Does anyone still use a map and compass or is it a lost art. I still use it when hunting in colorado because I just don't trust a gps in the mountains and it's kind of fun. Just wondering
Yes and there was a thread some time back about it.If you do a search you may still find it.A lot of good reading on it.
I believe in a compass 100% I camped and hunted in northern Jersey a few yhears back and had a new hand held GPS which couldn't get readings under the tree cover , glad I had my compass .I never go on a hunt without one .
Fred
Map and compass for me, too. I carry a GPS, but as I learned in the service, it is a secondary nav tool.
Since the recent earthquake moved the earth off its axis, I wonder what affect it had on magnetic north ?
ChuckC
QuoteOriginally posted by ChuckC:
Since the recent earthquake moved the earth off its axis,...
ChuckC
?????
You bet Map And Compass for me, and an Altimeter in country with more elevation! In the foggy/cloudy/snowy mountains an altimeter is a wonderful tool!
VTer.... NASA says something about the recent earthquake in Chili may have thrown the earth of it's axis a bit...i didnt read the whole article...google it!
Compass & Map for me... The GPS's do make great paper weights
Map and compass, my compass has never had a dead battery!
Yep, map and compass. Never held a GPS.
True north and magnetic north is still 3 degrees difference.
QuoteOriginally posted by ChuckC:
Since the recent earthquake moved the earth off its axis, I wonder what affect it had on magnetic north ?
ChuckC
Still showing the same. Might be off a little. I never marked it on the Sundial.
Map and compass for me,no batterys.
Anyone trusting the technology of a GPS without a Map & Compass backup, along with the knowledge in using all of them together is making a potentially life threatening mistake.
I ALWAYS carry a compass, even when I'm hunting familiar property. I was turkey hunting on property that I've hunted for over 20 years. the fog was so thick that day, I got turned around big time. If I didn't have that compass, I would have ended up a long way from camp.
I carry both Compass and gps. here in Nova Scotia you must carry a knife, waterproof matches and a compass.
If hunting in an unfamiliar area I will also have a map.
GPS is great until the batteries go dead. Map and compass always, GPS when I want to mark hutning blinds, animal kills, etc... They are really helpful when hiking out in the dark.
Map and compass. Batteries die suddenly, the magnetic field changes, but slowly. 16 degrees East out here in Oregon. It has moved about 3 degrees since I first learned to use a compass in Boy Scouts in 1969.
RonP
10 years ago on my first elk hunt I carried a GPS only and depended on the electronic compass in the unit...I promply spent my first night in the Rio Grande Nat'l Forrest under a fir tree shivering. As soon as I got down the mountain I got out my topo and compass. I still use the GPS for reference but NEVER without one of the 3 compass' I have with me at all times. Have been turned around but never lost since!
Uncle Sam taught me to navigate with map and compass before GPS became standard issue.
My wife and I have rode horses all over this country. I carry the map and compass,she carries the GPS.Old habits die hard.
Just bought my first GPS in December. It is great for finding tree stands in the dark, and getting back to vehicle or camp after dark. But I still carry and use my compass, I've trusted it for years and it has never let me down. It probably can't always get me to within 3 feet of my destination like the GPS, but then it also won't let me down due to dead batteries either.
i still like having a topo to see the terrain features which I find very difficult to see on a little lcd screen. as far as a compass, i will always have one in my pack period....
I travel way off trail and I rely primarily on my compass but I do bring a GPS
as well. I also bring a cell phone and sometimes a two way. I believe that it is foolish not to. If I am seriously hurt I want to be able to get help NOW and tell them EXACTLY where I am rather than have someone find me and say: "Hey, pretty good woodsmen-ship skills-he almost made it!" I'm thinking of getting one of those emergency responders.
Map and a good compass they are what I got started with. I carry an extra compass as well that is identical to the main compass.
I have a GPS and do use it to find fishing spots on the big lakes.
Come on guys, Batteries failing?? Duh. Carry some spare ones,, I carry and use a map and compass for a back-up for my GPS. I have a map and compass on my GPS screen which works well under heavy Oregon cover. The altimeter works great also. Man quit using the sun dial when the clock was invented, now I use an atomic watch that keeps time to the nano second accuracy and the battery hasn't been changed out in 5 yrs. I like knowing EXACTLY where I am in the dark. Not traditional?? oh well.
Yep I'm on my 3rd generation of GPS. They have allowed me to go way off trail with confidence. I do have topos and compass also and use the 3 as a team. Yep it's easy to carry extra batteries. I get flashlights, headlamps and Gps that all use the same batts.
