Backcountry navigation for a newby!

[mattfly77]

I have my first true back country bow hunt coming up in September for elk in western colorado. Not having done this before, my goal is to feel very comfortable about where I'm at and where i'm going so that when I start chasing a bull, I won't worry about getting lost. I'm looking for any advice on navigation while in the back country. I have yet to order a GPS, but am looking at the Garmin 64s. Also wondering about topo maps, UTM navigation, etc. I have been looking at caltopo.com to print my own topo maps off as well.

I would love some input on this, what people do to navigate, some good and easy ways to do it, etc. I have been lost one time when I was in high school chasing whitetails and I never want to experience that feeling again. I know this wilderness in Colorado is huge and getting lost will be very easy, so I want to go as prepared as possible.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[JColony]

I never leave the truck without a topo and compass. I rarely take the map and compass out of my pack, but always have them just in case. GPS's are great until the batteries die.

 

[jvanhoy]

Any gps should do. Download backcountry navigator for your phone. It's great and good to have as a backup.

 

[mattfly77]

I never leave the truck without a topo and compass. I rarely take the map and compass out of my pack, but always have them just in case. GPS's are great until the batteries die.

What compass do you use?

 

[Brad Daniel]

April/May would have been a good time to order a GPS. That would have left you three months of practice with it geocaching so you would have felt very comfortable come September. If I had a dollar for every moron that showed up in camp with a brand new GPS still in the box saying "Here, show me how to use this".... I could buy a case of beer.

I prefer Garmin Oregon or Montana with ONX Maps.

Always have a compass that stays in the pack as well. If new country, maps as well.

 

[JColony]

What compass do you use?

Nothing special, just a little one made by Brunson.

 

[mattfly77]

Any gps should do. Download backcountry navigator for your phone. It's great and good to have as a backup.

I searched for an app called backcountry navigator and nothing came up.....one called Topo Maps came up but that was it.

 

[jtw]

Take a class on map and compass or find someone willing to teach you. I use my GPS to mark important things like camp and where a downed animal is, but new terrain I rely on my compass and my wits.

 

[Caseknife]

Here is a pretty good youtube clip on the basics of reading a USGS contour map. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsQoY48i6z0
If you have decided on the area you are going to hunt, get the USFS forest map and for contour maps get the 7.5min USGS quads for the specific area. just a quick check revealed plenty of youtube videos on navigating with map and compass. I learned navigation via search and rescue in my teens. Have fun learning.

 

[usmc0341]

Mattfly77, PM me. I'll give you a crash course & some recommendations.

 

[gunney]

REI sometimes offers map and gps courses. I agree with a few here that you are a bit late in the game on this and you should start practicing ASAP with your GPS. I print topos from the USGS site and study them well beforehand to be familiar and compare them to google earth. I use my gps w onX maps, always carry extra batteries and have gps capability on my phone. The phone goes on airplane mode or off when I leave the car and becomes the back up to the back up. Pre plan as much as you can between now and when you leave. Good luck out there!

 

[SFC B]

I learned using the MGRS (military system similar to UTM) and think that these are easier to learn. These are based on 1 kilometer grid squares and it makes the math easy. I would DEFINITELY suggest you get some instruction before you intend on being out in the big woods and practice as much as you can. It is really not that complicated but is a skill that can save your life. I use a Garmin gps but always carry a compass, if for nothing else to be able to identify a panic azimuth.

 

[mattfly77]

The main reason why I'm doing this so late in the game is that I actually still don't know the exact area I will be hunting. I know this sounds crazy but the guy I'm going with is taking me along with him and 3 other guys. Those guys haven't told him where we're hunting yet, which is nuts to me, but oh well, I'm going as a guest so I don't have any room to complain or push the subject. It'll work out. I have maps of the GMU, 2 mobile devices with Onxmaps on them, and a compass.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

If a class is not your thing try a NOLS book. I have one I think is called backcountry navigation. It will cover all the basics. I would recomend some practice with a map and compass before the $hit hits the fan. Batteries die and electronics break or lie. Be ready to save your @$$ if you need to.

 

[bbright]

I cut my teeth using the essays on navigating the back country on Kifaru.net. I know the feelings you are experiencing. Our first time, my primary goal was to not die and not get lost. After a couple days using both the maps, compass and GPS, I got my swagger. I have since had unplanned events where the redundancy came in handy: Batteries dying b/c GPS left on, GPS screen stepped on by horse 6 mi from the truck, leaving maps in the truck in a rush to head into the back country.... Survived and haven't been too lost to the point of panic. Understanding area landmarks from my google earth and MYTOPO map studying prior to the hunt and confidence in my GPS, map reading and compass bearings with a clear, deliberate thought process and approach will serve you well. My dad can come out at night after making a big circle thru rough country with just a compass. That's not me so I need and use as manny tools as possible.

How'd your hunt go?

 

[windymtnman]

Living in Colorado, and being in the backcountry very frequently, I am usually in areas I know fairly well. I still use my GPS a whole lot. The country is always bigger than you think it is, and a GPS can shortcut a lot of walking and energy expenditures. Also, my GPS goes into a sleep mode while it's still working. The screen is just blank till you touch a button. This has tripled my battery life.
If you're worried about getting lost, I'd recommend getting a GPS. Thing is, you really have to learn, know, and understand how to really use these devices to get the most out of them. I've been using them for 7 years, and they still are showing me tricks that I never knew before. I wouldn't be without mine, as it's just nice to know how far certain waypoints are from me.

 

[devon deer]

A compass (Suunto)is so important along with a paper map.
Don't forget to adjust for this on the compass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination
A have a GPS but never go without my compass.

 

[Big Ears]

Boy that takes me back to when I was a school kid on a trip in Wales. "Setting the map" we called it. A skill once learnt never forgotten and has got me out of some tricky places in Scotland. Good to see that GPS has not overtaken the good old tried and tested ways of map and compass.