Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Just curious what GPS units you hunters tend to like best? Mine is getting a little outdated and never gets signal in the woods. I know the newer ones have alot of cool features.

ANy info?

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Go with a new Garmin, they're the best. There was a post not too long ago about GPS units, and the only way to go is with Garmin. Garmin has over 70% of the handheld GPS market, and there's a reason behind that. Good luck!

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Garmin is the best, their customer service is excellent. They quickly address bugs in the units and fix them with SW releases. I'd also recommend something with color, I'm using a 76CS now and color is a huge improvement when viewing topo maps on the unit. I'd also look for one that floats - you never know when it might end up the water. Many of them come with memory to load maps into, 24mb will hold more map than most of us can walk. Mine has 115mb, it holds Idaho and parts of WA/MT I'm liable to wander into.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Sorry - but GPS signals are weak; therefore, if there is a dense canopy overhead your GPS will have trouble tracking sattelites -- regardless of the brand name. All the better to bring in a compass for backup! To answer your question regarding brand-names --- Garmin is by far the better unit on the market IMO -- I have four handhelds; a Garmin Etrex (yellow), an Etrex Venture, a Magellan Meridian Platinum, and an older Magellan GPS 315. For the price and features you get -- Garmin wins hands-down. I find the Magellan series are easier to operate for begginners, but once you get experience with them - Garmin has the most useful features. My favorite one so far is the Etrex Venture - small, yet powerful, easy to use, and all the features that you will need as a hunter! The best price I have found on any gps is at www.gpscity.com. Good luck!

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I purchased a Trimble Scout Master 6 years ago and found nothing that compares. Trimble is not a toy but the same technology and systems used by the military. I sent it back two time for updates and the latest version is available to download on cell phones. Great outfit and excellent service.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Do any GPS units have a built in compass so you can stand in one spot and point it in a certain direction and see what direction everything is? Or do you always have to be moving 3 MPH or whatever it is?

I currently have a Garmin GPS 12, it works ok for marking points and getting to points, but I would like to have one that you can load maps on rather than looking at a blank screen. mIne is useless in the woods, it can't tell me which direction Im walking because it never gets good enough signal. Im assuming the new ones are a little better than this right??

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Gota go with the Garmin. Haven't needed it for bow hunting, but it sure has saved me from a lot of cold lonely nights out Coon hunting.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

supaarcher, you will need to keep moving for the compass, or for that fact, the GPS to be an accurate tool. Living in Pa. with heavy foliage the only time a GPS is an advantage is in the fall or winter when the leaves are off the trees. I like to follow deer trails in the snow. You would be surprised how many of the trails intertwine with each other. This is a very good way to find a spot for treestand locations. I rely on a topo map and compass for my travels in the woods.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

supaarcher, Garmin make plenty of GPS units is the "electronic compass" feature, where you do not have to be moving for the compass to work. It works from your magnetic pulls, just like a normal compass. For Garmin, Geko 301, GPSMAP60CS, GPSMAP76CS, Etrex Vista, Extrex Summit, just to name a few, have this feature.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Hey KSHunter, Do you know if the ETrex Venture has the electronic compass feature? I was looking at them last night and thought that the Venture had what I need for a good price, but I want to make sure I get one with an electric compass now that I know they offer it. Its a pain when you gotta be moving to see which direction points are.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Be wary of electronic compasses on GPS units!! My Meridian Platinum has one --- Useless, and a waste of money IMO, because every time you change the batteries, the compass needs to be re-calibrated[:'(]. Trust me---REGARDLESS of which gps you buy, bring a real compass along with you everytime. Technology is a wonderful thing - but if something is mechanical, or runs on batteries -- it WILL break eventually;).

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Regarding losing signal under heavy cover - N. Idaho has some very heavy tree cover and I've never lost reception under it with my GSMAP76CS. I used to with my older 12 unit, but the Garmin tech told me on the newer ones the attenna technology has changed.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

supaarcher, The venture does not have an electronic compass. The only etrex units that do are the Summit and Vista Units. The electronic compass feature is well worth the money, and only takes about 10 seconds to calibate, every-time you change your batteries(I can handle that!).

As far as the sattelite acquisition, a lot of the newer units do have different antennas than the older units. Like the example with you rick_reno, the map76 has a quad-helix antenna and the old 12 had a patch antenna. The quad-helix antenna will be more acceptable to the way that you hold it, which would create better reception in the dense foliage areas.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I have a Garmin 60c. It's good in heavy cover, has fast aquisition times and has plenty of memory for map storage. I would also stay away from the electronic compass. They chew up batteries, don't always work correctly and are very touchy with other electronics
such as a cell phones or walkie talkies. The magnetic fields put out by them throws off the compass. I'm taking this to Montana this year and will be in the back country for 8 days. I have no doubts about trusting this unit to perform. As always though I will have a back up with me because electronics should never be trusted 100%.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I am a pilot and I keep a Garmin in my flight bag when I fly just in case. I have tried it in the air and they are very accurate & reliable.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I have one question. I don't care about having maps downloaded, etc. All I want is a GPS that will get me back to camp after a long hike, and then store the trail I used in case I want to use the same route a few days later. I would also like to be able to map out perhaps 3 or more different routes. As I said, I don't plan on having any software downloaded or any frills, just something reliable. Will the $100 Garmin(forget what its called) unit do all that I want in that scenario?

