I need a GPS for a new place I have. I need it to mark feeders, trails , stands and roads.

What would you all recommend?

I try to read reviews. They are useless.

Larry, I have been using the Garmin 60csx for over a decade including use for exploring new country, projecting waypoints etc and find this particular model very accurate and worthwhile.
Probably has way more functions than you would use/need, going on your description of your requirement, but you could further take a unit such as this anywhere later on, so long as you get familiar with the usage of it.

Do you own a modern smart phone?

Yes but signal is sketchy at best in this area .

If you have an Iphone6 or newer smart phone you don't need cell service for the GPS on your phone to work..it's not "assisted" like older phones relied on. There are apps that will preload maps and turn your iPhone into a true GPS unit.

Interesting. I did not know that.

I've got that Garmin Oregon model and think its awesome. Easy to use and as long as I have my glasses on, easy to see screen.

I use a Garmin Rhino.It's a GPS and a High powered radio. It will also give out your location in case you have an emergency!!!

I use a Garmin 650 Oregon with state chips. It's very nice and easy to carry. My use is packing in and weight is at a premium. If I was going to use one on drive up to private land type hunts, I would upgrade to the larger Garmin Montana.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
I've got that Garmin Oregon model and think its awesome. Easy to use and as long as I have my glasses on, easy to see screen.

Which model number? There are several.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
I've got that Garmin Oregon model and think its awesome. Easy to use and as long as I have my glasses on, easy to see screen.

Which model number? There are several.

It's the 600t. So the print on the thing says. Use like a smart phone, swipe here and there, pre loaded with topos, very easy to mark locations, and pocket small. As I said, very easy to read and use as long as my glasses are on.

Another vote for Garmin. I have a 60csx and it is way more gps than I need. Excellent and easy to use.

I have and really like my older Oregon 450. Get the "T" (topography) model if you're planning on using it unassisted. If you're going to add a land ownership chip like Kirsch's or onX, you don't need the "T" since the chip will have topographic information in addition to all of the other features.

quote:

Originally posted by DesertRam:
I have and really like my older Oregon 450. Get the "T" (topography) model if you're planning on using it unassisted. If you're going to add a land ownership chip like Kirsch's or onX, you don't need the "T" since the chip will have topographic information in addition to all of the other features.

Agree 100% and I would go ahead and just recommend the OnX maps chip. I would rather spend the extra money on the chip than on the T version of a GPS.

Also, Garmin just bought Delorme and they are selling a Garmin GPS with the capability to send and receive text messages. It is a sweet setup and it worth the money! Its nice to be able to have a device that can communicate via satellite as I don't have cell reception in a lot of places I go. It has saved me a lot of headaches

Lastly, I would download the app to have for your phone BUT I would never use that as a primary GPS as phones are expensive and really too valuable to risk losing or breaking. The app would be nice to have but would be no substitute for a dedicated GPS to travel with

I use the ETrex 20 which has quite a bit of functions. Best use of a GPS is being able to download onto mapping software like Google or Basecamp and save see them at your leisure plus being able to save them off your device as precaution for device failure

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I need a GPS for a new place I have. I need it to mark feeders, trails , stands and roads.

What would you all recommend?

I try to read reviews. They are useless.

There are a couple for sale in the classified section as we speak.


Will

Plus Cabela's has a great sale going right now. The Oregon 600 is 50% off at $200, and the Rino recommended above is $300 compared the normal $500. I'm awful tempted by that 600...

I have an app on my iphone onXmaps hunting gps.
Its works great It gives way points and also a google map of the area..The area that I hunt is well laid out with great detail. Look on their web page, I think you would like it.

I have used my iPhone 6 as well, but they are extremely prone to water damage; I ruined my first one simply by holding it in my hand when I ran. I have a cover for it now, but it isn't waterproof. On the other hand, seems a lot of guides these days are using their iPhones; one I used last year took a picture of the terrain in panoramic mode so we could make our way around thick alders when hiking after dark.

What happened to simply spending time in an area or on a property and learning how to get around, and topographic maps?

Sorry, I could not help myself and I know it is off topic, but how in the world did hunters/fishermen/explorers get by before GPS or Topographic maps for that matter?

Don't get me wrong when driving in a town/city that I am not familiar with, I will get the address and Lora will type it into her phone and it will give us the directions.

