Getting lost

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
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Tennhunter3
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:22 am

You are never lost if you know your boundrys just get turned around for a few minutes. At night is when I get turned around the most.

As for going hunting in pitch black.


We do have both kinds cougars here in West and Middle Tennessee the 4 legged ones are ones I'm concerned about. Hair samples show DNA from South Dakota cougar populations odds of running into one is tiny but scouting cameras have confirmed them in countys I have hunted. I've seen tracks of them and think more are around then the state says their are.

We have a huge Coyote population and Snakes in the dark. If I ever run into a rattlesnake in the dark I'll probably have a heart attack.

I do get nervous sometimes in pitch black. Coyotes howling next to you a mile back in the woods does send a ominous uncomfortable chill up my spine.
Climbed 20 feet up a tree with a raccoon a few years back . I think both freaked out running into each other at 4am.


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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby ontario farmer » Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:02 pm

Dewey wrote:
Bonehead wrote:Used to be light infantry a long time ago, and the first thing you learn is a grunt never gets lost, just temporarily disoriented! :lol:
The main thing about land navigation is to have a back up because electronic equipment can and will fail you. Get used to using your compass, Because sometimes you will swear it’s taking you the wrong direction. The compass does not lie!

Unless you are hunting in an area where there are iron ore deposits. See that alot in the UP and some parts of WI. I have run into that a few times where my compass went pretty wacky. One time it kept spinning slowly in a circle while I was standing still. :o



Got lost once because my compass and gps were screwy... My phone compass worked.

A magnet in my glove was messing with my compass and my gps. The gps must have an internal compass??
I figured that out once I got home. At least my phone worked.
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Rob loper
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Rob loper » Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:08 pm

Tennhunter3 wrote:You are never lost if you know your boundrys just get turned around for a few minutes. At night is when I get turned around the most.

As for going hunting in pitch black.


We do have both kinds cougars here in West and Middle Tennessee the 4 legged ones are ones I'm concerned about. Hair samples show DNA from South Dakota cougar populations odds of running into one is tiny but scouting cameras have confirmed them in countys I have hunted. I've seen tracks of them and think more are around then the state says their are.

We have a huge Coyote population and Snakes in the dark. If I ever run into a rattlesnake in the dark I'll probably have a heart attack.

I do get nervous sometimes in pitch black. Coyotes howling next to you a mile back in the woods does send a ominous uncomfortable chill up my spine.
Climbed 20 feet up a tree with a raccoon a few years back . I think both freaked out running into each other at 4am.



Lmao. I had a coon one time years ago do the same thing that little sucker scared the living crap out of me lol. He scared me more than i scared him. I know he went back to that hollow tree or wherever he bedded at and told his little ones while laughIng
Man i just scared the poop out of this idiot human walking through the woods it was great. Lol
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby muddy » Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:23 pm

There's nowhere, here in Iowa, a guy can get lost... so I have that going for me. A few years back my wife and I were in Yellowstone hitting some hiking areas. We took a wrong turn and 4 hours later we were I some wooly stuff. The hiking trail disappeared into a game trail and when we started having to duck sizeable trees I honestly got concerned. It would get cold and we didn't have the gear for an overnight.

And grizzlies.

Long story short I made some metal notes on where I knew we had been, where the sun was, and where we needed to go. We somehow made it out 30 minutes before dark. My wife's fit bit said we hiked nearly 25 miles that day. That was the most "temporarily misplaced" I've ever been. Funny note was we actually found out the game trails were actually the hiking trails, they were due to be cleaned out the next week.
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Jonny » Thu Feb 15, 2018 2:33 pm

Dewey wrote:
Bonehead wrote:Used to be light infantry a long time ago, and the first thing you learn is a grunt never gets lost, just temporarily disoriented! :lol:
The main thing about land navigation is to have a back up because electronic equipment can and will fail you. Get used to using your compass, Because sometimes you will swear it’s taking you the wrong direction. The compass does not lie!

Unless you are hunting in an area where there are iron ore deposits. See that alot in the UP and some parts of WI. I have run into that a few times where my compass went pretty wacky. One time it kept spinning slowly in a circle while I was standing still. :o


Ultimate oh crap moment right there. Had that happen to me once in a river bottom with a cheap compass. Wouldn't stop turning. Put it on a stump, shot it, and went and got a nice compass. No problems since then
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Bonehead » Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:35 am

ontario farmer wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Bonehead wrote:Used to be light infantry a long time ago, and the first thing you learn is a grunt never gets lost, just temporarily disoriented! :lol:
The main thing about land navigation is to have a back up because electronic equipment can and will fail you. Get used to using your compass, Because sometimes you will swear it’s taking you the wrong direction. The compass does not lie!

Unless you are hunting in an area where there are iron ore deposits. See that alot in the UP and some parts of WI. I have run into that a few times where my compass went pretty wacky. One time it kept spinning slowly in a circle while I was standing still. :o




Got lost once because my compass and gps were screwy... My phone compass worked.

A magnet in my glove was messing with my compass and my gps. The gps must have an internal compass??
I figured that out once I got home. At least my phone worked.


I think my Garmin 64s has a internal compass (not 100% sure).
Sometimes a old school compass may need to be held away from your body at arms length to get a accurate reading, if you have metal on your shoulder straps or in your pocket somewhere.
As far as gloves with a Magnetic clasp, I didn’t even think about it causing Interference on a compass reading, glad you brought that up!
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby ontario farmer » Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:41 am

Bonehead wrote:
ontario farmer wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Bonehead wrote:Used to be light infantry a long time ago, and the first thing you learn is a grunt never gets lost, just temporarily disoriented! :lol:
The main thing about land navigation is to have a back up because electronic equipment can and will fail you. Get used to using your compass, Because sometimes you will swear it’s taking you the wrong direction. The compass does not lie!

