Blake Miller
and navigation is one of the most essential skills required of the wilderness hunter. Sound navi- gation skills rank on a par with marksmanship, tracking and knowledge of the game being pursued.
L Navigation is not hard but it is a
perishable skill. I often get calls about what to look
for in a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. Most want a basic model and I agree. A simple to oper- ate system is the easiest to learn and run while in the woods. Recently, I was in a sporting goods
store and watched a clerk recommend a very expensive and complex GPS receiver to an elderly gentleman. The customer wanted a GPS that would “get him back to his camp” in Ore- gon’s Ochoco National Forest during elk season. The clerk kept pushing the expensive model. The customer would have been satisfied with a basic starter
unit. Instead, he left the store frus- trated — without buying anything.
Things To Consider The essential features of a GPS are
based on your needs in the outdoors. For example, I am both a hunter and backpacker. I like a GPS with a Barometric altimeter because I use that function to monitor atmospheric pressure at high elevations. I know through personal experience that when the pressure drops, the weather is changing, and I may be looking for shelter. I also use maps downloaded in my receiver’s memory to confirm
The old vs. the new: The Gydawl (far left) is circa 1918 while the compass on the far right is a contemporary Sil- va Ranger. There is an approximate 15-degree difference between the two compasses. The Silva’s magnetic needle steadies noticeably quicker when shooting a bearing, has an improved sighting system, a baseplate with scale data and can be easily adjusted for declination.
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DeLorme’s PN60 GPS: a full color display with sophisticated mapping so- lutions. With DeLorme’s new inReach satellite com- municator, you can send and receive text messag- es anywhere in the field.
REALITY CHECK • 2012 SPECIAL EDITION
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