GPS helping hunters stay on trail

[kickingfrog]

http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2767021

 

GPS helping hunters stay on trail

Local News

Posted By DAVE DALE The Nugget

Sept 22 3:00pm

 

Fewer hunters are getting lost in the bush thanks in part to global positioning satellite technology.

 

"The numbers are certainly on decline," said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Scott Taylor, the emergency response coordinator for the northeastern Ontario region.

 

"And the GPS, absolutely, I think it made a huge impact."

 

 

Since 2007, Taylor said an average of 60 searches are initiated overall, with hunters now representing a smaller percentage than what he remembers 18 years ago when getting into search and rescue work. Last year, only six hunters needed OPP assistance, with 10 in 2008 and seven in 2007.

 

"Lost hunters are on their way down," he said, although not disappearing.

 

Last week, Taylor was involved in emergency response training in Cochrane and it didn't take long for a live opportunity to come into play.

 

A bird hunter near Temagami, he said, followed game off the trail early Friday afternoon and then wasn't sure which way to go when he came back — the trail forked in three directions.

 

"He did the right thing and stayed put," Taylor said, adding that an OPP helicopter spotted him about three hours after being reported missing.

 

Chris Caven, a salesperson at Lefebvre's Source for Adventure on Main Street West, said their line of GPS products are popular for hunters and they're doing brisk business now that the bear and bird seasons are underway.

 

Caven said people are mounting them on their ATVs and are able keep track of specific locations by taking photos of landmarks using built in cameras featured in some devices.

 

Some models are float in water and withstand tough handling, putting the investment in the $300 to $500 range, with topographical and off-road map chips at added cost, he said.

 

The short search Friday in Temagami may have been an example of when an $80 GPS location tracker would have helped, although Taylor said hunters can't count on electronic devices and should have back up plans.

 

"They're much more accurate than they used to be, but like any technology, there will always be some kind of interference . . . it's not the be all and end all."

 

He said computer products don't replace old fashioned preparation.

 

Basic compass and map training is the first thing search and rescue personnel concentrate on, he said, adding hunters need to do the same.

 

Hunting trips should start by preparing to be lost by packing survival equipment and learning as much as possible about the area in and around where you intend to be.

 

"It's not just about packing a lunch, it's gaining the knowledge and expertise (prior to setting out)," he said.

 

"And the big thing I always stress is to make sure someone knows where you're going and when you're coming back," he said.

 

That's one of the reasons they don't charge people who need OPP assistance, he said, noting that people might not report someone missing if they thought there was a big invoice coming their way.

 

Taylor said it's easier and cheaper to find someone when the trail is hot or the last location is known.

 

If there's a delay in receiving the report, "then you're into a recovery," he said, referring to the harder task of finding a body.

 

"In the long run, it would cost you more (than searching for someone recently missing)."

 

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Article ID# 2767021

[misfish]

Great timely post Rob.

 

 

Hunters also need to have 2 way radios (a must IMO). This saved my butt one time. Shot a deer and started dragging. Thinking I was going where I was to go,I all of a sudden knew I was turned around.Thankfully the guys I was hunting with,knew the area very well.They knew where I was posted and gave me the help I needed to find my way. Hand held gps devises work well,but when your in hilly areas,and heavy cover,they do nothing for you most of the time.

[AzuluSpookd]

Nothin' beats a compass!! Landmark and you're good.

 

I had my GPS way up north the last few years...when we were in deep cover....it would lose its signal....it dropped 3/4's of the satellites...wasn't as accurate as it should have been.

 

If you're in an open area, they're great. But deep in da' bush...not so good....

[dannyboy]

I use both compass and GPS, there are places in the bush were the iron formation in the ground keeps a compass from working correctly. It is hard to beat a GPS to mark waypoints.

 

Dan