truck :lol:
While it was neat and cool to have multiple mapping programs my partner used on one hunt the only advantage for me is to locate and pin and send to others

Heavy fog or maybe snow might be a problem in new country or on big water
I use to use a gps to mark wallows while atv ing
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Swede » 03 14, 2019 •  [Post 4]

I managed many years without GPS, but it is a wonderful tool that makes pinpoint night navigation a breeze. Cloudy nights, flat land and heavy timber can make navigating harder as it is difficult to orient yourself. When I did not have GPS it paid special attention to the orientation of the roads and would often avoid going off the end of a dead end one because if you don't navigate perfectly you can go right past your truck. Streams are helpful too, but remember go down a stream and up a ridge. Being out at night just makes things more difficult. When looking for the end of a road, I would go deliberately to one side and past the point where my truck was then turn to the truck. Survey plastic ribbon and visual monuments were often valuable, but could be tough to find at night.
Sure I can get along without a GPS, but I will stay out later and hunt with more confidence with one. When I am out with my GPS, I check it every once in awhile to reorient myself. If it ever goes bad, I will take stock of the situation, but if there is any question due to the time of day, etc., I am headed to safe ground.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 03 14, 2019 •  [Post 5]

Why yes, yes I can.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Lefty » 03 17, 2019 •  [Post 6]

WapitiTalk1 wrote:Why yes, yes I can.


:lol: :lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF9W9J7AyOA
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Lefty » 03 17, 2019 •  [Post 7]

Lefty wrote:
WapitiTalk1 wrote:Why yes, yes I can.


:lol: :lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF9W9J7AyOA
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby jmez » 03 20, 2019 •  [Post 8]

Can and do. I rarely even carry one anymore when hunting. Don't even remember the last time I turned it on. I'm sure I'll get lost someday, but, you're only lost if you care where you are! I've never had a problem navigating to where I need to go. My brother, on the other hand, can get lost in his own house.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby gperdue4 » 03 25, 2019 •  [Post 9]

I guided in the bridger and never used a gps. They only started getting good in the past 15 years. Now days you only see millennials crying on the side of the trail when there gps dies.

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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby RAMMONT » 03 25, 2019 •  [Post 10]

I've had a guy drive up my private drive along my property because he said his phone's gps quit working. I guess his phone also failed to explain what the multiple no trespassing and private drive signs meant.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 03 25, 2019 •  [Post 11]

RAMMONT wrote:I've had a guy drive up my private drive along my property because he said his phone's gps quit working. I guess his phone also failed to explain what the multiple no trespassing and private drive signs meant.


Wow.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Fridaythe13th » 03 26, 2019 •  [Post 12]

Nope dont want to. Lol
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Swede » 03 27, 2019 •  [Post 13]

Last September I thought I put my GPS in my pocket when I hiked down through a drainage. I was in a hurry that afternoon when I walked up on a nice looking wallow/water hole with lots of fresh elk sign. I reached in my pocket to mark the spot as a waypoint. What I took out of the cloth sack was my camera. I still don't know where that wallow is. I would have to go back and spend some time searching around for it. I know it is in that large drainage or in a small side drainage somewhere, but not sure exactly. It was still about 1/2 hour walk from the road. Humm???
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 03 27, 2019 •  [Post 14]

Swede wrote:Last September I thought I put my GPS in my pocket when I hiked down through a drainage. I was in a hurry that afternoon when I walked up on a nice looking wallow/water hole with lots of fresh elk sign. I reached in my pocket to mark the spot as a waypoint. What I took out of the cloth sack was my camera. I still don't know where that wallow is. I would have to go back and spend some time searching around for it. I know it is in that large drainage or in a small side drainage somewhere, but not sure exactly. It was still about 1/2 hour walk from the road. Humm???


Well, now that you ask :D . You could have just pulled out your map and compass and performed resection, marked the spot on your map, and there ya go for future reference.

http://map-reading.com/resect.php
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Swede » 03 27, 2019 •  [Post 15]

That was another problem. I did not have a map, or compass either. I wasn't afraid of getting lost, so what would I need a map for?
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 03 27, 2019 •  [Post 16]

Swede wrote:That was another problem. I did not have a map, or compass either. I wasn't afraid of getting lost, so what would I need a map for?


