If you fall from a tree who will come for you? This could go for any other accident when in remote areas or even woodlots close to home. I hunt a giant area in Georgia and when I leave my house my woman could not tell anyone where I was if I did not return. I mean she has no idea what region of the state I am even in much less where my tree stand is located.
I got to thinking about this the other day and before you answer that you always have your phone with you just imagine lying somewhere and being unable to even use a phone. I am sure that I am not the first to think of this but here is a good way to let folks know where you are when hunting. I mean EXACTLY where you are in an emergency.
There are various apps for smart phones that will tell you where you are at any given time. I used scoutlook for a time but have switched to Trimble for a number of reasons. I don't think it really matter for this application as long as it will give you Longitude and latitude as well as a satellite and or topo information. When you get where you are going geotag your location as a waypoint. Bring up these numbers and then take a screen shot of this info. Text the picture to someone that would need this information when you don't come home.
With this information, a loved one or friend from a thousand miles away could send a search team directly to your stand without a word from you even if your phone is turned off or destroyed.
I know some folks are resistant to all thing tech or may say that it is to complicated but I promise if you have difficulty figuring it out grab a 16 year old child and in minutes you will see just how easy it is. I can geotag a location and send the info in less than 30 seconds and it is very accurate. As a matter of fact this idea came to me when I started using this to mark locations of my stands so than my son could go to them in the dark without ever having been there. It works. There are even ways to do this (with Trimble at least) when you don't have cell service but it is a bit more complex.
Just thought I would pass it along to the folks that might have an interest. If you guys have thought of some other neat ways to use these things for safety, please share.
Hunt safe,
Jerry
Here are a couple of screen shots that show just some of the information that can be used for letting someone know where you are. Remember, the most valuable are the actual coordinates that an unknown rescuer would need the most.
(http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj501/jerryrussell1/IMG_1509_zps18567db9.png)
(http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj501/jerryrussell1/IMG_1507_zps105cd21b.png)
(http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj501/jerryrussell1/IMG_1511_zpse2a03e3b.png)
And by the way, don't you boys go sneekin about this location provided here, lol.
This is like leaving a "float plan" behind when going boating/ offshore. This is absolutely a good idea.
I work in fire/EMS and trust me, 99% of the people who get injured during outdoor activities never thought it would or could happen to them. Be especially mindful of this kind of stuff during extreme weather! Be prepared!
I agree. Folks never think it can happen to them and telling the wife that you are going to be "down by the creek" can cost you big time when a search and rescue team is trying to find you in the dark. We always think of tree stand safety and the like but what about things you can't wear a safety belt to stop like heart attacks, strokes and MANY other such things. These are thing that you can't take safety measure to prevent. With the technology available (if you care to use it) why not use it to protect yourself and the people that depend on you.
Either angels or demons. Then coyotes. Or maybe the other way 'round. Either way...
I take appropriate safety measures. Quite a lot, actually. But at the same I figure that nothing is failsafe and if I snuff it out hunting or fishing in a pretty place, that's as good a way to go as any.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jerry Russell:
I agree. Folks never think it can happen to them and telling the wife that you are going to be "down by the creek" can cost you big time when a search and rescue team is trying to find you in the dark. We always think of tree stand safety and the like but what about things you can't wear a safety belt to stop like heart attacks, strokes and MANY other such things. With the technology available (if you care to use it) why not use it to protect yourself.
I always tell the wife about where I will be, That being said it still could take 24-48 hours to find my sorry old butt! I leave a top map and a note on the counter the night before and show her "about" where I can be found! So far I have not needed it!
QuoteOriginally posted by Jerry Russell:
QuoteOriginally posted by Jerry Russell:
I agree. Folks never think it can happen to them and telling the wife that you are going to be "down by the creek" can cost you big time when a search and rescue team is trying to find you in the dark. We always think of tree stand safety and the like but what about things you can't wear a safety belt to stop like heart attacks, strokes and MANY other such things. With the technology available (if you care to use it) why not use it to protect yourself.
