OK, I'm 78 and still very active hunting and fishing. Only problem is I am battling with the wife as she doesn't want me to hunt by myself in case of an accident like if I fall or some other mishap. What do you guys use? I know you can rent satellite phones etc. but what other options are out there? Got to figure something out pretty soon as Turkey season is almost upon us and I have a good out of the way spot to hunt. Don't want to skimp but don't want to break the bank either. Thanks in advance.
just kidding, my wife worries alot too. I leave route plan and timeline w/ my son. Map out waypoints on gps and she will feel better. Never stop going.
Look hard at ghettosportsman's post. Cell phones or radios often don't work in the mountains. No reception. But SPOT personal locators are satellite based and they work anywhere that they can see the sky. Such a device should give some comfort to your wife.
But IIRC and I know for a fact SPOT doesn't work all the time every place, though it eventually will.... I believe that actual Epirbs have better Sat coverage.
RE Spot we've sent messages or shoudl I say tried to, that would not send for at least 12 plus or close to 18 hours.
Thats just an FYI. I carry SPOT and cell just in case....I'm only 50....
In addition to what has been mentioned already, also consider taking a new hunter out with you. They can help if needed, and you're passing on the tradition to someone that would welcome the invitation and the chance to learn.
Cell phone. I'm in a similar situation with being diabetic and agent orange issues. Wife wants me to hunt where I am checked on a couple of times a day or with some one. I carefully select 2-3 hunts per year that are guided. I am blessed as my wife frequently goes with me and stays at camp.
I usually hunt with my Daughter and two Granddaughters. This year my Granddaughter are tied up in school and my Daughter can't hunt this year to much. This is mostly for the Turkey season as Deer season I'm with others. I carry a cell phone but one area I hunt it can't get out. I'm a very hard nosed Turkey hunter and I will move to set up on a Tom. That's what worries my wife. On one property I hunt it is steep and in places pretty dense forest and absolutely no cell reception. But I like the ideas you guys are sharing with me.
If you are steep, remember it takes sat coverage to make a SPOT work, and even an EPIRB. SPOT could take hours and hours to get enough coverage to work. Just an FYI.
Folks often buy but don't read or understand. And then get pissed when they need it now and it ain't working.
Like folks that buy a GPS and don't have a clue on maps and compass and they get into timber or steep canyons or bad fog and rain and such that blanks out Sat reception.
I've never seen clouds or fog affect my gps equip. Equipment I use everyday.
Physical objects, yes- like topography of tall landforms, or in deep canyons will affect or block oblique signals from birds below the line of sight or near-horizon sats. Even the human body will block half the incoming signal to the sky. Leafy canopy and a matrix of overhead limbs story will disrupt it too. Most times if youre having signal difficult it just may be a bad gap in the daily almanac positioning of the array.
Gps signals are about 10-20cm I'm pretty sure they can weave their way around suspended atmospheric water vapor I would power cycle the unit so it recieves the freshest ephemeris data from the sats. JFC
Cell phone. Oh, and find someone to hunt with you. Mentor a younger hunter, perhaps.
Happy birthday!
this, big part of the reason ive been interested in emergency first aid is alot of the places my ex and i hunted, IF we called for help it was a minimum 2 hours for help to get to us from the nearest hospital, and thats if we were next to the road....i liked having a VERY well stocked kit in the truck and a decent kit i could temporally patch a major hole in someone in my pack....but being at the papers made me a lil gun shy cause ofcourse we had every mishap story from around the state cross our desks at work, unreal how common major injuries are
In addition to what has been mentioned already, also consider taking a new hunter out with you. They can help if needed, and you're passing on the tradition to someone that would welcome the invitation and the chance to learn.
find someone to hunt with you, I'm sure it would be great for both of ya'll
I've never seen clouds or fog affect my gps equip. Equipment I use everyday.
Physical objects, yes- like topography of tall landforms, or in deep canyons will affect or block oblique signals from birds below the line of sight or near-horizon sats. Even the human body will block half the incoming signal to the sky. Leafy canopy and a matrix of overhead limbs story will disrupt it too. Most times if youre having signal difficult it just may be a bad gap in the daily almanac positioning of the array.
