GPS vs Topo Maps

[LarryBud]

Ive been looking at the wide variety of options for a GPS. Many of these have the topo map built in or as a download.

It seems to me it would be easier to just print a topo of your area to the size you prefer and use a simple gps unit or an iPhone with a gps chip to make it back to camp safety.

I must admit, most of my gps experience is on the water running Salmon trolling patters or finding the hidden hump out in the middle of the lake.

I'd like to hear some feedback on how you use your gps on the hunt. Thanks in advance.

[Indian Summer]

If I had to pick only one it would be the printed maps for those who know how to use a compass properly. The GPS maps aren't nearly as detailed as a USGS topo map. A straight line on there can actually have lots of curves on the "real" map. Without the topos you'll miss some detail that can really be important to navigating, meaning saving footsteps, and seeing likely elk hangouts.

As far as a GPS goes though: On the water you need to know which way and how far to your destination. But in the mountains a straight line from point A to point B is rarely the most user friendly route to take. Instead you'll likely follow the contours like the game trails, around the hell holes and cliffs etc. Think of it like this. Open water trolling is one thing but if you were trying to run a muskie lure 10 feet from a curvy weedline it's a whole other ballgame. One big arm of weeds sticking out and you crash the lures and have to pull the lines and start over. In elk hunting the equivalent might be having to climb back up a hill after dropping into a drainage a little too far. When I have a quarter strapped to my back I don't want to hit a saddle low and I don't want to climb more than I have to and hit it high. I want to nail it right on every time.

If you use a GPS with no mapping you can see the relationship between waypoints but that's it. You don't really know where you are on a map until you pull out the map, look at your coordinates, and figure it all out. If you don't mind doing that then maps on your gps are really just a luxury, but a very very nice one indeed. Who wants to stop and bust out the maps when on the move?

If you are planning on a long career hunting big game in the mountains on your own and can afford it I'd say get a GPS with maps on it. It's just nice to be able to turn them on a say there I am fast and no questions asked. Especially when you're in a hurry.

My question would be why should I NOT have a GPS with topo maps on it? The only answer I can really think of is if you really can't afford it. Look at it as an investment. When every step counts & wrong turns suck bad you won't regret it. You would regret it at 10 pm sitting cold tired and hungry realizing you just gave up precious elevation one ridge over from the one you needed to drop off of to get to camp. Navigation is huge & I don't make compromises on my gear in that department.

As with all the expensive gear these days a good idea is to have your partner buy one to see what you think. lol

[Elkaddict]

Garmin GPS with maps, you can get free topo maps to download at gpsfiledepot.com , I have the garmin GPS 60C which is outdated. Look for the GPS 60 CSX or something similar on eBay, I have bought several over the years for friends. The topo isn't as good as the topo maps but you can have all of AZ, CO, or whatever state you're hunting in your hand. You still see the cuts, ridges saddles etc. to plan your way around . I use mine almost everyday, haven't looked at a paper map in years and I have a closet full of them!

[WapitiTalk1]

Hard copy maps are much more detailed and never fail you. They never run out of batteries, never have problems loading up, and pretty much stay working if you don't lose them. I use a GPS quite a bit to mark spots I find, game trails that take me through alder hell, and to enter way points of where my rig is located when I'm doing a jump off the road day hunt into the abyss. I had an older Garmin crap out on me in a WA wilderness area not that many years back in a nasty, nasty snow/sleet/rain storm... it was ugly. Because I am very efficient with my map and compass, I was able to navigate 1 1/2 miles to the only place I could cross a steep canyon creek, and, make it the rest of the way back to where I was parked, several miles away. My .02, don't rely solely on an electronic device for navigation.

