Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting I hit 911 on the SPOT

I use GPS and bring a cell phone for bragging purposes as most of the peaks in my area have service. I'm sure Spot has a time and a place. If I was up on a peak with a busted up ankle all by my lonesome, I'd push the button. But, I don't think the SAR dudes are standing by so a guy can make it home for dinner..

Don't want to sound like I'm judging this situation or that I'm busting anyone's chops because I wasn't there.

However, what Calvin has posted represents one of my two biggest fear about technologies such as SPOT, Personal Locator Beacons, or whatever. I worry that:

1. People will push way beyond the reasonable limits of their skills, preparedness, and abilities thinking that they always will have a safety net to get them out of trouble.

2. People will activate the "911" features and call out the cavalry for trivial matters, turning these useful tools into nothing more than the proverbial "boy who cried wolf." Response times will slow down or become non-existant and eventually people who really need help will not be able to get it.

Personally I try my best to rely on maps and a compass and dead(hmmm) reckoning. I carry a GPS and mark some spots along the way and sometimes use it to find back to an exact spot instead of wondering around. Especially if I only get there every few years...

But I carry GPS and I carry SPOT. And if the weather turned and I had issues, I'd not hesitate to use what I had to if I was fearful. Now if I thought I could be just fine with another overnight, then I'd lay off a bit. But when weather changes one never knows. And as mentioned it was much easier to punch it and not need it and let the folks go back home than have them looking all night etc.....
Its the owners call and sometimes that peace of mind is worth pushing the button I suspect, very much so an issue of walk a mile in their moccassins type of issue.

Glad you are back safe and sound.

Jeff

I was not knocking the technology or stating we needed to fall back ten years. I use GPS all the time. Cell phones don't work where I hunt. I was suggesting that you put all your eggs in the technology basket. A map and compass might have let you walk right on out. I do agree with others that Spot shouldnt be used in your situation. You had shelter, the ability to make fire, the ability to get water, the proper gear and the proper clothing. Yeah, I can see why you hit the easy button.

My question is why did you choose to become a SAR members worst nightmare, a mobile pinhead after you pressed the button? Why didnt you sit your butt down and wait for the calvary?

I'm not defending, but of course 911 is dialed for situations NO WHERE NEAR this situation on a daily basis.

I would probably have done it a bit differently but its all done. And no one the worse for wear due to it.

Jeff

Doc,

"He said it like he meant it in a neighborly way"

Did he have a banjo?

Lefty C

Hitting 911 on Spot is entirely different than somebody dialing 911 IMO..

Solo mountain hunting or backpacking isn't for the fearful or those who second guess themselves. When you set out on your own, you give Murphy and Mother Nature the bird and pit yourself against what it can toss at you. I think Spot should be a life or death deal, not a "I'm scared or unprepared" deal..

Doc,

Thank you for sharing this experience.

Know that regardless of the grief you've been given, you have also provided a learning opportunity for many.

Thanks.

I'd hit it before I had hypothermia though. But I'd have probably sent out I'm ok messages from inside the tent and left the weather to subside.
I dunno about it being exactly life or death, I'd hate to deal with a kidney stone in the wilderness, though I know it won't generally kill me. Though i'd feel better dead.

It would be interesting to hear the opinions of the SAR bunch on the use of it at that time and how well it worked. Thats not been answered yet.

Jeff

I bought a spot before our elk hunt this fall. The unit we hunt has no cell coverage, even very poor satelite coverage. It's not wilderness but is damn sure roadless in a big part of it. We both had a gps and marked camp before we left. We stayed a little to late glassing some great areas and made a small miscalculation when coming back down. To make a long story shorter we spent the night with our horses tied to a tree and us sleeping on our saddleblankets. Hard to start a fire with most things wet but we got it done. We didn't know how to set the tracks feature on our gps[since remedied]. it wasn't nearly as bad as i'd feared or as good as i'd hoped. It really was only minor discomfort but it was sure comforting to know if something went south i could push the button. In that area if your horse slipped a fell and broke your leg your pard might be 4 hours from the truck, then 2 hours to morenci [help] and another 6 back unless they sent a chopper. I think the spot is a great new piece of technology that has the potential to save a lot of lives.
Glad your situation came out ok!!!!!

Fred

That's exactly what some of us are talking about though. If you haven't figured out how to use your GPS, it shouldn't be in your pack, and you shouldn't be relying on it to get you home.

I'd like to see statistics of how many hunters are actually killed in the wilderness that SPOT could have saved each year. I don't think it will be many. There will be a lot more risk applied to the SAR guys because of the increased risk taking and stupidity of hunters/hikers because they have the magic button in the backpack..

Doc- I'm sure you've got a whole lotta 'I should have done this...' floating around in your head, but I'm going to add one more thing.

Pre-trip planning to get out when TSHTF witout any gadjets. It's pretty easy around here. Basically follow the water down. I'm not sure of the 'lay of the land' down there, but there should have been an easy, no brainer way out, no matter what happened.

No matter...you made it back, which is all that counts.

Did you get nervous? How close to stopping and holeing up where you?

I have a friend that purchased a SPOT for trekking alone. He has not needed it for an emergency however he has sent email messages with his, showing he is O.K. He has also found that not all his messages have been received when sent(area of Big South Fork, Tennesee). Would makes you wonder if it got sent in a real emergency. I was also told today about a fella in Colorado who relied on his GPS and at dark discovered it was not working. Made it to camp about midnight because he was lucky to see the camp lights. I guess the point is, like all technical devices they are not 100%. I use them and have confidence in them,but...........