Gps signals are about 10-20cm I'm pretty sure they can weave their way around suspended atmospheric water vapor I would power cycle the unit so it recieves the freshest ephemeris data from the sats. JFC
Rain blocks our Sat reception and GPS. Fog I have no clue but seemingly would be possible.
It certainly messes with Sat phone also really badly. At least it has a few times in Colorado for us OR it was a HUGE coincidence.
Some of the noted emergency communication devices must be excellent and thus great for those whose outlook and/or family circumstances call for them. I've been hunting mostly alone for almost 50 years - much of that in difficult and remote places in the SW - and have heard many of the same expressions of concern (and maybe fear) from my wife and daughters through the years.
They are lovely people and their concerns have been genuine, but my attitude (and bent) always has been to just get out there solo, be careful, hunt hard and have great time - without any such devices other than a simple compass. Much of the motivation for doing thus has been the opportunity to be disconnected from everything else and fully connected with what's out there. Due to circumstances, in the past two years I have agreed to carry a cheap cell phone - but it rarely obtains a signal out there.
All of this stuff is different for differing folks and, even now, it has changed for me. Then again, if we needed a rescue or ambulance at our home place, it would take an hour for them to get here and at least another hour to get us to the nearest small ER. Different strokes.
But, maybe next time I will have one of those gizmos along - if there is a next time. Happy hunting.
Added later: As others have mentioned, I always do leave a well-marked map and other info about dates and my intended location(s). And, yes, my loved ones know that, if it happens, dying out there rather than in a hospital, etc. would be my choice.
I hunt a good bit by myself. While I always carry a cell phone, it sometimes has marginal coverage. If it does work, I can use an app called Glympse. It sends a map with my location pinpointed on it.
I always tell my wife where I'm going to hunt. It doesn't mean much to her because she doesn't have a clue where the property is, but she knows that if she gives the information to my sons or my brother, they can go straight to the stand I am using.
I have also told her that if something happens and I check out while hunting, she should understand that there is no better place for me to have spent my last minutes. She should feel good that the Lord allowed me to go doing something that I loved to do, in a place of my choosing.
one thing about cell phones for those that hate texting and such......one thing ive learned up here, in places impossible to get a call out a fair number of times i can grab enough signal to get a text out.....
and keep in mind if you have a family, its not always just you you have to worry about, other people may depend on you.....you shouldnt give up what you love over it but maybe you should take extra precautions especially ones so readily available today
If you have a signal, a cell phone is by far your best bet.
If you don't have a cell phone signal, the next best thing is ham radio. There are an amazing number of mountaintop repeaters in the country, and if you can access one of those, you can summon help.
The Technician Class license gives you access to those repeaters. The test is only a few dollars, and is available through a volunteer system all over the country. The test is about 50 questions, multiple choice and you can learn all the required information in a few days. A handie-talkie is easily available for under $150.
Well, I'm 79 and will be Turkey hunting this spring. Will have my cell phone with me but I'll probably be only 1 or 2 miles from home. This fall with Deer and Antelope on the menu, I'll be 5 to 30 miles out. Antelope with my neighbor with me, Deer solo. I'll be 80 in 8/15 but still rasseled a 180 lb Mule Deer into my pick-up last year along with a wimpy 110 lb Antelope. Hangin' in there and still chasin' the cook around the kitchen.
Lot of good advise already given.... but I'd also recommend, try to not to get that far off the beaten path anymore if you can't take someone out with you....
also it is important to let people know where you are going to be, and what time you plan on being home... if that doesn't happen, then they have an idea of where to look for you....
don't get too far from your truck and leave a note that can be found, letting them know what direction you headed in...
I'd highly recommend that you also take a course from the Red Cross on Wilderness Survival.... they have a real good course... but from taking it, I can tell you it is based on three Boy Scout Merit Badge Books... which can be bought for about $5 each..