Ha, to mark things on? Or, as a tablecloth to enjoy your lunch, a tasty can of Stagg chili :D
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby gperdue4 » 04 01, 2019 •  [Post 17]

Bread crumbs Hansel

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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby >>>---WW----> » 04 03, 2019 •  [Post 18]

gperdue4 wrote:Bread crumbs Hansel

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


LOL! :lol:
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby stumpy waters » 04 10, 2019 •  [Post 19]

>>>---WW----> wrote:You bet I can! I grew up in the Midwest and ran coon hounds almost every night during the hunting season. We were poor and couldn't even afford the luxury of even owning a compass. I learned to navigate by the stars and various constilations.

GPS is a great tool but like any electronic gagit it can be prone to familiar. Get yourself a GOOD compass and learn how to use it!!!!!!!



Hero mode right here.

Never known anyone so poor they couldn’t afford a compass.

Curious though. If you navigated by the stars and various constellations, what did do when the trees had foliage or it was cloudy?
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Swede » 04 10, 2019 •  [Post 20]

Most of my hunting life, there was no such thing as GPS. A GPS is not necessary for anything. But they make things easier, and sometimes a lot easier.
Since I have acquired a GPS, I stay out hunting longer and focus more on my hunting. I can use all of the daylight for hunting. When I shoot an animal in the evening, I just mark the waypoint and come right back to it even on the darkest night. I di not hang up a bunch of flagging to follow later. I can walk back to my camp or truck with ease when if it is black out. Years ago I often had to allow some time so I could get in, at least to a road in the daylight. It can be hard to find your way through the timber on flat or rolling ground when you are parked at the end of a road, or are spike camping. Sure I can read a map, a compass and even the stars, but I will keep my GPS too.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby >>>---WW----> » 04 11, 2019 •  [Post 21]

stumpy waters wrote:

Never known anyone so poor they couldn’t afford a compass.

Curious though. If you navigated by the stars and various constellations, what did do when the trees had foliage or it was cloudy?

Well Stumpy, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. we were to poor to spend what little we had on luxury items like a compass.

We had three main constellations that we used for night time navigation. #1) The Big Dipper was always the easiest to find and if you knew how to line it up, it would point directly to the North Star. (3rd grade science) :D !! #2) was the Seven Sisters. The tail of it always pointed in a general easterly direction. Not true east, but close enough to use it to navigate by if needed. #3) was Orien. When you look at it with the naked eye, the stars that stand out the most form a kite with a tail. And that tail always pointed in a southerly direction. Again, not true south but close enough.
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby Lefty » 04 15, 2019 •  [Post 22]

stumpy waters wrote:
>>>---WW----> wrote:,,,, ran coon hounds almost every night during the hunting season. We were poor and couldn't even afford the luxury of even owning a compass. I learned to navigate by the stars and various constilations.


Never known anyone so poor they couldn’t afford a compass.

Dont let WW fool you: they were poor because they had hounds :lol: . And the dogs know where home is so they didnt need a compass :D
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Re: Can you Make It Without a GPS?

Postby stumpy waters » 04 19, 2019 •  [Post 23]

>>>---WW----> wrote:Well Stumpy, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. we were to poor to spend what little we had on luxury items like a compass.

We had three main constellations that we used for night time navigation. #1) The Big Dipper was always the easiest to find and if you knew how to line it up, it would point directly to the North Star. (3rd grade science) :D !! #2) was the Seven Sisters. The tail of it always pointed in a general easterly direction. Not true east, but close enough to use it to navigate by if needed. #3) was Orien. When you look at it with the naked eye, the stars that stand out the most form a kite with a tail. And that tail always pointed in a southerly direction. Again, not true south but close enough.


I’ll take your word for it, i don’t really care, but I own hounds and was wondering how you afforded dogs when you couldn’t afford a $9 compass.

The question was what did you do on cloudy nights or during summer months with full foliage. Maybe not enough trees in the Midwest to matter but the clouds would. As far as the constellations I could care less. I have a $9 compass!
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