GPS system question

[Hunter]

I am sure this has most likely been discussed and if I'm beating a dead horse just tell me so. I couldn't find what I was looking for so I figured I would ask. I have used regular hand held GPS units when there is full foliage on the trees and they hardly got out at all. I was wondering how these tracking units work when the trees are full of leaves and in the deep laural hollars of the east? Now, I saw how it worked last year in the winter and it worked really well but, I'm still sceptical of sinking that kind of money on a tracking system that I can only use in the dead of winter when there isn't a single leaf to interfear with it.

[Plotts]

I've noticed this past couple of weeks that I loose my signal on the dogs from time to time, but it always comes back. I think folaige will effect the gps, but its a minor inconvienence.

[peninsula bear]

I've had my system for just over a year. I have 5 collars on it and if you lose 1 signal on one you still have the others. It operates like a cell phone. It's new to the market and it still has some bugs to work out of it, but that comes with any new product. Yes you do lose signal, but it comes back quick. The 2 other down falls are the collars have to be turned on with in range 0 25' of the hand held or the gps has a hard time connecting. The other would be the bib type that mounts collar in the middle of there back. The antenna's break off the collar easy. I just picked up what you call an antenna stubb that is a quarter of the size of the original and very solid. I wouldn't use any other system. It shows roads rivers creeks lakes. You can also get a topo chip for it that shows peaks and holes. The problem that I found with the other tracking systems was if your dogs got on game in a hole or a cave. The receiver would tell you your dogs were twice as far away then they actually are. With the GPS system that dog will pop up right away on the hand held if he comes up for air. Not only that. The map or the compass will show you exactly where the last reading was with in 2 yards. So this system can't be beat.

Jason

I am sure this has most likely been discussed and if I'm beating a dead horse just tell me so. I couldn't find what I was looking for so I figured I would ask. I have used regular hand held GPS units when there is full foliage on the trees and they hardly got out at all. I was wondering how these tracking units work when the trees are full of leaves and in the deep laural hollars of the east? Now, I saw how it worked last year in the winter and it worked really well but, I'm still sceptical of sinking that kind of money on a tracking system that I can only use in the dead of winter when there isn't a single leaf to interfear with it.

[Buddyw]

Another point..

I notice a big difference with the Older GPS systems and the new ones. I have a Rino that is hard to keep a signal, and I have newer garmin map60 that will run circles around my Rino as far as getting, or keeping a signal.

when I say older GPS, I mean 3-4 years old tops, I'm not talking about 7-10 year old systems.. Those are a joke now!

So in the last 2 years garmin has made really good progress with their Antennas, and signal.

Just my two cents..

[bear dogger]

Just wondering if anyone else questions the ethics of the system? Seems to take the hunt out of hunting.

[SECOND NATURE]

BEAR DOGGER I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF POST OVER THE BOARDS QUESTIONING THE ETHICS ABOUT THESES NEW STYLE UNITS I HAVE PURCHASED ONE MY SELF LAST FALL AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THERE IS A ADVANTAGED TO WATCHING THE DOGS RUN AND BEING THERE WHEN THEY ARE CROSSING A ROAD AND JUST PLAIN GETTING A HEAD OF THE DOGS BUT THE SAME QUESTIONS WERE ASKED I AM SURE WHEN THEY CAME OUT WITH THE TRACKING SYSTEMS THEY ALLOW YOU THE SAME ADVANTAGE WHEN YOU BECOME PROFICIENT WITH THEM AND NOW THEY ARE EXCEPTED ALMOST EVERYWHERE TO ME THE ETHICAL PART COMES INTO PLAY WHEN THE GAME IS SPOTTED, TREED OR HELD AT BAY .

THE UNITS TODAY TO ME ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY AS A TOOL TO FINDING MY DOGS OR SEE WHAT THE DOGS ARE DOING RIGHT OR WRONG AND THE SAFETY ASPECT OF IT FOR THE DOGS SAKE THE PIECE OF MIND OF KNOWING WHERE THEY ARE HOW CLOSE ARE THEY TO A ROAD OR DANGER THE SIMPLE FACT ARE THEY ON THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER WITH NO CROSSING WITHIN MILES OR THE OTHER. KNOWING WHERE MY DOGS ARE AND HOW TO GET THEM SAFELY BACK INTO MY HANDS ASAP IS MY BIGGEST CONCERN WHEN WE ARE DONE HUNTING.

I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY WITHOUT GOING ON ANY LONGER IS PEOPLE CHOOSE WEATHER OR NOT TO BE ETHICAL OR UNETHICAL NOT THE EQUIPMENT THEY ARE USING THIS IS JUST MY OPINION THANKS LARRY
PEOPLE ARE ETHER ETHICAL OR UN ETHICAL

[Smiley]

This question to me coincides with the question "are guns safe ? " well we know guns are safe it is all up to the operator .

[Jason Waterhouse]

Great reply Larry

[tman308]

As far as the original Question I would say that they work pretty good in dense cover. I hunt in thick mountain manzanita and it is taller then me in alot of places. The only time I will lose signal is when I am in the bottom of a canyon with the dogs and they go over the ridge out of the canyon. As soon as I climb up to the last signal though I have them back on screen.

On the training note it helps speed up your training sessions. You can see if a dog is doing what it is suppose to or messing around with the wrong game based on speed of travel and what the dog is doing. I have a very young pack and am building them into a solid hunting pack. I borrow one of my buddies 8 year old broke dogs and GPS my three and that one. Now if one of my youngsters takes off like a bat out of heck and that old dog is still milling around then it gives me a good idea that my young dog has found an elk or deer. The other nice thing that works for me is that I can tell if the dogs are coming to me when I call them or just moving away. A good friend of mine said "that GPS will allow you to learn what your dogs are doing a lot quicker then if you were like me chasin dogs all over the country side with no tracking collars, He also said that I will learn the habits and escape strategies of the game I chase if I follow the dogs tracks when they are trailing." It can be hard in canyon country to stay right with your dogs even on horseback, so it's nice being able to walk into an area where the dogs were trailing and find a scrape and know that's what they were smelling.

Just my opinion as a novice to the sport.

[bear dogger]

I must admit that is a very good response. If you do not use the system to kill game but to find dogs it is hard to argue.

[Hound 1]

This is a little off topic but oh well, I was playing around with the system and plugged my Astro into my marine band antenna (157 freq) the one on top of the truck, and you wanna talk long range, well lets just say my long range antenna I bought from garmin had lost comm at about 4 miles, I plug into this, and in the bottom of a rocky canyon full of thick pines I am getting dogs 5 miles away in the bottom of a canyon, I call it hooking up with NASA, but it has proven to be the best thus far, also on the long range antenna from garmin I broke mine before I got to use it, so I got one from smiley antenna and it is 4' versus the 3' and it works better. Hope this is help to you all, I got the adapter from the motorola store, and it was $10 I believe.