BSA also puts out other easy to read and easy to follow books on what to do for surviving... along with a life saving tip...stay put... you will be easier to find...over the last 5 years, several lost scouts, who were only 11 and 12 years old, got lost and stayed put and were found and saved.....their being lost hit the national news no less...
have items to be able to signal people also....know how to build a fire, and have something to be able to make an emergency shelter...have a signal mirror...
a little planning and common sense can save a life...
In addition to all of the good info received you might want to look at the CALSTAR (California Shock Trauma Air Rescue) web page. For $50 / year per family you receive big bang for your bucks.
I worked and trained with these folks during my CDF career and they are top notch.
Only this thing I have to add is don't. "Tell" someone your plans and alternatives if any . Trite them down!!!!!! Preferably with a marked map , and stick to the plan.
Verbal is subject to interpretation , misunderstanding, memory, etc. on the part of the listener, especial wives. Mine anyway.
When I've hunted alone, I've always left a digital copy of a map of the area I will be in, with where I will camp, park and the hunt area (circle where I will be within the GMU) marked on the map.
I tell my wife when I will be contacting her and how long to wait before she contacts the local sheriff and reports me overdue. I take a cell phone. Even without service, you can cycle it on and off and they can find you if they are looking.
I keep stuff in my pack to keep myself alive for a few days. If it's a catastrophic problem (ie - fall or heart attack) at least they'll know where to look for the body. Chit happens. I'd rather die in the woods than in a mall.
I've been surprised that no one has recommended the Delorme In-Reach SE sooner.
I have used one for a year and a half in remote areas across wilderness British Columbia, northern Saskatchewan and Western WA State and flat out love it. Low cost, has always worked, far more reliable than Sat phones I have used and allows me to compose an appropriate message at the time.
It is a pocket size stand alone device which sends and receives text messages directly via Satelite, to and from any smart phone or e-mail address. It sends the location from where the message is sent with each text. It also has one lockable button to call 911 Search and Rescue from wherever you are in the world, which I have never used. It costs $299 plus a monthly plan which starts at $9.99 per month for the cheapest, which I have. I got rid of my SPOT once I got the In-Reach SE.
I can compose a message any time and send it, unlike the pre-canned messages SPOT requires. I can say I'm stuck, need a specific tool, that I've decided to stay out an extra night, need help to pack meat, ask my wife to meet me at a restaurant, or tell her that my sleeping bag is lonesome. Text and e-mail address are limited to 140 words total per message. Keyboard is small on the hand held device.
I have used it from deep in a canyon under tall NW forest trees loaded with heavy snow and also in the same places in heavy rain. It has always sent and received messages though may take a few minutes. Text apparently goes out in a quick burst and is much more reliable than Sat phone voice.
I have used it from inside my sleeping bag inside a vehicle in the Canadian Rockies, from inside buildings etc. My first message I sent from my dining room table and then realized that I should go outside to open sky as recommended, so went out and sent a message while leaning on my vehicle. The first message popped up with a satelite photo like Google Earth and showed the message as being sent from a spot on the roof of my house over the dining room table. The second message put the spot five feet in front of my car's bumper. Ditto for showing the fire ring of our campfire in the Canadian Rockies when sent from there.
Cell phones almost never work where I hunt and fish. This Delorme In-Reach SE is the most significant practical wilderness communication device to appear in my lifetime thus far.
I have no connection with Delorme nor am I a salesman for them, though I wish I had invented it.
Delorme In-Reach works for me....far better than SPOT. Friends living very remote all went to In Reach.......I first used mine to call for a bush flight after taking a dall sheep and it worked at 64 degrees North and in a deep and narrow valley.
Get the brochure and study the options.....not all that expensive and you don't have to pay for an entire year......wife can even track you so be careful where you go.
FWIW, just remembered that I used my Delorme inReach SE on the East coast as well. On vacation last year I sent my grandkids e-mails from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, etc. so that they could see on Google earth where we were.
The spot device 3rd generation works well but still needs the line of site to the salivate over head. There are generally satellites which will be over head most any time of day or night.
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