Hand held GPS for scouting

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ThePreBanMan
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby ThePreBanMan » Thu Jan 30, 2020 3:16 am

wmahunter wrote:PreBanMan,
Where did you find the older version of the Base Camp software? I downloaded the latest version at the beginning of the season and felt like Base Camp won't allow me to do the same things I done in the past. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly changed however. Another thing I noticed was that the downloaded Birdseye Imagery I saved on my computer could not be put back on my GPS unless I paid for another yearly subscription. I thought before that once I downloaded the Birdseye imagery I no longer needed the yearly subscription. Now it is whatever I have saved on my GPS when the subscription is over, is what I get to keep on my GPS after the subscription is over. I cannot move the Birdseye imagery from my GPS to my computer and back to my GPS.

Would you mind sharing the older software for Garmin base camp? I would like to see if using the older version would solve the issues I noticed after the last update I made.


Instead of birdsey try Caltopo. You can print out maps to a kmz file. You can import this into the garmin gps as a custom map.



I've had it forever... I have had my GPS for maybe 5 or 6 years. Working in I.T. I learned a long time ago that newer isn't always better. So I keep every version of all software I ever run. I've been using CalTopo to export topo maps since I got the GPS. GPSFileDepot is another resource. I use Google Earth to create aerial overlays and put them on the GPS too - albeit that is a bit more work. DIYSportsman has a nice YouTube vid on how to do that.

There's an app I do use on my phone for topo maps too - US Tomo Maps Free... It's pretty good considering the price. I ended up buying the pro version (1x expense of 10 bucks).


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wmahunter
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby wmahunter » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:01 am

ThePreBanMan wrote:
wmahunter wrote:PreBanMan,
Where did you find the older version of the Base Camp software? I downloaded the latest version at the beginning of the season and felt like Base Camp won't allow me to do the same things I done in the past. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly changed however. Another thing I noticed was that the downloaded Birdseye Imagery I saved on my computer could not be put back on my GPS unless I paid for another yearly subscription. I thought before that once I downloaded the Birdseye imagery I no longer needed the yearly subscription. Now it is whatever I have saved on my GPS when the subscription is over, is what I get to keep on my GPS after the subscription is over. I cannot move the Birdseye imagery from my GPS to my computer and back to my GPS.

Would you mind sharing the older software for Garmin base camp? I would like to see if using the older version would solve the issues I noticed after the last update I made.


Instead of birdsey try Caltopo. You can print out maps to a kmz file. You can import this into the garmin gps as a custom map.



I've had it forever... I have had my GPS for maybe 5 or 6 years. Working in I.T. I learned a long time ago that newer isn't always better. So I keep every version of all software I ever run. I've been using CalTopo to export topo maps since I got the GPS. GPSFileDepot is another resource. I use Google Earth to create aerial overlays and put them on the GPS too - albeit that is a bit more work. DIYSportsman has a nice YouTube vid on how to do that.

There's an app I do use on my phone for topo maps too - US Tomo Maps Free... It's pretty good considering the price. I ended up buying the pro version (1x expense of 10 bucks).


I agree google overlays are a lot of work that is why I just use caltopo kmz. I just zoom in to the area I want and create may 3 different elevations for that maps. What I started do was marking up the caltopo map than saviing it and printing it to my gps. Than when I get to one of those points I mark a waypoint if it is any good. Here in fl unless you have boots on the ground the vegetation is totally different. One thing I have started using is mixing the weekly hi res with an infrared aerial and this helps me find any areas that have been flooded or where there is the potential for a lot of water so I can prepare for it.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby KLEMZ » Fri Jan 31, 2020 1:44 pm

I will guess that most hunters use phone apps for their hunting. The convenience of the phone apps is hard to argue with. Apps like Onyx allow the travelling hunter to know private boundary lines on the fly...very powerful. But convenience comes at a cost.

Battery life with a phone is a huge issue. Cold weather will kill a phone even if kept in an inner pocket of your hunting wardrobe. I know from experience.

Water is a huge issue with a cell phone.

Available maps for a cell phone are limited by the App you are using.

Topo maps available on all the Apps are very general maps. Sometimes all you need is a general elevation map. But if you hunt areas with less elevation change, you will do much better with a more elevation sensitive map......like LIDAR maps.


Stand alone GPS units (Garmin) will last much longer with battery life. I get 12-14 hours of run time with set of lithium batteries. And I carry more in my pocket for when i need them.

Cold weather will not affect a Garmin GPS function if run on lithium batteries.

Dropping your Garmin in water will not ruin it. I have done that and they are waterproof.

Custom Maps on a GPS is a powerful way to get exactly what you need in the field vs what the App on a phone allows you to have. I have found a way to use the LIDAR Hillshade maps on my GPS instead of the general topos available everywhere else. This is amazingly powerful while scouting.

I use a Garmin 650 GPS. What I like most about this unit is that I can have multiple aerials on it of the SAME area and switch between them as needed. I can also have standard topos or LIDAR topos and switch between maps when I need as I scout/hunt.