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I have had a relatively good experience with my Magellan Sportrack Map. Locking on time is relatively short and it has always been relatively accurate in its readings. Ease of use is relatively simple once you get the hang of it. For the price for the package deal I cannot see how you could go wrong.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I don't use a hand-held but I find having a GPS in the vehicle handy. I run a USB unit I got at Office Depot [cost about $100 and came with "street atlas" software], with mapping software that shows the GPS point overlaid on USGS Topographic maps... I find these give a good sense of the lay of the land all around camp [or wherever the truck might be], sufficient for hiking to and from any location in the woods. This might not work in your location but seems to be sufficient here in Florida.

I mounted a laptop in my Pinzgauer [its a 710k "radio car" so it has a table in the back seat that used to hold the radios... perfect spot for a laptop] and then stuck a USB GPS unit on the dash and hung a cut down microphone boom stand from the ceiling in the cab to hang an extra monitor off of.

The monitor can be folded up when not in use... I run a mouse on the top of the engine dog house between the front seats.

Using Delorme software, I can waypoint trials, add notes and map icons, or even sketch in property lines. With this stuff running, I can stop the truck and direct the passengers [the truck holds 5 people] attention to the screen [boom monitor up front, laptop screen in back] and point out the topo features on the maps and out current location - marking things up using the mouse as necessary.

Makes for a fun / easy way to orient all the folks that are hunting together to the area and locates all the spots each will be hunting. IMO, getting everyone on the same page as to where everyone else will be and what paths they will take to get in and out of the woods facilitates both safety, and helps everyone avoid wandering into areas that might spoil the hunt of others. Plus, it just looks cool... a factor never to be underestimated.

From the driver seat, the rig looks like this:



You can barely see a little yellow box in the bottom right-hand corner of the windshield. That is the GPS antennae:

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I have a Garmin Legend and it has been great, although IMO the Garmin Vista is even better!

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Cougar Mag,
I have the yellow $100 Garmin. It has worked great
for the needs you described. Marking/saving Waypoints to return to
later, Tracking for using same trail in or out. Even without the
map features you can use the saved coordinates on any of the
internet map sites to pinpoint areas you've been. Like others have
said, always take along a good compass and use in tandem.

PKnTX

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Garmin has a "purchase assistant" on-line. http://www.garmin.com/purchaseAssistant/

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

the cheap GPS w/o maps will do find getting you back to a waypoint you've marked. Maps and topo stuff is just extras :)

I have a Magellan 310map I've had for a few years. Still works fine. I've rarely lost signal in the woods under tree cover.

I'm looking at a set of Rinos now for me and my hunting buds. I'll prob get those and a new Garmin Quest for driving.


now, where to get the money from......

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

Cougar,
the Garmin Etrex Venture doesn't have maps, but it does allow you to save 5 different tracks and 5 different routes (some other brands only allow you to save routes, not both). It also has an acreage calculator (pretty neat feature). You can buy topo-software for your home computer (maptech) and use your gps unit with your home computer to plan routes on property you've never been on before (or have already been), project waypoints, see previous tracks you have made, and view waypoints on your (or anyone elses) property. If you can program a phone number into a cell phone, a gps is about as difficult. I teach a gps course as part of my responsibilities at work, and after 1 hour, most people can't believe how simple it really is to operate (the gps does all of the work - you just have to learn how to tell it what to do). The etrex series (Venture) is my favorite to take in the woods because of it's size and features.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I am curious as to how good the new Magellan Explorist line of units work. Even the Explorist 100 boasts of having the WAAS feature. Anyone?

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

I'm a GIS specialist and play in the GPS world all day, etc. WAAS isn't needed for what most people on here are going to be using it for. It will drain the battery faster and doesn't improve accuracy enough to make it worth sucking that extra juice. So the truck is 30 ft off the point vs 10 ft. I'd hope you can still find the truck! :D

Garmin is simply the best for the money IMO. We use them alot when we don't need our $4000 mapping grade units and they fit the bill nicely. Just remember to get a 12 channel receiver and don't worry about WAAS. Maps are up to you, but if it's just to get back to the truck, look into the $100 original eTrex. Will work just fine and dandy. If you use the personal radios alot, the Rinos are very handy. Especially if you hunt with others and seperate alot (assuming each of you have one). They are pricey though, but worth it if you hunt that way.

RE: Which GPS units are best for hunters?
 

GPS's are all going to do basically the same thing for what us hunters want them to do. You can buy the 100 dollar garmin and be very happy. The bottom line is, which ever one you buy become familar with it months before you plan to use it while hunting. They all are fairly simple to use and can be figured out in an hour or two. Being in the military I have had the oppurtunity to use several models. the best I have used and let me say it's not that it works better, I just like the way it is set up, it's the Magellan sport trac map. This is the one I am using currently here in Iraq. I have used the Garmins and they two work well. it all comes down to personal prefrence:)