A big +1

A great learning opportunity.

Calvin,

Your right on both accounts. Probably not many deaths but a lot of long miserable nights. I foolishly thought i didn't need tracks just the direction to camp in the country we hunt. That is pretty much true in the DAYLIGHT. I also put my horse on the tracks and followed her with a long lead rope. She followed them about half a mile then lost them and made a 90% turn we didn't even feel. We knew where we were, just got bluffed up and couldn't see a way around in the dark.

Fred

every piece of technology is a double edged sword, similar pro/con issues surrounded rifle scopes once upon a time.


I've cursed the the technology available and praised it at times.


someone mentioned map and compass always tools to be familiar with and have along. but in thick brush and fog not always going to be the grail. ime hard to find what you can't see, direction sure and a good detailed topo to keep you from cliffing out still valuable tools in those situations.

I can like docdb, he seems to me a pretty much cards on the table kind of guy, and it's amazing to me the progress he's made as an outdoorsman over the last few years.

tks for sharing your story and the pics doc, I always enjoy both.

threads that make us think and ponder are a real value imo

True, but most of us dont hunt and hike big country like Alaska. The majority of us are really only a few hours at most back to the safety of the vehicle. Even in remote areas of Wyoming, you are only two to three days from walking out of anywhere. With the right gear, not a major problem.

A simple reading on the compass after you leave the vehicle or some pre trip planning of which general direction you need to walk to hit a road if SHTF would solve lots of problems. Sure, you might walk several extra miles but you are walking with the knowledge that you are for fact heading to a road, not wandering around hoping you get out.

GPS wasnt around when I started hunting and that didnt keep us from bombing off into wilderness after critters. We looked at maps and had knowledge of the boundries in all four directions. If we became confused we knew there was a river to the west, a creek to the north, a paved highway to the south and a dirt road to the east. Any direction would lead us out, some just sucked a little more.

A simple ten dollar compass does wonders in even it's most basic mode. Pack another one for when you have a disagreement with the first one. Majority rules!

Of course this wouldnt work in Alaska where one could walk for months at a time but down here I think the most anyone can really get away from a road is thirty miles.

I presently use the hell out of my GPS now. It is a great tool and the little sucker will take the miles off in a hurry but I promise you I have two compasses in the pack and knowledge of which direction gets me out.

Laying it out for ya from my viewpoint. I retired my position on SAR in 1996 and haven't kept fully up to speed with the new high tech stuff. I'm a fellow backpacker/hunter and everytime I hear a Good story like the one above I'm Glad to see people with Good Sense.

Just because he called in the calvary doesn't mean anything other then he had help coming in the general direction of his location. Who knows howlong it would take them to get on scene anyway? He was alert and unhurt at the moment yet with fear for life and thats reason enough. Good Call in my opinion to get help started in your direction.

While on SAR we would rather find someone in his condition then to find someone who lost it and got hurt, or someone who waited to long to get help then lost it and got hurt even worse. In this case he had help coming, didn't lose it and simply made his way out slowly using his head. He didn't stay put like most teach yet the outcome was still Good, its all about the persons ability who made the call. Personally I'd have rather you would have stayed in tent city and wait but you chose not to and that is up to each person to decide for themselves how to best help themselves. He still wasn't 100% relying on SAR this time and thats what I call being self reliant. Nothing wrong with having it both ways at the same time.

Great story and pics, Thanks for sharing so others might learn...

Oh one other thing about SAR once called they will ALWAYS get there ASAP.. Its not about crying wolf, its about helping people and to this day 12 years since I left SAR I still go out of my way to help others. For SAR helping others is what they do same with all LEO's, Fire and Medical Pro's,. Once called they ARE COMING one way or another..... When needed don't hesitate to call them...

valid points indeed wyoelk, we all have to adapt how we do things to our unique environments.



and great post wabo, I'm sure we could find dissenting opinions from other SAR folks, it's what makes the world go round. heck there's even fools that think the .270 is a superior caliber to the '06! and at least and equal number of dumb SOB's that think the '06 is preferable to the .270 (grin) all that means is opinions and experiences vary

but always good to hear from one that has been to see the elephant, appreciate you adding your insight and experience to this discussion.


bottom line is you spend enough time outdoors chit do happen!

when it does, are you prepared to deal with it? what's your plan?

Calvin raised some good points and some I agree with but I'd also like to add each persons family situation has some merit upon how they deal with stuff. to my knowledge Calvin is single and childless (I could be wrong) but I'm certain docdb has a wife and at least 1 or two daughters.

who's waiting for you at home and how much they depend upon you has some bearing whether to call in the calvary too. imo

I think somewhere deep inside most of us that like the wild and wooly places would be okay with our end coming up as bear scat or a heap of broken bones rotting on the tundra or forest floor somewhere. Not that we'd do it willingly. but the folks that depend upon us would have heartache and sorrow in spades. so a guy makes compromises.

sometimes that compromise might be pushing the SPOT before another man would.

"heck there's even fools that think the .270 is a superior caliber to the '06! and at least and equal number of dumb SOB's that think the '06 is preferable to the .270 (grin) all that means is opinions and experiences vary"

Everybody KNOWS the .270 is superior to the .30-06.
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Bear in Fairbanks