Thread: new member, new hunter

Originally Posted by simontrevor

thankyou oh ok interesting so your saying you use a compass and map to try get to a destanation? cheers

Absolutely! being comfortable with always having a rough idea of your location (keeping a regular check on your general heading and counting paces you can still find yourself on a map even in thick bush miles of tracks) and how to get where you want, allows you to go in earlier and stay in later, a compass (and map) will never let you down, they are far more important than a GPS, a GPS can have flat batteries, you can drop it and it stops working, you might lose it you may not get sig- a compass goes on a bit of para cord around your neck and stays there!. I have a Garmin 62s with maps loaded, but it is not my primery nav tool! Carrying the gear to survive out the night if it goes pear shaped takes the stress out of potential drama situations.

When it goes wrong, as it inevitably will if you get out enough, learn to make your first move to sit down and make a brew and then, go through your options, never start rushing.

Example: Last roar on what was supposed to be a day hunt, I got caught out trying to get in on a stag in the bottom of a difficult heavy bushed gully and wrecked my knee after last light- I had my Silky saw, a sheet of plastic and some para cord, weather turned quite nasty but I was able to make a small shelter right where I was, I had a spare full water bottle, my hexi cooker and brew gears, and a bivvy bag, was also carrying strapping tape and anti inflams and decent painkillers. Survived a nasty near zero cold wet night without real drama. A slow painfull walk out in the morning but I wasn't hypothermic or dehydrated or starving. And I had no sig till I had cleared the ridge 300m above, just followed my compass.