Year after year there are reports of even experienced hunters lost in the woods and it happens to the very best outdoor hunters .Some may even spend a night or two in the woods after their trail disappears. Most of the time the outcome is pleasant. The deer hunter makes it home in a safe manner. If you ever happen to lost your bearings and lost contact with the civilization, read the following tips to avoid getting lost while deer hunting.
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There are many ways you can avoid being lost in the woods while deer hunting.
1) Always take a good compass with you and know how to use it before you enter the woods for deer hunting. The compass also can be aligned with the edge of a topo map to give an exact bearing between two mapped positions. The 7.5-minute topographic maps (with a scale of 1:24,000) produced by the U.S. Geological Survey suit your purposes and are widely available and you could search the internet to find out where to purchase them. Learning how to use a compass is simple if you practice how to use them. With an instructor or a hunting buddy beside you, you’ll get hold of it in no time. Always trust the directions shown by the compass than what you are thinking.You can also watch the following video if you would like to know more about using a compass.
2) An innovative way to avoid getting lost while you are walking hunting trails is to use a roll of plastic marking ribbon. Each plastic marking ribbon comes around few dollars. The ribbon is available in many bright shades and each roll is about 50 to 100 feet in length. Additionally you can use reflective tacks or bright color marking ribbons. These could be found at a sports equipment store.
3) Inform your friends and or family where you are going to be deer hunting and then leave a map and details of where you will be hunting and contact numbers and two way radio channels which you are planning to use.
4) Order a topographic map from your local DNR office or extension service. On the map, circle the area where your deer hunting stand is situated. Leave copies in your vehicle and on the kitchen table at home. If you do get lost while deer hunting, your friends and the search team will have a sense of where you can be found.
5) Another device to have in the deer hunting woods is your mobile phone. Most cell phones today are small, lightweight and have a “vibrate only” mode. Turn your cell phone to “vibrate only” before going to your deer hunting stand. This will allow you and your family get in touch with you in the case of a home emergency and you having the capability to call should you need help in the deer hunting woods. Don’t forget to check your cell phone’s signal in your deer hunting area a long time before deer hunting season starts. Keep in mind that cell phone needs power to use it and reliable cell signals.
6) make sure everyone in your deer hunting party is keeping hand-held 2-way radios or walke talkies. Even if you are hunting alone you can carry a hand-held radio. Many hand-held radios can achieve 5 miles and more. The radios I personally use have picked up and sent signals to my deer hunting partners in some very thick cover. If you choose hand-held radios, you’ll would like to make sure they will work inside your deer hunting woods. When planning to use Two way radios, long before the deer hunting season comes, check that they work in your area. In the summer months the forest canopy will likely be at its highest thickness. If the radios work in the summer they should work in the fall when the leaves have hit the ground. Also make sure that you check your local state and county regulations for the legality of using personal radios in the forest.
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7) One more, nearly surefire, way to find your way back to your base camp is to have a hand held GPS. GPS units will bring you to within a few feet of where you want to go. They are small and fit into your pant pocket. As with any piece of technology, make sure you test its ability to work in deer hunting area before you deer hunt.
8) Make sure that you have backup power designed to power your devices. If your two way radios and GPS can not work if their batteries are discharged. There are many portable power options are available to keep your devices charged. You can even purchase one of the solar kits which consist of solar panel and portable power recharger to power your devices off grid.
9) Carry a flashlight while walking through the hunting area before or after daylight. Now day some of the two way radio models have the in built flash light. Additionally you can carry Eton SCORPION Multi-Purpose Solar Powered Digital Weather Radio which has a Built-In LED Flashlight, Large Solar Panel, Crank Powered, and USB Cell Phone Charger.
10) Last but not the least, In spite of all the gadgets that we use, be aware of your surroundings and remember where you are going, where you have been and where you are. There is no alternative to staying sharp and use the human mind to over come the challenges.
Using a lot of these deer hunting safety tips could mean the difference between you getting lost in the wood and missing all the fun or having a successful hunt.
Good luck and great deer hunting
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