But all too often over the years here in rural Texas, I have had hunters coming in for a hunt and I would start trying to give them regular old country boy directions, and they would insist that all they needed was my address and they would use their GPS and in every case, I would get a call thirty minutes later and they are setting looking at a wheat field 3 miles south of my house after passing by the Red Brick house that was the fourth house on the right after turning off the main highway, where I tried to tell them I lived!

Technology is a wonderful thing, but as a group of people that spend a good bit of time in the outdoors, are too many of us becoming to enamored or dependent on technology?

quote:

but how in the world did hunters/fishermen/explorers get by before GPS or Topographic maps for that matter?

Most of us relied on compass bearings, landmarks, position of the sun/shadows; wind and current when on the high sea - that was 40 years ago.

40 years later technology can pinpoint your exact position and guide you to a given point within a margin of error of 1 meter.

It is undoubtedly a great convenience but has made us lazy (and ignorant) in that we (most of us) would be left like farts in a thunderstorm if the trusty GPS failed.

No intention of derailing the subject.

As I get older I have a harder time trying to understand the fascination people have developed over technology. It was a real step for me to learn how to use a computer.

To each their own, I am just Thankful that I was born with a fairly decent internal compass and born under a Wandering Star.

I just wonder sometimes if technology adds to a persons time outdoors or is moving them farther from the actual enjoyment/experience of being outdoors.

Larry: If you use your cell as a GPS you have to consider battery life.I like dedicated GPS units because of longer battery life. The next issue is touch screen or buttons. I like buttons, especially in cold weather or when bouncing around. The next issue is canopy cover. I would recommend a unit that receives both US and Russian GLONAS satellites. The US satellite orbits are more oriented to the equator because of where we are fighting but the GLONAS are more northerly oriented so work better in Alaska and the northern US. Screen size is another issue. I like the small size of the Garmin Etrex 20 for portability and AA batteries but the small screen size makes it almost worthless for map usage. It is like looking through a peephole on your motel room door. The Garmin Montana is more compatible with maps but is more bulky. It also uses a Li battery pack instead of AA. Whatever brand you choose you are married to that supplier because of software (map chips) and PC software like Garmin Base Camp. I use lithium batteries when I can. Although they are more expensive they are lighter (unit floats in water) and last longer.

quote:

Originally posted by bobmn:
Larry: If you use your cell as a GPS you have to consider battery life.I like dedicated GPS units because of longer battery life. The next issue is touch screen or buttons. I like buttons, especially in cold weather or when bouncing around. The next issue is canopy cover. I would recommend a unit that receives both US and Russian GLONAS satellites. The US satellite orbits are more oriented to the equator because of where we are fighting but the GLONAS are more northerly oriented so work better in Alaska and the northern US. Screen size is another issue. I like the small size of the Garmin Etrex 20 for portability and AA batteries but the small screen size makes it almost worthless for map usage. It is like looking through a peephole on your motel room door. The Garmin Montana is more compatible with maps but is more bulky. It also uses a Li battery pack instead of AA. Whatever brand you choose you are married to that supplier because of software (map chips) and PC software like Garmin Base Camp. I use lithium batteries when I can. Although they are more expensive they are lighter (unit floats in water) and last longer.

The solution to battery life is to put the phone on airplane mode; the GPS will stick work and the battery will last a lot longer. I also have a solar charging system for my phone; it is lightweight and can be "precharged" with a plug before the trip.

The other advantage of a phone is that if you do have a signal and you have Google Earth, you can use that in the field to see how far you are from tree lines, etc.

fulvio and Crazy: Just because I use a GPS does not mean I do not carry a magnetic compass and paper map. I did not forget how to use them when I bought a GPS. I have had 2 GPS failures - both Garmins. Near Hudson Bay when deciding which fork in a river to take my Garmin GPS 12 displayed a warning "internal battery failure". When I returned and discussed it with Garman it was obvious they knew they had a bad batch of internal batteries but only fixed the ones that people complained about. Another failure was "lost software". Both times the Garmin rep in Olathe, KS said I should not be using their units for navigation. My answer was I could not use them for boat anchors because they were not heavy enough. A Lowrance H2Oc would not acquire satellites within a year of purchase and the factory said they were not supporting that unit anymore. For the MSRP they would sell me a new unit. The point being that one manufacturer is as bad as another.
The worst case of lack of situational awareness occurred in Whittier, AK. As I walked by the small boat harbor launch ramp to go fishing for silvers a tow truck was pulling a totally submerged vehicle with FL plates from the sea. I asked a cop what happened and he said some guy was trying to get on the Alaska Ferry (docked right next to the boat launch). He turned 50 feet early because that was what his GPS told him to do.
The Boeing 787 still has a magnetic compass on the windscreen. A magnetic compass and GPS are not mutually exclusive. The GPS is invaluable when hunting out of state or out of the country.

