I have always kept a daily journal while on safari detailing what was done on every day, game taken when and where and including interesting notes about the area and experiences.It's fun to look back at later. I've read accounts by Selous where he states that, for example, lions had attacked his oxen at night while under a tree about a certain location. Of course, nmow, one wouldn't be able to find where that exact location was. About 10 years ago I started taking portable GPS units with me on safari. I would record GPS positions of significant plaaces and events; where the camp was, where I shot such-and-such animal, etc.. This fixes an exact location such that if I or my kids go back to the area the exact places may be found. Since then I have also found the GPS units to be useful in the field. It is easy to become disoriented as to direction in featurelss areas such as the miombo of Tanzania. Now, when we spot game from the car, such as buffalo, I enter the position of the car on the GPS and save it. Tracking a herd of buffalo can go on for hours and involve meandering all over the countryside. It is interesting to look at the GPS and see exactly where you've gone. It is also useful to then know that the car is, say, 3.71 miles away, bearing 275 degrees.

The last hunt I had in Tanzania was with Alick Roberts who knew far more about GPS than I probably ever will. He had two units, one that he carried and one he left in the car. When we made a kill he would use the walkie-talkie and call the driver, giving him our coordinates, and the driver would invariably show up right on target a few minutes later. He would also keep GPS locations of pertinent features, such as leopard baits, etc..

Like most electronics the GPS units have become smaller and better with time. The unit I have now is the Garmin vista. This little bugger is so small it fits in a shirt pocket, is accurate to within 10-15 meters, and has a built in electronic compass and altimeter. It is the one I will be taking with me on my upcoming trip.

Does anyone else out there regularly use GPS on safari? If so, what other uses have you found for it?

I too have used a GPS on safari. Our friends in Namibia had never used one because of the prohibitive price there, so we brought one over. In addition to navigation while looking for game, we also developed a large-scale map of the ranch. We plotted up the corners, gates, waterholes, rivers, things like that.

I just purchased a new magellan 315 for my own personal use, and it is an excellent unit.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
The Safari Specialists
www.slatesafaris.com

Don't get me wrong, I love my GPS, but I use it only as a back up to confirm where conventional methods (map/compass/watch/sextant)compute. Why?

In what seems so long ago that it was in another life, I used to navigate across oceans in sailboats and in single-seat airplanes. I learned a golden rule: If it can fail, it will fail at the worst possible moment.

I remember the story of the fledging solo sailor who confused north and south latitude and sailed from the Gibraltar to North Brazil instead of Barbados. I'm that stupid, so EVERYTHING is double checked and checked again.

Just my thoughts.

My favorite story about a GPS is I had a hunter last year who had one..We had been horseback about 6 hours and I asked him to figure out where we were and see if that "thang" worked....he fiddled around for quite awhile and I finally said "well"? He said "according to my calculations we are on that peak across that canyon!" I said "OK, we'll be there in about an hour"....Just a bit of humor on a subject I know nothing about....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

John:

I have used my GPS (Garmin 12X) in Africa exactly as you describe, and have used the trick with the two units as well.

It can be of great help to locate a position by radio, when there is an accident, or when you have to leave a dead animal in order to look for help. Once we hunted in Zambia in an elephant rich area until the night fell and had to return to camp in a different way without lights. That was eerie, because we walked and walked under the stars and nobody talked because of the tension of running into elephant. I fell severa times because I was not able to see the many holes caused by elephant feet in the rainy season. The trackers got lost in the night (so much for metaphysical or occult orienteering capabilities of African trackers...) and I noticed it thanks to my GPS. I waited for one or two km until it was apparent that the trackers did not have a clue where the camp was and told them the GPS showed another direction to camp. Thanks to the GPS we changed our course (180�...) and found the camp a couple of hours later. After that, whenever they had a doubt about our whereabouts, they would ask me to show them the arrow just to make sure.

On another hunt, my PH also used his GPS to map a new concession, in particular the waterholes. It is practical for them to give these data to other PH�s and thus make sure everyone in the company knows where they are.

One should of course use the GPS only as a backup method, as I thing too much science and technology can negatively influence a traditional African hunt. I like to have an element of indeterminacy in my hunts and like to think that watching the locals bushcraft contributes to sharpen my hunters senses.