Unless you are hunting in an area where there are iron ore deposits. See that alot in the UP and some parts of WI. I have run into that a few times where my compass went pretty wacky. One time it kept spinning slowly in a circle while I was standing still. :o




Got lost once because my compass and gps were screwy... My phone compass worked.

A magnet in my glove was messing with my compass and my gps. The gps must have an internal compass??
I figured that out once I got home. At least my phone worked.


I think my Garmin 64s has a internal compass (not 100% sure).
Sometimes a old school compass may need to be held away from your body at arms length to get a accurate reading, if you have metal on your shoulder straps or in your pocket somewhere.
As far as gloves with a Magnetic clasp, I didn’t even think about it causing Interference on a compass reading, glad you brought that up!


I have a garmin 64 s I had a magnet in the flip over part of my mitt. Every time I looked at the garmin or my compass it said north was towards the magnet. The iphone compass worked perfectly.
Last edited by ontario farmer on Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Net Guy
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Net Guy » Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:43 am

ontario farmer wrote:
Bonehead wrote:
ontario farmer wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Bonehead wrote:Used to be light infantry a long time ago, and the first thing you learn is a grunt never gets lost, just temporarily disoriented! :lol:
The main thing about land navigation is to have a back up because electronic equipment can and will fail you. Get used to using your compass, Because sometimes you will swear it’s taking you the wrong direction. The compass does not lie!

Unless you are hunting in an area where there are iron ore deposits. See that alot in the UP and some parts of WI. I have run into that a few times where my compass went pretty wacky. One time it kept spinning slowly in a circle while I was standing still. :o




Got lost once because my compass and gps were screwy... My phone compass worked.

A magnet in my glove was messing with my compass and my gps. The gps must have an internal compass??
I figured that out once I got home. At least my phone worked.


I think my Garmin 64s has a internal compass (not 100% sure).
Sometimes a old school compass may need to be held away from your body at arms length to get a accurate reading, if you have metal on your shoulder straps or in your pocket somewhere.
As far as gloves with a Magnetic clasp, I didn’t even think about it causing Interference on a compass reading, glad you brought that up!


I have a garmin 64 s


I have a 64s too and love it. Once in a while, I use the compass on it, but I am usually glued to the map and tracks. Each year I get birdseye imagery so I can save the image of the areas I hunt. It works well for me and my setup.
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Mathewshooter » Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:52 am

I have a good sense of direction. In fact, this is one of my strengths. I can go check out a chunk of woods and remember the lay of the land pretty good after only one scout. I've never used a GPS or compass and I've never been lost. When I was younger, before the days of google earth, I would go check out a spot and come home and draw maps of the area and they would be pretty much spot on. I've just always had a knack for it. I wish I were that good at getting on big bucks :D
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Rob loper » Fri Feb 16, 2018 7:57 am

Ive had issues with a cheap compass being degrees off
Like nort on my phone and my handheld would read nw
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:00 am

muddy wrote:There's nowhere, here in Iowa, a guy can get lost... so I have that going for me. A few years back my wife and I were in Yellowstone hitting some hiking areas. We took a wrong turn and 4 hours later we were I some wooly stuff. The hiking trail disappeared into a game trail and when we started having to duck sizeable trees I honestly got concerned. It would get cold and we didn't have the gear for an overnight.

And grizzlies.

Long story short I made some metal notes on where I knew we had been, where the sun was, and where we needed to go. We somehow made it out 30 minutes before dark. My wife's fit bit said we hiked nearly 25 miles that day. That was the most "temporarily misplaced" I've ever been. Funny note was we actually found out the game trails were actually the hiking trails, they were due to be cleaned out the next week.

Reminds me of the time the wife and I were hiking up in Northern MN near Ely. We were running out of daylight and I knew a shortcut. :liar: Along the way I was pointing out wolf and bear tracks in the mud. She was not amused. :lol: We did finally make it out well after dark.
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Jonny » Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:21 am

Honestly don't think I have ever come close to being lost. I just take the longer more scenic route back to the truck :whistle: . But really, I don't think you are ever lost until you panic and start losing your ability to use common sense. Suddenly you are crossing boundaries you shouldn't, walking faster instead of slowing down and trying to recognize things.

I get a bit nervous being in the woods in the dark, but I find I am much calmer in pitch black than with a light on. Some of my longer hikes back this season, I just did in total darkness with the aid of my gps (as needed) and the stars and moon. Really enjoyable actually.

If it wasn't for trip hazards, night hiking would be really cool thing to do. Might be a way to shine in the big woods. Just light up an oak ridge or secluded clear cut
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby Wetfoot » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:38 am

magicman54494 wrote:the worst is when the trees are hanging full of snow. i was still hunting one day in these conditions when i came across another human track. it was quite fresh and i was bummed that someone was out in front of me.
then i realized it was my own track. i walked a big circle. lol.

Been there, about 27 years back it'd snowed hard all day. The lanyard on my compass broke and I lost it. I was almost 2 miles back in an area that I was just learning. With the heavy snow on the pines and cedars, everything looked absolutely different. Really had no idea which direction I was headed, just that I had started the right way. Thankfully, the sky cleared out and I was able to make out the North Star. My truck was due east in a clear cut. I eventually made it out. Have always carried 2 compasses since then. I also have carried a space blanket in my pack ever since. :mrgreen:
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Re: Getting lost

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Sun Feb 18, 2018 12:09 pm

I carry a compass and small headlamp that runs on a single AA battery but I never really use the compass I couldn't tell you how I get to my stand or truck in pitch black it just happens lol
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