AZ: A Garmin Etrex 20 is certified to international standard IPX7. What international standard is your phone tested to? I will save you some research time - none. No cell phone I know is water rated. To my knowledge the marketing literature says water resistant. Whatever that means. Same goes for durability when dropped. What positional accuracy is your phone GPS able to produce when in the A/C mode? I normally get 12 feet with an Etrex 20.

bobmn, I have never carried a compass!

My comments, were not meant to derail this discussion, but merely an observation based on my experiences concerning the dependence upon technology that has developed over the past 2 decades.

All of us that have spent anytime in the outdoors have had different experiences. In todays world some rely on technology, while some rely on their own experience and ability, nothing is wrong with either.

The differences I see, are what happens if the batteries go dead, and how much extra weight is a person having to carry around?

I mean no offence toward anyone in any of my observations, I am merely making an observation concerning the differences between the ways/methods hunters today employ and those of hunters who learned how to hunt before the advancements in technology.

quote:

Originally posted by bobmn:
AZ: A Garmin Etrex 20 is certified to international standard IPX7. What international standard is your phone tested to? I will save you some research time - none. No cell phone I know is water rated. To my knowledge the marketing literature says water resistant. Whatever that means. Same goes for durability when dropped. What positional accuracy is your phone GPS able to produce when in the A/C mode? I normally get 12 feet with an Etrex 20.

Bob:

My phone was good enough to find my deer stand this past fall in the dark when I could not find it - put me within 10 or 20 feet; I don't remember.

I do agree with you on the phone and waterproof comment - note I said my first iPhone failed simply because I held it when running. I think a phone does have a lot of advantages - I have a ballistic app in mine that I use all the time when practicing at long ranges. The camera is not as good as an SLR digital, but it does okay. The internal compass works great. I do have a Garmin Etrex myself, and use it often, for the simple reason battery life is better and it is waterproof. But it sure isn't as useful as my iPhone...

As for carrying a compass, you are crazy not to carry one, unless of course you never leave your backyard.

quote:

What happened to simply spending time in an area or on a property and learning how to get around, and topographic maps?

Just take a look at Montana large and small areas of public ground inter laced with large and small areas of private ground.

With an land owners chip one can open previously hidden blocks of public ground for hunting.

Then when you are hunting them there is no question who owns land you are on.

It is one thing to hunt on piece of land it is another to be able hunt dozens of pieces of property.

I understand the concept when dealing with a mix of Public and Private land.

I don't understand it when dealing with a couple of thousand acres or less of Private Land that has well established, fenced boundaries!

I apologize for being so dense, but I do see a difference when hunting large tracts of unfenced land, and hunting a specific fenced in acreage.

CHC:

If you ever see the show "Wardens" you will see that they are often in a place with absolutely no markings indicating the boundary between public and private. A GPS is the only way to tell.

One could literally be standing in public land, take a single step and be in private land with absolutely nothing to warn you.

My wife records Lone Star Law every week, and from 50 years experience, Texas Game Wardens know exactly who owns which piece of property and where the boundary fences are.

I deal with two county game wardens on a regular basis. My comments are not/were not meant to be offensive, sorry if you took it that way, but I started hunting at a time when the land owner said, there is 500 acres at your disposal, if you come to a fence Do Not cross it!

I did my Javelina hunts on 20,000 acres that was divided into 3 parcels in Pecos county. The land owner told me where the boundary fences were and gave me a rough idea of the main pasture roads. I have not been on that property since 2011, but I am willing to bet I can find my way around on it if I go back.

I killed my first deer in 1970, and I am willing to bet I can go back on that property and walk to within 50 yards of where I was at when I made the shot and 50 yards of where the buck was standing when I hit him, and I believe that I can do that with all or nearly all of the game animals I have killed.

I am not making lite or fun of the use of GPS instruments or range finders or any of the other pieces of technology anyone decides to use, I am a firm believer in the use of Game Cameras, to find out what is moving around on a property/coming in to a feeder.

I just find it odd that so many people that hunt have began relying on technology instead of simply getting out and learning the lay of the land they are hunting.

Not offended at all.

My point is that in Montana, often there are no fences. No markers whatsoever. The only way to know the boundary with certainty is a GPS.

It is understandable in a situation like that. In reality I am not a technophobe, but just never got into all the gadgets.