As an aside, I have used the GPS extensively in Mexico and have found that it works great in the desert, but that it is totally useless in the jungles with high canopies or in the high canyons of Sonora or Coahuila, where it has serious trouble getting a good fix. So dont leave your compass at home...

Antonio

Gentlemen,

May I remind you that you have to re-set your GPS when you are south of the Equator?

Our friend Walter did not know that, so us being the helpful lot, we re-set his GPS for him.

We were out chasing elephants, and someone asked him how far from the camp we were.

He discovered that we were about 6,000 miles from our camp, and only 40 miles from his house in Dubai.

He went into one his trances - where he goes completely quite, and keeps looking at me and his GPS.

Walter: "Something is wrong here!"

Roy:"You just discovered that you do not know how to operate a GPS!"

Walter:"I know how to operate this bloody thing! It must be the heat. It has effected it and garbles its brains, just as it did to you and Saeed!"

Me:"Did you reprogram it after you arrived here?"

Walter:" No. It was programmed in Dubai"

Roy:"I told you you do not know how to operate a GPS. Now you are SOUTH of the Equator, not NORTH, so you have to reprogram it from here"

Walter, looking at me: "Is that true?"

Me:" Of course it is you nitwit! I thought you already knew that! It is just like the compass, when you are in the Northern hemisphere, the needle points NORTH, and when you are in the southern hemisphere, the needle points SOUTH. It always points to the strongest magnetic field, which is the closest"

Walter: "Bloody hell. Now I have to reset all my way points."

Me:" Would you like me to help you do that?"

Walter:"No! Don't touch any of my equipment!"

That is what you get when you try to be helpful.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

I just got one of those Garmin eTrex units. I do not really need it - I just like gadgets!

I agree with judgeg.

I did use a Magellan unit on an expedition in Kenya 10 years ago. I took a group of soldiers up Mount Kenya and over the Aberdares range just east of the Rift Valley. The GPS was no substitute for map and compass work and a knowledge of the stars. This was especially true when the satellites seemed to either disappear or dip below the horizon between 2 and 5 am. Because of the heat we were walking a lot at night so this was not particularly helpful.

I think there are many more sats up there now so that should not be problem, but either way I consider the GPS a check on compass work rather than a means of navigation in its own right.

[This message has been edited by Deerdogs (edited 08-26-2001).]

A few years ago, I believe it was in Tanzania (probably Ray and George know the full story), a PH and client got lost in the miombo and had a 3 or 4 day hike out to civilization. I had an experience once where after a very long buffalo hunt the PH and trackers didn't have much of a clue where we were (one pointed one way back to the car and the others pointed different ways). It took us about 4 very hot hours to get back, just at sunset.

One thing I did not point out was that, at the end of the safari, when you've entered all the various places in the memory, you have a map, to scale, of the concession. This makes a good addition to the journal.

Aaah! once again we are made aware that SOME PH's and native indigenous species of Africa may not be all that they are cracked up to be as to their natural ability to always know where they are! or their tracking abilities either...excluding Bushmen.

Remember a lot of these guys were raised in Dar Es Salaam, JoBerg or Harare, oh well!!

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

When I was Buff hunting last year in Zambia, we got lost just before sunset after we had been on the trail of a Bull for several hours. A GPS might have helped then, but we didn't stay lost very long. Besides while we lost, I shot a couple of Bushpigs.

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JD

/

ALF

Many apologies. I don't know if the incident I referred to is indeed the same as you mention. I certainly don't want to bring up any unpleasant memories. My whole point is that it is easy in certain areas to get lost. I would also like to mention that, although I do carry a compass, it hasn't been of much use. Compasses are of help while hiking, expecially with maps. Following a herd of buffalo for hours, zigzagging back and forth, trying to stay downwind of them, concentrating on them, not the terrain--it's easy to get lost and a dozen compasses wouldn't be of much help.

I merely used a GPS for my memories and evtl. as backup. But with my crew of trackers I never would follow the signs of the GPS, because I don�t want to disturb theyr exellent ability, to know where we are and to follow the best way, avoiding obstacles.

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