ORIGINAL: crokit
The beauty of a compass and topomap: batteries don't go bad at the worse possible moments, electronics can't be comprimised by mother nature, forest canopy doesn't interfere, etc. Give me the right topo map and compass, and I can get to within 25 yds of any given spot within a 20,000 acre wilderness. No brag, just fact. Most importantly, IMHO it keeps certain individuals who otherwise have no clue/business being well off the beaten path, away from my hunting area.[:@]
While obviously they have their place, for some individuals, it provides a false sense of security and a recipe for disaster. So does the topo-compass route, if you don't know what your doing.
Contrary to popular belief there are plenty of compass failures.On my first ever deer hunt a friend and I flew into a remote pond in the Adirondack park.I found a great spot all torn up with big scrapes.I decided to head back to a small stream so I could mark the place to turn back in.I was going to use my map/compass to head directly to the stream.When I took the compass from my pocket the magnetic needle had come off the center pin.I wasn't sure which way the stream was relative to my position.It was overcast so I couldn't see the sun for reference either.In other words I had no idea how to get out let alone anything else.Talk about stress!It took a good while but I finally managed to get the needle back on the pin.Since then I now carry two compasses at all times.I also have a compass that no longer points to North.No idea how that happened but it did.Fortunately this time I caught it before it lead me in the wrong direction.Anyway I don't mean to start a great debate over whats best but simply point out that nothing is without faults and everyone should carry a backup just in case.