When I watch that show, I have often said to my wife that there is no way in hell that I would attempt to hunt public land there as it to too easy to trespass.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
When I watch that show, I have often said to my wife that there is no way in hell that I would attempt to hunt public land there as it to too easy to trespass.

That is why you invest in a good GPS and a mapping chip makes it easy to hunt public land.

Had a rancher question us last fall we were in the center of a several square mile block of BLM.

Show him the GPS shut him right down when I asked him where his boundaries were he said "I don't carry a GPS"

Then he would have no excuse for giving people on public land a hard time.

The only different between a boundary fence and any other fence is one is on the boundary.

Some times the land owner well post signs or paint the posts most often not then only along a public road.

As to the phone durability thing, buy a lifeproof case or a survival experts case. I've taken mine swimming intentionally and unintentionally without any water damage. I've dropped them from as much as 30' at work and they have survived that too.

https://survivalexperts.net/pr...for-apple-iphone-4-7

http://www.lifeproof.com/en-us/source

I can get by without a gps just like I could get by without a scope on my rifle, but why would I.

Prior to gps I would leave a tracking collar on my truck to aid me getting back. GPS trackers are the best thing that ever happened to dog hunters. Saves me lots of time and aggravation on the trapline too.

Garmin Oregon 600 is about perfect for what you're doing but your phone will be as good or better.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
I've got that Garmin Oregon model and think its awesome. Easy to use and as long as I have my glasses on, easy to see screen.

Which model number? There are several.

It's the 600t. So the print on the thing says. Use like a smart phone, swipe here and there, pre loaded with topos, very easy to mark locations, and pocket small. As I said, very easy to read and use as long as my glasses are on.

I ordered one of these last night. Thank you sir!

I'm nearly in the same tracks as Randall. I've ridden around a few towns (Pueblo which I know well, and Denver that I know fairly well) with my sister in her fancy Volvo suv with gps and watched her drive the long way and around in circles too many times to even want one of the pos gizmo's.

Knowing the road from here to Ga real well after driving it 30-40 times for the H of it I contacted AAA for directions just to compare and see if they had better modern info. Since I hadn't been down that way since Dec '75.

First thing: "I-25 N to Academy Blvd, N to Platte, then E on hwy 94 to Kans--!" Shit too!
About that time I stuffed the paper in the shredder!

US 50 Pueblo to Lamar, S 287, all the way to Dallas then I-20 clear to Ga almost til close enough a local hwy was shorter to Morgan. Hey Randall, have I lost you yet pard?? ha!

The first thing Dad taught me: "face downwind when p'ing, second was how to read a trail map." Give me a good address anywhere in the world and a current map and I can find it even if I can't understand the language. Worst place on that was Amsterdam. A grunt is good for a 40 letter word I learned riding a bus somewhere. Not understanding what was said I missed my stop. But, saw the street sign and got off at the next corner and walked back.

Those are the reasons I won't have a GPS. Guess Randall and I have another thing in common. Good sense of directions. Even working 1200' down in a mine one winter I knew my directions and proved it when the boss came up with a map. Yes, I've gotten turned around. Elkhart kans with the street layout at a 45% angle threw me. Somewhere else the streets all wound around curves and not a one straight got me off a bit but, I knew the direction N was at all times.

The funnest parts were when hauling pipe to drill rigs. No way to find most of them on a map. Here's an example: "Go 24.2m SE of xxx town, take X, 11.4 mi to a broken down gate, go W to the Y, L, to the dead cow, turn SW to the second tank (pond) follow that 7 mi to the rig just over the third hill in the valley. You'll be alone so be careful unloading that pipe". There was NO red brick houses out there!!

Enough, rely on 'em if you wish, sooner or later they'll guide you wrong. IF trail GPS maps are not any better than the one's in cars are with streets -----------!!!

George

Larry, I will admit that I can be directionally challenged on occasion while hunting. My hunting buddy and I both have older Garmin Rino's. We have used them for the past 7 years on elk hunting trips in CO and deer hunting in SD and OK. When we generally do drop camp hunts in CO and we do not have the luxury of scouting the areas we hunt prior our hunting trips. We generally hunt alone sometimes several miles from camp. The GPS comes in real handy especially when trekking back to camp in the dark. The radio has help us countless times, especially when game is down and help is needed.

I once helped a hunter that was lost in CO and he was over 10 miles from my location. He had a new Rino but didn't know how to use the GPS. The radio on the Rino can be a powerful tool.