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Ummm,
I have no idea why I just quoted myself.. dang technology, lol
I have to agree, the new apps have helped me get out of a jam a few times already. Won't leave home without it.
QuoteOriginally posted by LongStick64:
I have to agree, the new apps have helped me get out of a jam a few times already. Won't leave home without it.
Not to mention all the "other" things they can do for you. "Where was that last blood spot"? Something I will never have to say again on a pitch black night.
My wife knows what stand or blind I am in. Even if I am hunting in ghillie, she knows the area I am in. I also check in when I am heading out of the woods, so she has an ETA for me to be driving home.
She could call the land owner and tell him where to go, if needed.
My friend and hunting buddy pretty much always knows where I'm sitting whether he is hunting or not and we usually talk after every hunt so if I didn't call I know he would be calling and if he couldn't get a hold of me I know he would come looking.
I was a SAR dog handler for many years. I know full well how long it takes to notify the authorities, mobilize a response and locate someone lying on the ground in deep cover.
My wife has a general knowledge of some of the areas I hunt, from walking them with me or on her own. For other areas, I send her an occasional email with my phone directly from a mapping app that automatically gives her the coordinates to hand off to the search commander. She always know before I go out when I will be back and when to call for help, which are two different times.
If we still lived in AK or in one of the Western states, I'd carry a PLB, which got its start in AK: Emergency Beacons (http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html) The SPOT device has come a long way from its somewhat troubled infancy, and I might consider that as well.
Coyotes! :biglaugh:
My wife is handicapped, my daughters live far away, my brother and mother live in TX. St. Peter will come for me or St. Christopher will look after me.
Good thing my wife is beneficiary. :biglaugh:
The biggest survival mistake people make is not letting one know where they will be at. Always text or email someone your coordinates. Everybody has some sort of phone that sends text or emails. Most places today get phone service of some type. If you don't have a phone which is probably the most important item you can have, you can leave a note at your home like your refrigerator or bathroom mirror and leave the general area where you will be. Stay safe.
See this article - Presents another option. It is an app developed by a local guy and seems to be a good idea both for keeping track of where someone is hunting AND if you need help it can text your exact coordinates to a designated person.
http://www.louisianasportsman.com/details.php?id=6961
Between my wife, and my hunting buddy, someone will find me. They always know where I am going.
Excellent tip, Jerry!
I don't think anyone who has ever fallen out of a treestand, went there that day with falling out of a treestand as even a remote possibility in their mind!
Bisch
QuoteOriginally posted by VA Bowbender:
My wife is handicapped, my daughters live far away, my brother and mother live in TX. St. Peter will come for me or St. Christopher will look after me.
Good thing my wife is beneficiary. :biglaugh:
Don't know St Christopher is but I hope St Peter comes for me as places I go I figure a buzzard won't be able to find me.
Good tip! Though seriously. Been thinking about a spot or an epirb - could use the epirb on bluewater runs as well
Once you get to a certain age, you get smart enough not to climb trees any more... granted a broken leg in the wrong spot could cause the same situation. All a guy could hope for is the lord would beat the coyotes....
Answer: Linda ... in the spring. (But it's okay - there's plenty of vension in the freezer to keep her going)
I couldn't agree with Jerry's advice more. I have a low-tech solution when I'm hunting around home (95% of my hunting). I make sure my son knows where all my stands are. I name them. I tell my wife the name of the stand I'll be hunting.
Then, for safety's sake I text my son the name of the stand I'm actually in at that moment: cedar fence, walnut creek, 40 Cedar, Hackberry, etc. I do this primarily because sometimes I change my mind based upon local wind direction or just a hunch as I'm walking in the dark.
I need to play with a new Montana GPS unit I picked up a couple of months ago to be even more specific.