I think you can get a used Garmn 650 for $200 these days.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Jan 31, 2020 2:49 pm

Good post Klemz. I agree with everything you said.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby elk yinzer » Fri Jan 31, 2020 2:55 pm

Etrex 20. I have a 64st and its way faster at picking up signals (at the cost of battery life), but it doesn't fit in a pocket.

All the Garmins need a lock feature, thats my only major complaint.

Being a pretty old school millenial I fully understand a lot of old timey things, but I fully embrace GPS.

I have full onX subscription for satellite imagery and boundary checking but I much prefer a dedicated GPS for real time use. Phone GPS with onX is tremendous for scouting...from the truck or office.

I am pretty rugged and I hate to be that hard on my $1,000 pocket PC. Then you get one drop of sweat or rain on a phone touchscreen and it goes all haywire. Phones are made for skinny jean types, not dudes out getting it done. I just can't quite get to replacing my GPS, its one piece of gear I consider almost essential. And I do carry a compass and use it also.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby Blackmamba » Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:25 pm

I saw at my local bass pro that onX made chips for handhelds like the garmins. It’s by state and mine was sold out. Of course so I never got my hands on one. But I do use a handheld gps and onX on my phone.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby may21581 » Mon Feb 03, 2020 2:45 am

Does anyone know if these units have the ability to be tracked? If something were to happen someone would be able to locate you?
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby Swedishbowhunter » Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:09 am

wmahunter wrote:I still carry a garmin 62. I download imagery from caltopo into the garmin for the area I am scouting.

Does that cost anything to download?
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby cspot » Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:14 am

may21581 wrote:Does anyone know if these units have the ability to be tracked? If something were to happen someone would be able to locate you?


I know the Garmin Inreach does, but that does require a subscription. They have an option that you can just pay monthly if you don't want it on all year.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby Josh_S » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:17 am

I have used a Garmin 62ST for several years now and I'm very pleased with it. In 5 years of scouting and marking many trails, beds, funnels, access areas, etc I have only used 25% of the memory. I've dropped it on rocks, in water, and it still works as good as the day I bought it. I use rechargeable lithium ion batteries, and they are very economical. I always keep an extra set of fully charged batteries in my pack, and have only had my batteries die on me a handful of times. All times I knew batteries were low going in. Otherwise fully charged batteries should easily last a full day or more, but I don't push it. Very rarely I will lose satellite reception in heavy canopy, but it is usually no more than a couple minutes. One thing I will recommend is to re-calibrate the compass often...it takes less than a minute...otherwise you could be unintentionally going in the wrong direction. I re-calibrate every time.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby Josh_S » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:22 am

Blackmamba wrote:I saw at my local bass pro that onX made chips for handhelds like the garmins. It’s by state and mine was sold out. Of course so I never got my hands on one. But I do use a handheld gps and onX on my phone.


Not sure where you live, but I have the "Great Lakes" OnX chip for my handheld. It shows public land boundaries in PA, OH, IN, and a few other midwestern states I have not hunted. The only downfall is it does not show private land ownership or boundaries.
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby may21581 » Wed Feb 05, 2020 8:55 am

I was just looking at the onx site and the hunting chips for ohio says they have private and public land boundaries along with roads and much more. It stated updates are free and a free app subscription for 1 year. Do these gps units need the app or any subscription to work or is that more for cell phones and tablets? I'm assuming these come on sd cards that slide into the gps units?
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:40 am

I use both - seldom do my GPS and phone give same coordinates for exact same spot. My phone works 95% of the time just fine but I do think the GPS is more accurate. Where the GPS shines best is that satellite coverage is more dependable in most areas than Cell towers. In hills/MTs with a GPS you usually just have to climb to a top of the ridge to get a lost signal.

As far as accuracy, I find GPS a little more accurate. However, if you cant find your tree when you are within 20-30 foot of it, well....
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Wed Feb 05, 2020 10:46 am

DaveT1963 wrote:I use both - seldom do my GPS and phone give same coordinates for exact same spot. My phone works 95% of the time just fine but I do think the GPS is more accurate. Where the GPS shines best is that satellite coverage is more dependable in most areas than Cell towers. In hills/MTs with a GPS you usually just have to climb to a top of the ridge to get a lost signal.

As far as accuracy, I find GPS a little more accurate. However, if you cant find your tree when you are within 20-30 foot of it, well....



Guilty on more than one occasion :lol: :lol:
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Re: Hand held GPS for scouting

Unread postby Josh_S » Wed Feb 05, 2020 11:37 am

may21581 wrote:I was just looking at the onx site and the hunting chips for ohio says they have private and public land boundaries along with roads and much more. It stated updates are free and a free app subscription for 1 year. Do these gps units need the app or any subscription to work or is that more for cell phones and tablets? I'm assuming these come on sd cards that slide into the gps units?


Yep the chip slides right into the GPS, it is a one time purchase. I've never done any type of updates or bought anything extra. The individual state OnX chips have landowner information and private parcel boundaries in addition to public boundaries.


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