Used my compass pig hunting in east Texas last week so I could stay in a straight line in the heavy brush. I keep walking in circles otherwise.
LOL
Mike
I have no doubt that GPS units work and would allow me to just wander around in the woods and then just follow its intructions back to the truck at the end of the day. I do however, get a great deal of satisfaction from finding my own way in the woods with only a map and compass. I suppose its the same attitude that drives us to shoot our recurves and longbows instead of compound cam diven bows.
I once lost my GPS (still had the spare batteries though!) I think Uncle Buck summed up my attitude exactly.
RonP
Every hunter should have a knowledge of map and compass use... period.
Anyone who uses any electronic device and doesn't carry spare batteries is pretty silly.
Heck, guys carry a spare compass from the looks of things... I do!
Being "exclusive" to either compass or GPS is just narrow minded and missing a lot of fun.
I love my GPS for it's convenience, accuracy and mapping features. I'm also as good with map and compass as any man!
Ain't just batteries that are the problem with GPS...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8533157.stm
The whole system is potentially vulnerable to interference, not to mention that the Pentagon can turn it off whenever it suits them to do so.
I have never and will never use GPS. I know where i am on my waterproof map at all times, maps make sense to me GPS most certainly does not.
Map compass But like to carry gps mark sign and spots to hunt
My compass is always in my pocket.
I have and use a GPS - but am NEVER without a paper map and my compass! Technology only goes so far. And in some of this eastern NC/Cambodia jungles I get into alot of times the GPS does not receive.
Sure it has been said a hundred times but will say again. Just having a map and compass means nothing if you do nto know how to properly employ them. Take a course or read a book, my Dad taught me from the time I could walk - but know how to use em.
J
Compass & altimeter.
Since I am out here in the rocky Mtns, my map and compass is used with an altimeter. Out here knowing elevation can make locating much easier and exact within 100 feet which is plenty accurate.
Mine is a stand alone unit that cost about 60 bucks.
Joshua
Like many others. Map and compass but use gps to mark stands or places to hunt. Compass is in my pocket everyday
See my foot noted quote. :)
Map and compass. Always have, always will. I also carry a spare.
GPS here. I wear a pin on compass for quick reference and when the overhead cover gets too thick. Wish I knew more about maps and orienteering.
Uh, the Pentagon isn't going to turn off your GPS. Not only is there an entire commercial industry surrounding GPS, your 911 PSAP is using GPS to locate that accident you just called in from your cell phone. "Turning off" GPS would take a presidential order at this point and a politician willing to shoulder the burden of civilian deaths. Ain't gonna happen.
Dead batteries? C'mon folks...
QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
GPS here. I wear a pin on compass for quick reference and when the overhead cover gets too thick. Wish I knew more about maps and orienteering.
Uh, the Pentagon isn't going to turn off your GPS. Not only is there an entire commercial industry surrounding GPS, your 911 PSAP is using GPS to locate that accident you just called in from your cell phone. "Turning off" GPS would take a presidential order at this point and a politician willing to shoulder the burden of civilian deaths. Ain't gonna happen.
Dead batteries? C'mon folks...
Yup, but, IMO a GPS has a guy staring at a screen way more than he is looking at his surroundings. Not a good recipe for success---from a hunting and a survival standpoint. Spare batteries? Good idea, however, what happens when you drop your GPS in the river or fumble it off the rocky slope? Yup, a dead GPS, and no reference to get back out of the weeds. At the very least, DR navigation(even in the event of compass loss)can, and will, get you home safely. Just learn the basics of land nav, and learn how to judge direction even if you break/lose your compass. A GPS won't help you do that.
Batteries will stay up in a GPS for at least 12 months. Not a great expense to keep them fresh. A compass is a wonderful tool but not always correct. About 10 years ago I was hunting a familiar piece of property. As a rule you walk due North and you come to a bean field and your home free. I had stuck a doe at dark, waited 10 minutes to climb down and meet up with my hunting partner. I checked my compass and started out. My brain was saying stop your going the wrong way. I continued on until I came to a creek and knew something was wrong. My compass was 180 dgr off. I kept it for a few years as a reminder. In short if you use a compass , have 2. If you depend on a GPS, keep your batteries fresh and carry a compass.
I had to try the GPS but I just gave it away to a friend that gets lost in the parking lot. I'm fortunate to have a decent sense of direction as well as a good compass.
