How to use GPS for Scouting and Hunting

[@sabrinaa4872]

Thank you for the video! This is very helpful. My boyfriend and I small game hunt in NH and he has the Montana 610 and I have the Etrex 30 and I was having a difficult time getting the topo's to work (I don't even think mine came with them) and marking way points. This video pointed me in the right direction!

[@seansoutdoors]

Great, Sabrina. Glad it was helpful. Have fun out there and God bless ya!

[@Kman31ca]

Great stuff. I use the Ihunter app on my phone up here in Alberta. As well as I have it on my IPad. Does pretty much the exact same stuff. Even when I don't have service I just make sure I go over the whole area first with service and it caches so it works just as well without service. But that's also majority flat land with coulees being the only real areas with trees. Plus 90% of it is grid road systems. So even if the phone died, I always got my compass and map with me. And before I head out I take my bearings with compass and mark where I parked on the map. Makes it simple to find your way out. And either way no matter where you head you would hit a road within a few miles. But if mountain hunting, I would be making the investment in a good gps.

[@seansoutdoors]

Awesome, be safe. God bless ya

[@terryforsythe8810]

nice vid going to have to try that this weekend as I'm looking for anew spot r season starts in sept good luck

[@seansoutdoors]

Awesome. Good luck with it and God bless ya!

[@boomerrangerron]

Sean some nice tips as always! I wish I had spent more and bought the Montana, but I took the cheap way out with the Garmin I Trex 20. So we'll have to make that work. I love to hunt in Mountain Laurel especially from a tree stand. Any chance you can do a video on hunting rub lines? 🎯

[@seansoutdoors]

Hey, it is a GPS. Did it come with Topo maps preloaded? You can always purchase them, (and there are also a few ways to download them free and load them on) but I just like to buy mine with them preloaded... that's just me. Enjoy it and God bless ya!

[@boomerrangerron]

Sean No but I'm going to buy an On X chip fir the state if Colorado for ny Elk hunt, and probably see if I can download some Topo's CT & NY states. You're right it is a GOS & I used the whey points to mark my stand locations last Fall.

[@seansoutdoors]

Awesome! Good luck with it!!!

[@bjacobs17]

I’m currently looking to buy this same GPS unit for hunting. I’m wondering how It does in areas there is no cell service? I hunt river bottoms where there is no service so needing something to can acquire satellite in thick canopy’s with no service. Any input on this would be much appreciated

[@seansoutdoors]

It does great. Cell phone service means nothing to this thing as it runs off of satellites not cell towers

[@seansoutdoors]

I’ve used it for a couple years now and it has done pretty well even in some situations with a lot of overhead leaf cover.

[@bjacobs17]

Sean's Outdoor Adventures good to know. I use to have the Oregon 450 but It ended up getting broke a few yrs ago. I know that thing was awesome the first few yrs i had It but seemed like as It got older It would take me around in circles and off the trail i should be goin like It was confused or something. Dunno if It was losing satellites or what but that’s not a good feeling when you’re 4+ miles deep in a bottom with no service before daylight!

[@seansoutdoors]

@@bjacobs17 I had the Oregon 450T and loved it. You have to plug them into your computer and update them periodically. That definitely helps sometimes.

[@bjacobs17]

Sean's Outdoor Adventures that may have been the problem. Hey thanks for the reply! Happy hunting

[@Tracks777]

Great content

[@seansoutdoors]

Thanks

[@fastfreddie3265]

I have learned in the last two hunting seasons and a 45 minute phone call that a GPS is not needed. All you need is your cell phone which you are already paying for and the OnXmaps membership for your state($119) and the app for OnXhunt(FREE). On your computer access OnX app plan your hunt with hunt areas and way points. Then take your cell with service and log on the Onxhunt app and save the areas and way points using the off grid tool. POW you now have your map on you phone no GPS needed. You can hint the track button bread crump your way back to your vehicle or camp. Call support at OnX and they will show you the ropes. I learned the hard way after buying the Garmin Montana 680.

[@seansoutdoors]

Yes, that is an option too. I actually just heard of them the other day when I was talking to my contact at BowTech who I work with for my weekly live show with them. He just put me in touch with OnX today. They don't have that big of a presence on the East Coast yet so that might be why I wasn't too familiar with them. Although I am wondering if I met the guy who owns it at the Great American Outdoor Show about a year or two ago. I might have. Anyway, God bless ya! OH, AND BE SURE TO CARRY A BATTERY CHARGER FOR YOUR PHONE! NOTHING WORSE THAN YOUR PHONE DYING ON YOU FROM USING THE MAPPING!

[@fastfreddie3265]

Dark energy has a great charger for about 90-100 bucks. It will recharge a phone about 4-5 times out in the field. home.darkenergy.com

[@seansoutdoors]

I'm just going to state an observation here. By the time you spend the 119 on the app, and 100 on the charger, you are spending about the same you would on a GPS. And, I haven't had any experience with this app as of yet, but the accuracy of my phone is not nearly as tight as my hand held gps. For instance, I use the GPS to get me to my tree in the dark. My phone isn't able to do that. It will get me within about 20 yards or 30 yards of my tree, but if I am in an area I've only been in once in the past on a brief scout, then I am basically stuck waiting till daylight to hopefully find where I had marked. So, I'd have to see how this app works to be able to speak on it, but that would be my major reservation going into it. Lack of accuracy with the phone when I need it most (in the dark on a long hunt)..

[@fastfreddie3265]

In my original post you will see that I bought a Garmin Montana 680t you can not even get half way with 220 .

[@seansoutdoors]

Oh, see, I just wait till they go on sale, and I usually build up gift cards before doing it, so I got this $600 Montana for $200 between the sale price and the use of the gift cards. I could have gotten it for free if I wanted to wait until after my next birthday and got a few more gift cards. I simply ask my friends and relatives to give me gift cards for Cabelas every year and then I use them all toward big purchases like this, lol. Works out well, lol. God bless ya.

[@bryang6271]

Great timing, Sean. Ive been researching and looking into getting my first GPS these past few weeks. Can you make any recommendations for a budget friendly/entry level GPS? I just want something that can get me in and out safely, without worrying about where I wander. Also, have you tried any of the phone Apps for GPS like Backcountry Navigator?

[@seansoutdoors]

I personally like Garmin because it integrates so nicely with my computer with the free App called BaseCamp. You can buy GPS and find work arounds to download topo maps from other sites and install them on the gps, but I personally just prefer to buy a gps that has the topo maps preloaded. On the more budget side of the spectrum there are units like the Garmin Etrex 20X or 30X which have topo maps. I personally just watch Cabelas sales and wait till a good unit goes on sale for $100 to $150 OFF of normal price. If you watch their sales it happens all the time. Then I make my purchase. You can also looked for used models for sale on craigslist. Just make sure it is in good shape before purchasing. As for apps, I typically don't use them on my phone other than Google Maps because my Google account can be accessed anywhere on any device so I can get all my waypoints anywhere I am and on any device, which other apps often don't have that level of integration. Good luck and God bless.

[@hunting2018]

جميل جدا

[@seansoutdoors]

lol, I have no idea what you wrote. God bless you!

[@Gadgetdad007]

You do not have to put them onto your computer as you can store the way points on the device.

[@seansoutdoors]

Yes but it is a very good idea to back them up on your computer in case the devise fails. Plus, once you have them on your computer you can also transfer them to a new device in the future, which I’ve done.

[@danielrinckey5935]

might want to change that scoting on the thumbnail

[@seansoutdoors]

Lol. thanks. I'm sure Scot wouldn't mind