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tired of getting lost

L

larsonec

New Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2021
Messages
2
I hunt on public land in a new stand every time I go out. I swear that I am oriented to how to get out but when nighttime hits, sure enough, I get turned around and stumble around the woods for a while before finding my way to the car. Have a GPS but dont find it that helpful as the little arrow seems to spin randomly in the woods. Maybe I need to rely more on a compass but wondering what tricks ofther people have figured out who may also be directionally challenged.
 
In unfamiliar territory I rely mostly on following terrain features, i.e. ridges/valleys/edges that I followed on my way in. However, if I need to break out the phone with the GPS I combine it with the use of a compass. I'll use the GPS to determine where I am and which direction I need to go and then rely on the compass to guide me that way.
 
larsonec said:
I hunt on public land in a new stand every time I go out. I swear that I am oriented to how to get out but when nighttime hits, sure enough, I get turned around and stumble around the woods for a while before finding my way to the car. Have a GPS but dont find it that helpful as the little arrow seems to spin randomly in the woods. Maybe I need to rely more on a compass but wondering what tricks ofther people have figured out who may also be directionally challenged.
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I personally use BaseMap on my phone and a garmin 64s. Don’t feel bad. I have a great sense of direction, but coming out of river bottoms at night everything looks the same and it’s easy to get turned around
 
Got turned around in the woods this spring turkey hunting. I was using the HuntWise app on my phone and killed my battery. Luckily I knew which direction the road was but was still a nerve racking feeling being “lost”. To make matters worse, when I hit the road finally, I went the wrong direction of my truck and had to hitch a ride with a passing vehicle. The guy asked me if I saw any nice antlers, thought I was deer hunting. LOL.
 
Before it gets dark look at it compass and see what direction u gotta leave. Lot for a tree or stump or something that stands out. Get down and walk to that landmark. Once at that landmark stop and look at the compass and see which way... Look with ur light for another land mark in the direction u need to go...repeat

Look at the map and where ur hunting on the phone and see which direction the roads are and which direction the terrain features are.... Maybe even take a screenshot... At least get a good mental screenshot

My last hunt I had the compass reverse polarity..I realized before it was time to leave and didn't have any problems but if I hadnt noticed and went the direction I thought I was supposed to go I would have eventually hit a finger creek and known something wasnt right and reevaluated/resituated and been ok.... Don't let ur brain get u all worked up...cool heads make better decisions

Reflective trail markers are good 2
 
Technology is a good tool, but it has its limitations. This is where woodsmanship comes in. Thankfully, these are skills I learned over 20 years in the Corps. First, start thinking in terms of east/west/north/south when you move. When you look at maps, know which way water flows. Know that moss likes to grow on the north side of trees in the northern hemisphere.
 
dont rely on anything electronic. they are great tools. but can let you down. you can spend ~20 bucks and get a good compass. i beleive mine is a suunto brand. I also carry a carabiner compass on my keys, both in backup to using my phone with basemap. i've found the phone can be off by as much as 30 degrees if there's lots of cover and i don't have service. i may also have not done a great job setting the phone "compass" up. I recently got a new phone, but twice earlier i had my old phone die after dark and have walked out no problems with the compass, once it's pitch black landmarks don't do you much good if they're more than 30 yards away, unless you carry a stronger flashlight. can i say again how much everyone should carry a compass, and know what direction you need to head to hit a trail/known area/boundary? also some people use reflective tacks etc, i made myself a set of reflective paracord markers, don't plan on using them unless i have a nightime bloodtrail to mark, but they're a good part of the safety/get back out arsenal too in my opinion. get a compass. ok ill step off my soapbox now.
 
Gps work good. Like a compass they have a direction of travel. The tool must be held accordingly.
Next you must let it work, keep walking a bit and then follow the arrow and repeat it needs you to move in order to get you heading in the right direction.