Redundant systems are always the best.
QuoteYup, but, IMO a GPS has a guy staring at a screen way more than he is looking at his surroundings.
Really? More so than a map? I guess I can see that if you are walking along staring at the screen. In that case you aren't hunting...you are taking a walk with a bow in your hand.
What happens when your map gets wet? Blows away? Can't see it in the dark? I'm sure we can come up with plenty of situations where a given tool won't work.
Map and compass here; but I feel like I'm missing out.
I just watched a sick show on the green biries training course. They had to do a star shaped course in complete darkness, not allowed to use roads or a flashlight when walking, werent allowed to sleep. You had a map compass and all of your gear. Break the rules, and you get kicked out of the program. Crazy
anyway I am a old school youngster, lol. I dont even trust a darn lighter in my pack. I wear a small fire kit around my neck, have topos back at camp with a smaller copy in my pocket, and a compass, a couple extra knives in my pack. And most importantly I actually know how to use these items. Actually I am doing a new thing in my videos where I film the learning experience for survival techniques, kinda like a if I can do it so can you type deal that I want to portray.
Chuck C. It's not related to the earthquake, but the magnetic north pole has been moving north and slightly west about 50 miles per year. I believe it's forecast to be in Siberia by the end of the century.
Does that mean Vodka and Caviar instead of milk and cookies for Santa? :bigsmyl:
I can only relate a M&C vs, GPS to my own hands on. For woods and land I'm M&C. I don't own the latest and greatest GPS. I used a GPS a few times in southern ohio and lost reception more than once and my gps direction arrow takes a little bit to get it's bearings and if it loose's reception I get very frustrated, which is the beginning of anxiety (not good). Although I do prefer a gps for boating and fishing on lake erie, with a compass as backup of course.
GPS is a great tool in open country spot and stalk and can be very useful otherwise if used properly, but I wouldn't think of going into the woods in most situations without a compass.
Don't forget to take a good reading before you leave the road in the backcountry. It doesn't do any good to know which direction is north if you don't know which direction the road is.
M&C is easier to keep up with. Always carry 2 compasses also.
I occasionally use a GPS but I always have two compasses and a map. Gary
What sagebrush said!
seems like the overwhelming number comes out on the side of the map/compass group, including myself. In the Navy, I recall hearing about a "shoot-ex" where the boys shot off several million bucks worth of missles, but forgot to check the ship's position the old fashioned way...the nav system went down for about 45 minutes, and they have no idea where the missles wound up.
My little Tru Nord compass goes everywhere I go, "along with a couple other's"! Never had much faith in the GPS, unless I was in the wide open. I'm sure the newer one's are better. Might get me another GPS one of these day's but for now, I'll stick with the map and compass! Jason
QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
Uh, the Pentagon isn't going to turn off your GPS. Not only is there an entire commercial industry surrounding GPS, your 911 PSAP is using GPS to locate that accident you just called in from your cell phone. "Turning off" GPS would take a presidential order at this point and a politician willing to shoulder the burden of civilian deaths. Ain't gonna happen.
Then why do the Pentagon have the option to do so? Why did they demand the same access to Europe's new sat nav system (refused thankfully)?
And regardless of whether they switch it off or not, systems can be hacked and anyone hacking into that system can switch it off or corrupt it.
And don't think it's difficult to hack into the Pentagon systems, they've admitted that there systems have been hacked many times.
On top of that access to GPS, the whole system is vulnerable to interference and tampering.
Like i said, i'm sticking with what's worked all my life, a waterproof map and compass. Nothing can go wrong with that. Even if the compass fails i can follow a map on the topography alone. Map only topographic navigation is a good thing to practice when you're out in not to serious situations, it only increases to your nav ability when you do have a compass, and can save you if, and it's a big if, your compass gets damaged.
Someone said that a person with GPS spends too much time staring at the screen and I laughed! Cause I did just that when I first started using mine!! :knothead:
I caught myself and realized what I was doing. My cure was to mark my truck where I parked - GPS gets thrown in my pack only taken out at a sit down break to take a mark so I can track movments and have a "last known" on the screen.
Course anytime I take a last known I correlate myself on the paper map as well. soi I have both ways.
Anyway thought that was funny and yeah totally agree people can spend too much time looking down at theoir palm instead of ahead in the bushes.
J
Good thread....glad to see so many still using map and compass in hunting. Those skill are going by the wayside now due to GPSs.