Yep, the Doctor started about 10 years ago when I turned 50 trying to get me to stay out of trees. He told me to "act my age". I insisted that I AM acting my age and will until I can't do it.
I absolutely love the view from the trees.
What if you don't have cell service? I hunt a lot of places that don't have cell service. If you have cell service your spot is not that remote.
I don't think a gps locating app is reliant on cell service. it should run via satellite.... but i've sure had issues with mapping not working correctly if i didn't have the map of the area i was in already uploaded to my phone...
These smart phones we have now are tricky to use. by the time i think i've got mine figured out... its obsolete. :confused:
My old buddy Ed always did something I thought was pretty slick. He had several small topo maps of each of his hunting areas with his exact stand location marked. Each one was put inside its own ziplock baggie. He left the appropriate map under his windshield wiper when he left the truck. Anyone could easily find him if needed.
He also left a pack with medical supplies at the base of his tree. Just in case.
and dont think it cant happen to you. went hunting sat. after having slight chest pain and discomfort in my arm, am very active at work, wife made me text her every hr. found out monday,when she took me to emergency room after work, that i had a heart attack on fri. at work. Was in the hospitol for 4 days with test. sitting at home waiting for triple bypass surgery on fri. just saying
Glad you made to the hospital, kwc, and good luck with the bypass surgery!
Great topic, Jerry. I should definitely be better about leaving my hunting location with someone before heading out. Thanks for bringing it up.
QuoteOriginally posted by NittanyRider:
Great topic, Jerry. I should definitely be better about leaving my hunting location with someone before heading out. Thanks for bringing it up.
We all should do a better job of preparing for the unexpected. Lots of ideas here about how folks take precautions and while good, the idea behind the thread is giving people the ability to give real time location data when something unpreventable happens when you are were you said would be hunting as well as when you are not, ie following a blood trail, hunting a secondary location due to a wind change or even lost.
For those that hunt beyond the range of cell service, it is
difficult to give real time data but leaving precise stand locations in advance is still easy. I can only speak of the Trimble app here... While you have cell service, upload a topo or satellite view of you hunting area. This data will be stored in the app. Once on site you can access this map and geotag every stand location. When you get home pull up the Lattitude and Longitude info and take a screen shot. Do this with every stand location. Text all the locations to someone. In the future just let someone know which stand you will be in. The important thing to remember is this system is WAY more accurate than using a dot on a map and can be shared phone to phone in an instant.
Here is an example. While in Africa, I took a picture of a waterhole with animals to tease a buddy. When the geotagged picture was received., he was able to pull up the waterhole location on Google earth and actually look at the setup. This is an extreme example but he literally could have guided someone directly to me from 8,600 miles away. That is simply awesome.
This may sound difficult to some that don't embrace technology and if it is not for you, that is fine. If you think it is something that you might like to try but maybe it is a little confusing, find someone to help. In just a a few minutes you will have a tool that not only helps to keep you safe but helps with navigation, scouting, blood trailing and so much more.
Another option is a SPOT system, which is satellite based. The only CON is that an annual or monthly service plan is required.
Here's the URL:
SPOT (http://www.findmespot.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=29)
Great idea. But how do you take a screen shot and send it off to someone.
QuoteOriginally posted by tracker12:
Great idea. But how do you take a screen shot and send it off to someone.
That depends on your phone model. Google the question or ask youtube with the exact model of your phone.
Lately one could find me by going to where the herd of 8 tresspassing cows are standing! :confused:
My son knows where all my stands are on my small property. I always try to make sure he or my wife know where I will be hunting.
www.findmespot.com (http://www.findmespot.com)
This is a handheld gps device where the user subscribes to a service for a small fee like $100 per year. In return the service provides a lifeline for you in case you are out in the middle of no where and you need rescuing.. You can buy this device at outdoor stores such as REI, Cabelas etc. this is what I plan to get the next time I'm in the woods by myself w/o access to cell phone, roads etc...