The first post is spot on especially for conserving battery life like in the mountains.
Just read the digital compass however it displays. It doesn't matter if it appears upside down or sideways, the info is the same. It is telling you to travel a cerrain direction and distance.
Say SW, turn off the GPS, pull out your compass and head out.
Make sure your compass declination matches that of your gps for your area.
 
ONX Maps. You can download maps that work fine without any cell service. Bring a charger and cable. I also carry a compass and check it all the time. The sun helps when it's out too.
 
larsonec said:
Have a GPS but dont find it that helpful as the little arrow seems to spin randomly in the woods.
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Nothing will motivate you to never let it happen again - like getting really lost in the dark on a cloudy night!

If your direction arrow is flipping around randomly on your GPS, you probably need to recalibrate the electronic compass. (Check to see if there’s a software setting to initiate the compass calibration).

I have had my GPS’s electronic compass lose calibration on me on occasion. Realizing that the calibration is off when you’re in unfamiliar territory in the dark isn’t fun, but you should always have a good compass for a secondary reference.

When I bought my last GPS, I went with the Garmin Etrex 22X model partly because it doesn’t have an electronic compass. It can’t lose calibration and mislead me. It still has the little direction arrow but that arrow always correctly indicates the direction that you’re heading as you are moving (based on how your position is changing). So after you select a track to follow or a waypoint to go to, the little arrow will let you see if you’re headed in the correct direction as you walk, and you can correct your course as you go. I find it far less problematic than using a model with a built-in electronic compass.

When I used a GPS model that had an electronic compass, I would do the same as @boyne bowhunter - I used terrain/topo features to help orient if I could. I used the GPS to see where I was and got the bearing needed to head to my destination. I then double-checked the GPS’s compass using a separate (magnetic) compass as a secondary reference. If the GPS’s electronic compass and the magnetic compass weren’t aligned, the magnetic compass was given precedence for directional reference.

If you don’t have a high quality, name brand magnetic compass, you should get one and take it with you every time you head into unfamiliar woods.

Finally, keep it away from any strong magnetic fields and away from other magnets to minimize the chance that the needle reverses polarity. Like @Weldabeast, I’ve had a compass needle reverse polarity on me when I carried it in a pocket that had magnetic closures.
 
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I can't figure out why mine swapped ends....I thought I had just inhaled too much ThermaCELL smoke....I looked at the compass, then the phone, then the sun, then the clearing off to my left where the sawgrass swamp was and the map and knew it wasn't right. I checked it against a second back up compass at the truck later and verified it was reversed....then the next day when I was unloading my stuff it was correct again.....I threw it away. This is a ball style compass
 
Onx with a extra battery. Compass and GPS for backup. Probably going to make some trail markers like posted in the DIY section for next year. They seem like theyd be the quickest to use on the way out in the dark.
 
Weldabeast said:
I can't figure out why mine swapped ends....I thought I had just inhaled too much ThermaCELL smoke....I looked at the compass, then the phone, then the sun, then the clearing off to my left where the sawgrass swamp was and the map and knew it wasn't right. I checked it against a second back up compass at the truck later and verified it was reversed....then the next day when I was unloading my stuff it was correct again.....I threw it away. This is a ball style compass
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I've had compasses (and GPS units) show incorrect results if they are held too close to metal objects. A rifle barrel will do it. Or big metal buckles. Or other electronic equipment like a radio or cell phone.

I always hold the directional device away from my body to mitigate that.

I do like the ball compasses though, since it's so easy to glance down and do a direction check, rather than dig a compass/GPS out of a pocket.

I made some removable trail markers from wooden clothespins. Spray them with fluorescent orange paint and stick on some reflective tape. Or you can buy premade plastic/metal ones from Cabelas and the like. Easy to put them on branches on your way in and then remove them on the way out in the dark. You can also buy small reflective tacks that might also work well, though they would be a bit of a PITA to remove.
 
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I try to take a compass reading when I get out of my truck to make sure what direction the road is. I will then know if I walk in east that if I stay going west I will hit road then can make my way back to my truck. If the compass is spinning or flipping on your gps it will only read correct if you are moving if you stop it will spin.
 
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