No...not knocking GPSs....just good to see that 'orientation' is still alive and well....and being passed on.
yes! gps is just a backup
QuoteOriginally posted by John Nail:
yes! gps is just a backup
Guess I have gone to tech. I consider my Iphone a back up to my gps which are backups to map and compass
I carry an eTrex H. The lanyard of this unit is looped around my belt and I carry it in my left front pocket or cargo pocket of my pants. I primarily use this unit to mark waypoints and to tell me distance and elevation. My compass also has a lanyard. It is looped around my belt and I carry the compass in my right pocket and a map (in a Ziploc bag) in my right cargo pocket. The lanyards are to insure that I don't loose either of these units. Having the units in my front pockets allows me to take frequent reading while on the move if I desire. By carrying them in my front pockets I can also feel them, which gives me a sense of security. A spare compass is in my pack with my survival / emergency bag. There are spare batteries in there too.
I like using a map and compass. To me it is part of the experience of being in the outdoors. I feel like I am that much more of a participant in the adventure when I'm using the map and compass. Besides, gaining as much experience with a map and compass in times of relaxed recreation may be the key to saving my life or someone else's in a time of peril.
(http://images.imagelinky.com/1267716288.jpg) (http://images.imagelinky.com/1267716288.jpg)
I love my GPS, but would not leave with out my compass. The tracking feature on my GPS is great. I really feel good about my direction when I can see that im on the same trail that I started on. I think that both a good compass and a good GPS is a smart investment.
Gilbert
I love my gps and it is my go to device while tracking. However, not having a backup to this electonic device is insane when traveling in the deep woods. A topo and compas add very little to the burden of the pack.
I've done a ton of backpacking in the Sierras and in the Tetons and always carried a map and compass. I can't remember ever using the compass though. Out west it seems like if I pay attention to the constantly changing terrain I am always able to locate myself on the map simply through the terrain features. Of course, I carry the compass.
Recently I got a GPS for kicks. It's an eTrex. I can't seem to get used to the tiny screen and constantly zooming in and out. It takes me what seems like 20 button pushes to get the same "feel" for where I am at as I can get from 10 seconds of looking at the map after always paying attention to the terrain.
I don't know where I heard it but this is always true: You're not lost if you can find your way home. :D
Che
Look at the Garmin 60csx, Never looses a signal, at least not for me in the dense Pacific coast range in Oregon, very dense cover.. The Etrex doesn't even compare. I had one, gave it away..
I was really really close to buying one last year. But dad talked me out of it. I figure he would definatly be the go to guy about GPS, he is a avionic tech, and that is what he does installs radios and GPS's into airplanes. I thought he was crazy when he told me that some of his freinds brought satellite phones to where we hunt and they didnt work. But the first time I went with him I beleived him then. I dont get it, there are trees, I mean it is the woods but it is not like super thick, the satellite radio, cell phones dont work, and the radios only work when they feel like it. Weird, like a little bermuda triangle or something hidding in the Appalacians, lol
I don't like the fact that the GPS is always "behind". You're watching the little arrow while walking to your spot and suddenly it's pointing back behind you, cause you now have walked some distance past the spot. If this happens you have possibly alerted game you wanted to hunt, and you may have spoiled/scented up your area. In military applications the consequences of overshooting your objective can be much more severe..........
If you were keeping track of your progress on a map, and you used terrain association, along with handrails and a backstop, you could have walked right to the point without overshooting it....all the while paying attention to more important things.
QuoteOriginally posted by freefeet:
QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
Uh, the Pentagon isn't going to turn off your GPS. Not only is there an entire commercial industry surrounding GPS, your 911 PSAP is using GPS to locate that accident you just called in from your cell phone. "Turning off" GPS would take a presidential order at this point and a politician willing to shoulder the burden of civilian deaths. Ain't gonna happen.
Then why do the Pentagon have the option to do so?
Why did they demand the same access to Europe's new sat nav system (refused thankfully)?
And regardless of whether they switch it off or not, systems can be hacked and anyone hacking into that system can switch it off or corrupt it.
And don't think it's difficult to hack into the Pentagon systems, they've admitted that there systems have been hacked many times.
On top of that access to GPS, the whole system is vulnerable to interference and tampering.
Like i said, i'm sticking with what's worked all my life, a waterproof map and compass. Nothing can go wrong with that. Even if the compass fails i can follow a map on the topography alone. Map only topographic navigation is a good thing to practice when you're out in not to serious situations, it only increases to your nav ability when you do have a compass, and can save you if, and it's a big if, your compass gets damaged.
