GPS recommends

[George Vernon]

Picking a GPS unit is a lot like buying a car or computer.  There are so many options.  Defining what you want to get done with the unit is a good place to start.  Let me give a couple of examples.

 Need to mark the location of the car or entry point to the woods, find a hunting spot I've used before and make it back to the car.  If one does not care about the specific path or trail, there are some units with waypoint location capability and will get you there and back 'as the crow flies' for less than a $100.

Do the above, but be able to use specific trails.  Now you need waypoints and trail capabilites.  Add $50-100.

Do the above, but also use for scouting new terrain.  Add built in topos and a little more money.

Do all the above and be able to load in topos of my choice.  Add SD card.  Now you are in the $400 + range.

Thick cover blocking reception is not nearly the problem it was 10 years ago.  The new high sensitivity chip sets are great.  But terrain (steep hills and valleys as mentioned by others) will still cause reception issues.  So electronic compass that does not need satellite reception is a good thing to have.  Some of the basic units don't.

Think of the GPS as an aid to how you already scout and hunt.  It's a tool that will be frequently used if it complements your hunting/scouting style.  It will gather dust otherwise.

[straitera]

Nail on the head GV! Figure this isn't rocket science.

Get into the woods to mark prospective sites & be able to both; 1.find them again in thick dense woods & more important, 2. find my way out & back home in the dark. And, I want to be able to do it w/o having to learn the Greek Alphabet.

Apparently the Garmin 20 on up use 2 separate satellites for signal resolution & SD cards for expansion. Figure that's good for a tekneck but if it's not easy I won't use it.

May post a come along with my new unit for all the GPS newbs like myself? Much obliged to all you accomplished trail wayfarers.

[longbow fanatic 1]

I have used the Garmin Etrex 10 for hunting in Montana and Wisconsin. I had the original model and it worked great. The down side to this model is that you don't have the downloaded maps. It's just a blank screen with tracks and waypoints. That said, I had no problems using it in timber. I simply use my headlamp to illuminate my GPS after dark and follow my tracks back. For $110.00 or so, they're hard to beat. Last year while hunting in Wisconsin, I lost my GPS. I went right out and purchased another etrex 10, which seems to connect faster to the satellites much more quickly.