Thread: Map and Compass Night Navigation

Is night time navigation with a map and compass possible in NZ bush? Can it be done safely and successfully?

A few scenarios:
On a poorly maintained track.
Completely off track.
In a known area vs unknown.

For those who have tried it, how did it go?

Military exercise, unknown area, off-track, by starlight, bush and open areas. Nearly went over a drop off cliff but got to the pickup point just in time and avoided a very long walk back from who knows where.

Been there this year and its bloody difficult in unknown terrain, but best thing to do is stop have a drink maybe a bite to eat and try to work out where you went wrong.

Much easier if there are two if you, one walks the compass bearing guided by the 2nd as far as possible, the 2nd catches up and the exercise repeats

Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Been there this year and its bloody difficult in unknown terrain, but best thing to do is stop have a drink maybe a bite to eat and try to work out where you went wrong.

Hmmmm yes sorry about that,didn't think for one minute you were intending to do track in dark. Huge advantage of dawn hunting is lots of time to come out in daylight. Night navigation every bit as easy as daylight,with two people leap frogging it's arguably more accurate.

As long as you know ruffly on the map where you are then not a problem especially with the headlamps we use now days if you're in very steep bluff county turn your headlamps up to fill power it like walking in the daylight anyway & also it's a lot easier to be heading to a big target like a river or a track than to a tent in the middle off a tussock basin if you trying to use land marks to find where you are on the map then that could be a problem lol

Originally Posted by Magnetite

Is night time navigation with a map and compass possible in NZ bush? Can it be done safely and successfully?

A few scenarios:
On a poorly maintained track.
Completely off track.
In a known area vs unknown.

For those who have tried it, how did it go?

I hope at the time you ask this you weren't sitting in the middle off the back county wondering whether to carry on or not ��

Paces and bearings. As long as you practice regularly it becomes second nature. Lots on here who did military time well before the advent of chemical glow sticks, led headlights, gps etc etc will have managed on nothing more than the tritium glow from their prismatic compass and possibly a clicker counter.

These are all great ideas to practice in case your gps battery conks out on you, but with modern, inexpensive gps units night navigation is easy and quick with much less faff.

Out of interest, with gps so available now, I womnder if the number of nights spent under trees or huddled up somewhere has diminished?

Nothing worse than the old days when you hit "Your" stream, and its flowing the wrong way.

If you’re in an unknown area ( lost ) at night and can’t see any landmarks you’re a bit fucked for bearings to establish location. If you know roughly where you are l, which any sensible person is monitoring while it’s light, not so bad. Did a fair bit of night navigating in younger days pre-gps, soon figure out what works for you. Around new moon period like now it can be an arsehole in the bush. Doesn’t pay to rely on gps, batteries can go flat or throw a hissy fit anytime.

Originally Posted by XR500

Paces and bearings. As long as you practice regularly it becomes second nature. Lots on here who did military time well before the advent of chemical glow sticks, led headlights, gps etc etc will have managed on nothing more than the tritium glow from their prismatic compass and possibly a clicker counter.

Ha ha ha ha. You young fellahs might possibly have had the luxury of a clicker counter. I used ten small pebbles switched from one pocket to another every hundred paces and as you say, no light whatsoever. Easier in open country than bush because of the level of darkness and natural bias but still very doable. That said, headlamps have made doing anything at nighttime so much easier.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

Out of interest, with gps so available now, I womnder if the number of nights spent under trees or huddled up somewhere has diminished?

Nothing worse than the old days when you hit "Your" stream, and its flowing the wrong way.

Hahaha, my mate and his uncle did this off the end of clements rd, they got into a large bend in the creek and it was flowing the wrong way, they walked the other way and found the creek also going the wrong way.
After shivering through the night they woke up and found their tent about 60m away.

The more torch the better.

Eye potection is desirable so bummer if you only brought sunglasses. A cap shade gives some protection.

My left eyeball once night-walked into a low, broken pine tree twig. Explosion of light. Lucky I only have some astigmatism in that eye, suspect a connection.

Not your fault @Micky Duck I didn't decide until I was there.