The pentagon has the option to do what they want with GPS because
1. They own the satellites
2. They pioneered the technology
3. The agreements you have to sign to use those satellites reaffirm that the tech is owned by the pentagon. It's not a conspiracy, it's simple control of a product you invented.
Hacked? I think you are confusing satellite control systems and the social security system or something. I guarantee you if it was easy to hack millitary satellite systems, our enemies would have shut those sats down long ago.
You know a ton more about map and compass than I do. I can find the road I parked my truck on and that's about it. There's no reason to demonize GPS to justify a personal decision, though.
Ah everything can have its place, thats the beauty of the Hunting across the board.
I like to use Compass, map and GPS together as they all have their unique advantages when hunting.
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IVY_20090915_0332-1.jpg)
Along with Basic Navigation using stars and the Sun if you where to be in such a position.
Frankly i dont mind not knowing where i am if your capable of surviving in the given situation, being lost to Some...is a bit of Freedom to others
Have fun out there :campfire:
i use them and i use the map like a flight path chart since i dont really know how to use it all that well but havent been lost yet
I used to carry only one compass - UNTIL -
I had an interesting experience in a remote mountain basin that had a magnetite deposit.
After that I always carried 2 compasses (even though 2 compasses wouldn't have solved the 1 compass dilemma in the previous case) - UNTIL -
I was hiking out in the dark across a snow field scattered with drainages that I "knew" ran N to S (at close to 0 C after a long day afield)...finally, I pulled out compass #1 and read that the drainages were running E to W...I didn't "believe" compass #1 (hypothermia and/or exhaustion was starting to kick-in)...I traveled a bit further (maybe 30 min)...pulled out compass #1 and then dug compass #2 out of my survival kit and found that both compasses agreed with one another and that the drainages were still running E to W so I adjusted my course to fit the bearing even though - mentally - I was suspicious of BOTH compass readings...I finally reached the road I was searching for about 4 miles south and downhill of my vehicle location. Fortunately, a landowner had seen my flashlight turn on when I finally discovered the road and came to investigate. Ever so kindly he provided me with a ride back up the hill to my pickup....
Ever since then, I have always carried 3 compasses...and checked my directions frequently WITHOUT doubting the bearings under critical conditions...
Practice your orienteering - a recommended woodsmanship skill....
Shoot straight, Shinken
I agree JeffStruberg, no need to demonise a different choice.No conspiracy there either. Navigation is an intriguing science and skill, many cultures use their own way of explaining observed phenomena. They all 'work'. Gps is the latest and most remarkable example, doesn't mean the others dont work or are bad, neither is GPs. I find satisfaction in using ancient techniques as much as in knowing to the last metre where I am. Mostly I am happy to be 'in the area' and knowing how to get out. Our topography where I hunt is not generally as extreme vertically so exact passes and climbs are not as important but like on the ocean or in a desert a minor error can cost you a long, thirsty walk. The same basic principle applies all over, be aware of where you are and keep an eye on the bigger picture, confirm that any way you like and if it looks funny STOP and check properly.
chrisg
QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
Hacked? I think you are confusing satellite control systems and the social security system or something. I guarantee you if it was easy to hack millitary satellite systems, our enemies would have shut those sats down long ago.
You know a ton more about map and compass than I do. I can find the road I parked my truck on and that's about it. There's no reason to demonize GPS to justify a personal decision, though.
I'm not trying to demonise something to justify a personal decision. I was born, brought up, and served in the British army and learned how to use a map and compass at a young age. It wasn't a personal decision, there wasn't anything else to use.
And now i have a choice i look at the choice fully.
The Pentagon have been trying to extradite an Autistic young man from the UK for years now for hacking into their systems and causing damage.
Luckily he wasn't actually doing it to cause mischief, he was only looking for evidence of UFO's, although the Pentagon claims he caused $millions of damage in doing that. But the point stands, if an amateur can do it then others certainly can. No system is completely safe from attack.
Then there's China. Blowing up satellites in orbit showering the hole place in high speed debris flying everywhere. One bit of that debris, or other space rubbish, hits a GPS satellite and then where will you be?
Then there's meteor showers - regular occurrences. Only a matter of time before one of those takes out an important satellite.
As i said, i'm not trying to demonise this. Just stating the facts as to the vulnerability of modern technology. Rely on it completely without any back up and you could find yourself in serious problems.
Play with your GPS by all means, fun toy, but please, learn to read a map and use a compass, it could really save your life.