Edit/continuation: Sorry, I had to grab some chow I've used maps/compass for navigation almost as long as the likes of Swede and WW which is a really, really long time When the GPS phenomenon came around I fought it as I did cell phones, for a long time. Here's my take on electronic navigation devices in the woods. They are cool as heck, allow you to pin point spots "of interest", make great little trails on top of the mapping software loaded on them, and geez... you can even talk back and forth on some of them. One cannot rely on them solely and completely...........disregarding good map/compass skills or sooner or later, when hunting big backcountry, or it'll cook your goose and not in a good way. If one keeps their nose on the screen and trusts it solely to get where they're going, not paying attention to the topography they are currently deployed in, or, orient their hard copy map occasionally, it may turn into a bad situation if the device becomes inoperable... Just saying guys/gals.. RJ

[ABQ_Chica]

Both! Up until recently, I only took paper and compass. But after using a friend's GPS device to see public vs. private land, I was hooked. There's a lot of checkerboard areas in New Mexico, especially near pueblos and reservations, plus ongoing land swaps that paper maps rarely keep up with.

I'll still carry topos and printouts, but will now use the GPS for making sure I'm on public land, and for marking waypoints and tracks. By the way, the Garmin Oregon 550 has been pretty idiot-proof for this beginner.

[cnelk]

In unfamiliar areas, I carry both.
Even in my familiar spots, its nice to see on my GPS exactly where Im at in relation to a point I want to be.
I even have aerials downloaded on my GPS. that is nice too

[mr_steve]

I would agree you should have both. I highly recommend getting GPS Topo maps that are designed for hunting. We use chips from Kirsch's Outdoor Products, TRAX Maps. We have one in the pickup in our regular vehicle GPS (Garmin Nuvi) and can see what is public as we drive down the road. The TRAX chips are 100x better than what the GPS come with. In the field (Garmin Oregon 450) the chip will tell you exactly what is BLM or state land. You don't second guess if you are on public or not. It also tells you who owns the land which is awesome. We mark points and it will indicate what unit you are in. I would carry a map as well but GPS eliminates any second guessing and is so much quicker. I mean if a huge bull is right on the edge of public an private and is in shooting range, you only have seconds and a GPS can help you make your decision quicker. Together they are some of the best tools a hunter could buy.

http://www.koutdoorproducts.com

[JGH]

I'm a map junkie ... and paper maps are one of life's great treasures.

But ... having a map on the GPS is very nice. When you may not be able to see all that far, you can consult your GPS map and find that saddle you've been looking for, or an old logging road, etc. You can plan routes on the fly, so to speak.

I used to think that a GPS just needs the most basic functions to be, er, "functional". But when I got one with a map, I realized how much better life could be.

As for paper maps ... I like to write on them. On the map side, I draw, mark, and describe things. On the back, I journal a hunt. Someday, I hope my sons will look at my maps and read the journals.

[LarryBud]

Good stuff Fellas.

Thanks foe the feedback.

[NDHunt]

I agree that paper maps are nice to have because things can happen to GPS devices. However when people say that a paper map has more detail than a GPS map, this is where I have an entirely different view point. A paper map may have more detail than a base GPS map but a good GPS Hunting map can and should have more detail than a paper map. The reason is with a GPS, if the map has been developed correctly, it can grow in detail with the scale or zooming factor of the GPS. A good GPS hunting map will have elements of BLM, Forest Service, Topo, PLAT, Road Atlas, State Game and Fish maps and more live on the GPS. A paper map could never support this much detail or the entire map would just be solid lines and colors and not be useable because the level of detail is always static. The only exception would be if the paper map was of such a small area that you would be out of the area in no time. When the hunter needs to go to a different area than planned because they hear a bull bugle in another direction, now they may be off their small map. A paper map or maps of a small area don't work well when you need to take a broader view so now the hunter is carrying lots of smaller scale maps and larger scale maps of many different kinds, or they just use their GPS and in a 1/2 of second they zoom out to get a broader perspective or zoom in to see all the needed detail of an area.

The GPS will show your location in real-time so you will know when you are getting to the edge of public land. You will know if you can legally take the shot due to land status, land border, or potential zone questions. If you have been given permission to hunt a certain land owner's land, the GPS map can help you stay on that land and not veer off into another person's property.

