Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Looking for a GPS unit for hunting, any suggestions?

I agree with all of this. I use an Iphone with Avenza. I simply download maps to it and go. Here where I live the mob which regulates public land hunting even produces public land maps which are pre-loaded with such features as no-hunting zones and boundaries, which is really handy.

It works fine without phone signal, in fact I switch it to airplane mode so it doesn't use up the battery searching for a phone signal when I'm out bush. A power pack is not a bad idea for extending battery life too, and mine's in a Lifeproof cover so it can stand rain or a dunking, or a bit of rough handling, and still keep going (though the latest smartphones claim to be able to stand up to all of this without a cover, a claim I take with a small grain of salt).

I'll usually throw my Garmin GPS in the daypack just in case, but I haven't had cause to use it for a fair while.

I got the Garmin 680t this year. I also got OnX for my phone. If I could return the garmin I would. It's basically a fail safe for not getting lost. Practically useless for hunting. OnX rocks. Easy to use, very helpful for hunting, visually pleasing.

Yep, onyx or gaia on iPhone on airplane mode. Carry a battery charger

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cheap basic gps, compass as back up depending how remote I am

Just get an app for your phone. I do have a Garmin Inreach because its got text anywhere and the SOS button to bring on Search and Rescue in an emergency. It is a good gps but I don't use it I keep it off and only use for texts to check in. I use my phone with IHunter and it works perfectly without cell service which there just about never is any where I hunt. Way way better image and all the features and tracking that a gps with a chitty screen has.

How does that work without cell service?

I used three different units in the last year in an area in South Texas with no cell service and the Garmin Rino 755 was a clear standout for ease of use, high sensitivity on overcast and foggy days, and especially for the superior battery life.

About using HuntX with a cell phone - do you insert a micro SD card or does the info download to the phone? I already have a card for photos and don't need to be switching cards to use the gps.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS +1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Even works while flying! Gives location and elevation.

Elk Country

Because when your using a GPS app on your phone, there is no need for cell service. It uses the GPS antenna that is built into just about every smart phone and picks up signals from the GPS satellites overhead.

No you create & upload maps for use offline before you go to the area you are gonna Hunt.

Once there you reference the map in question and you can go to any of your saved maps and see your position on them while in airplane mode.

Thanks for the answer scoony. I'm only 55 but still pretty much a caveman when it comes to electronics. If it wasnt for looking for 357 mag loads and finding the campfire, I probably wouldnt have used a computer anymore.

Another question - I have a HuntX chip in my Garmin Montana. In the area we hunt are a bunch of forest svc trails that all show on the maps. I'm looking at a trial version of HuntX on my phone and none of the trails show. There's nothing but topo lines. Will they be there on a purchased version?

Yeah everything you can see on the chip & more.

Go to map layers in the lower left in trial mode and look up the state you’re hunting and play w/ those. You can probably see that now if you flip the right switch. Either way yes, you’ll be able to see it all.

I find it’s superior because of fidelity... I can’t see my GPS screen with near the clarity I can my phone.

You mean that the phone receives GPS signals from the satellite and the app can operate without WIFI or cell service?

The app operates on it's own & receives the signal from the GPS, but you need to have previously downloaded & saved the map/chart from the area that you are in & when you call that up & make it active in the app, it will display along with your position on it via the GPS.

MM

I know the offline downloading maps sounds bad to the less techy people but it's not. I'm not super tech savy and it's easy as can be. Ask some friends and I'm sure one has Onx and they can get you up and running in minutes.

We used onx in British Columbia on our moose hunt. We did not have cell service but had saved the maps on iPhone. The gps tracked our location great, guide was sure we had not missed the turn only to believe us when we showed him the gps map.

We used a USB port on the Ryobi 18v battery to charge iPhone all week.

OnX has a free 7 day trial you can put on your phone. It's well worth the effort. It has all the features of the paid program for 1 state except that it only allows 1 offline map to be saved.
Go to onxmaps.com and register. You can register and get the trial on either your phone or your computer. Then go to Google Play on your phone and seach for HuntX to download the app and sign in to your account.

I used it side by side with my Garmin Montana on a hunt earlier this week to compare them. It was great having the ability to switch to satellite photos. One objection I had was tapping the screen to get the 'about this location' data. It gives gps coordinates and allows you to add a waypoint. It would be a big help if it also showed elevation.

OnX on your phone is by far the best system I have tried. I also have a Garmin Dakota which is pretty decent for a GPS but the screen is too small for my old eyes.

iPhone plus OnX blows away all the GPS’s out there. I’ve used it in 2 states this year and last year without a single hiccup. Stand alone GPS’s aren’t even close in quality to what the IPhone can do for me. On a side note the Garmin Inreach models are awesome for sending text via satellite either to check in or in case of an emergency. You can keep your phone charged with a spare battery pack or one of these but if you keep it on airplane mode and only use it periodically the charge last a long time.

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