A recent safety thread got me to thinking about my solo elk hunting trips. I'm not getting any younger, and the country is not real forgiving where elk live, so I just ordered a personal locator beacon as a safety factor, should I break my body somewhere deep in the backcountry. I hope to never use it, but it should be some peace of mind for my spouse and might just save my bacon. Anybody else have a PLB as part of your hunting pack?
Think it's a great idea. Where and what brand, model did you order. Even not being on a hunt way off the beaten path, seems like it would be very useful. You got me thinking !!
Froggy
Sounds like a good idea.
Do a google on "hiking personal locator beacon" and read up on the pros and cons of using them, whether they are necessary and how to use them. Very informative.
Joshua
I prefer my sat phone but beacon would be my second option.
I carry a spot, I like it a lot. My little girl gets on the puter to see where i am and i can tag areas where i find good sign and print a topo map at home.
Froggy, I'm getting a McMurdo Fastfind 210 through REI. I didn't need the tracking offered by the Spot; just a device in the off chance that I need help. I'm on the local Search and Rescue, which also makes you think about what can go wrong.
I use the SPOT since I am mostly hunting alone these days. Unlike a PLB it allows me to let my wife know where I am when I move camp etc. I still get the emergency situation notification if needed. I save the annual fee in gas not having to drive in to a phone to check in.
plb's are great peace of mind. i carry one one solo remote trips. mine is a GME mt410 with gps tracking.
My hubby is a mountain climber so we are all for PLBs. He climbs alone a lot. I have never taken it hunting. My cell works everywhere that I hunt.
I got a ticket for a free spot. I just have never paid the $145 yearly fee to activate it! Sounds like a great little device. I like that he could send me messages from summit!
When I crashed out hunting last year, it crossed my mind that no one would find me and my cell phone would not pick up a signal where I was at the time. The result, I took a one mile trek with a numb leg and shooting pain in my back that caused me to pass out and have a major panic attack, and one new Hill longbow that I left alongside my vehicle when I left. When I returned a half hour later when realized I was not having a heart attack, it was gone. All that for not seeing the work of a badger in the dark and the added panic of being stranded. Peace of mind is important, I would even consider a satellite phone if I were to be in steep remote country, but then a cripple like me should not be in steep rocky country. I was reminded of that when I was falling down a steep granite slope this summer with my favorite canoe in Canada last June. One little junk of caribou moss caused that one, you just never know.