I am not saying knowing how to read a paper map and use a compass isn't a good idea but if a person gets a good modern GPS and a good GPS hunting map, they will be amazed at what it can do.

[Z Barebow]

I carry both GPS w/map and paper maps.

I like the GPS for accuracy. And I also have the TRAX chip.

But nothing like scanning a map while taking a break and getting the "5000 foot" view of things on a 24"x36" map. I love mytopo.com.

[Yotkilr]

I also use Kirsch's Outdoor Products, TRAX Maps. Have one in the gps in the truck and one for the handheld for in the field, won't leave home with out them.

[pointysticks]

recalibrating your GPS to match the data on your topo map is powerful JUJU!!

that UTM/NAD 83 thing is so accurate. i am so sucky at it. i should buy a map of my mountain bike area to practice it. look into it. you would never get lost.

[Triplebhunters]

My vote is for compass around your neck, paper map in zip lock bag in your pocket, and a good GPS in your pocket.
I'm pretty new and still learning. I bought the Garmin 62stc when they first came out and love it. Takes geo tag pics that you can
Download on puter and see where you were. Can upload trails and points that you researched off multiple paper maps and software,
Reason I say multiple is you will find info on one map that is not on another. It's like studying for anything. The more you research the more
You will learn.

[one_elk]

I use custom maps for my area printed out by mytopo.com, I usually include kilometer tics marks, and I also carry a gps and a compass as a backup…just make sure your datum and projection on your gps is the same as your datum and projection on your map or there could be some confusion…

[Wapitibob]

I prefer "real" topo maps on my GPS. Real being raster based instead of the std vector based line dwgs. I add SAT imagery and also have a bunch of the state pvt land maps on there too.
The only paper maps I use now are std forest service visitor maps and a bunch of those are on my pc too.

[bowpackerrob]

I personaly use the huntinggps.com map cards. Very well thought out also, but as many have already said on here you can't beat a compass and a paper map. I keep notes on my paper map, such as wallows or kill sites for years of memeories later on. I also have a permanent cloth map made by ruggedmaps.com which I use as my master map at camp, it is water proof and somewhat tear proof. Needless to say I am a gear junkie anyway.

[forester]

I have used topo ,maps and compass for 30 years of cruising and mapping timber in the mountains of southwest Virginia . But, I also now use my GPS and a UTM Grid Reader (available at Forestry Suppliers, INC.) to read 8.5 x 11 inch printed topo maps with UTM grids carried in a Rite in the Rain Cordura zippered Notebook Cover ( 4 5/8 inches by 7 1/4 inches). Really don't know how I got along without GPS/UTM grids for so many years. For hunting, you can fold up an entire Quad map with UTM grids and using The reader and GPS instantly pinpoint your location even if you have not been keeping up with yourself on the map as you cover ground. My Garmin GPS 60Cx has a 1:24000 USGS card with topo maps of my entire state. But, I do not like the small screen as compared to a larger paper map.

[pointysticks]

I have used topo ,maps and compass for 30 years of cruising and mapping timber in the mountains of southwest Virginia . But, I also now use my GPS and a UTM Grid Reader (available at Forestry Suppliers, INC.) to read 8.5 x 11 inch printed topo maps with UTM grids carried in a Rite in the Rain Cordura zippered Notebook Cover ( 4 5/8 inches by 7 1/4 inches). Really don't know how I got along without GPS/UTM grids for so many years. For hunting, you can fold up an entire Quad map with UTM grids and using The reader and GPS instantly pinpoint your location even if you have not been keeping up with yourself on the map as you cover ground. My Garmin GPS 60Cx has a 1:24000 USGS card with topo maps of my entire state. But, I do not like the small screen as compared to a larger paper map.

This^. I need a better grid scale. Thanks for the tip. Yup. You save alot of battery power using it this way.