Thread: Tips for beginners on not to get lost in the woods?

Originally Posted by kimjon

The cell phone map apps are very good these days, if not better than a garmin gps. The trick is to cache the information prior to going by doing a virtual tiki tour on your phone of the area you'll hunt. Zoom in/out and scroll around on the screen...your phone will cache this information in its memory and will remember it even without reception. However if you don't pre cache...you'll only see the map on a ridiculous scale, unusable in the Bush.

Start small, use nature's handrails like streams, ridgelines, farm boundaries...then cut between them. All of this is done firstly on the map, then put it into place by giving it a go in small blocks to see if you can put in into practice. Once again, set a goal, start small...work up to bigger as you gain confidence.

30 years ago I was terrified of getting lost, but now you could blindfold me, drop me into the middle of anywhere and I'd have the time of my life without a care in the world about getting lost. But I only got to this point by starting small and working up.

Once you realise the Bush is just lots and lots of triangles then navigation becomes very easy.

The app I linked to above installs the entire island at installation. There is nothing more to download and it includes the hunting areas.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

Get hold of and read the Mountain Safety Council Bushcraft Manual. It has a wealth of information on navigation amongst other essential skills.

General rules:

Have a printed map and compass and know how to read and use them together. Printed map should be in a sealed plastic bag as mush as possible.

Stop often and look behind you to see where you have come from. This can make it much easier for the return journey or if you have to backtrack.

^ Probably the best bits of advice of the lot IMHO.

I carry and use a GPS but if I want to walk a particular heading I find it much easier to use a compass (with the heading set from the GPS)

Having a map handy also gives you a big picture view of the area that you can't really get from a small screen. If you are above the bush line or can see out of a clearing you can reference far off points and get a good idea of where you are and where you want to go to.

Always, always take a map and compass. The Mountain Safety Council Bushcraft Manual will tell you how to use them and all sorts of things like true north, compass north etc

Cheers

Send him down to me eh @Rushy

I wouldn't stray too far from Mums Apron strings lol

I'm a middle aged bloke who was taught maps and compass as a kid. I started with GPS when they first came out in the early 90s and have been through a few. Now I use Memory Map on my Android phone and iPad and PC, eyes wide open to the risks attached with relying on a phone. As per earlier comments with Memory Map you do need to cache the area first for when there's no signal, which is most of the time in productive areas. I use the 1:25k and 1:50k maps with the public land hunting boundaries. I switch phone onto airplane mode and turn the brightness down. I use the phone for photos, video, navigation and of course calls so it compresses 5 devices into 1. Camera, GPS, compass, phone, docs (like your DOC hunting permit).

I carry an Anker power bank and this will keep the phone going for 5 days min which is the longest I've used it and it wasn't flat when I came out. Phone is in a LifeProof case.

When all is said and done though... there's always a 1:50k paper map and my trusty Suunto compass in the backpack, along with an A3 printout of Google Earth with the tracks and roads marked on it. Usually I can convince the wife to laminate it for me at work.

A key part of not getting lost is studying the topo maps of the area before you go in. Cross reference with Google Earth. It makes a massive difference to have a mental picture of the geography. I spend hours marking out my intended routes in Memory Map and looking at Google Earth, looking for clearings, slips, checking gradients, position of huts relative to hunting areas. Spending time on this before you go always translates to improved confidence.

Lastly I also have the sun up and sun down times written down, and a sun position by hour. This is really helpful in the forest if GPS signal is slow or just not enough, even if its cloudy the rough position of the sun gives you a good idea of your bearing. This site had been invaluable to me in different places around the world, really helps keeps you switched on.

https://www.suncalc.org

And I carry a GME personal locator beacon!

Always carry a compass. A map is good, but if you have a compass and know which general direction is out you are okay. Study the map of the area, taking note of the ridges and streams as these are often what you will be folowing, or crossing.
For starting out, hunting the area inside a loop track, or between a track and the bush edge, is a good way to learn. Keep checking the map and trying to keep track of where you are, taking note of what different terrain you are travelling through looks like on the map. Once you get the hang of it, you can look at a map of an area you haven't been to and have a good idea of what the going will be like.

Most of the "tricks" I use have already been stated. Look behind you often and remember landmarks (looking behind can pay dividends if a deer has watched you walk past), carry a map and compass, always know where you are (this sounds stupid, but if you are always keeping track of where you are you are not lost), memorize the main valleys/rivers before you set off (you can always walk downstream to somewhere), plan where you are hunting for the day (maybe with alternatives depending on which way the wind is blowing, maybe up one valley and down the next one), use caution in cloud or whiteout (it can be very disorientating, as a lot of pilots have found out), carry a PLB (I came late onto this one, but I would never go out without one now. Maybe equipped to spend a night out safely (which is a bit more weight in your pack in winter).

Like most people I built up confidence over time by getting out a lot and building up, but I still have a lot of respect for how quickly things can go bad.

GPS and Goggle earth are good but always have a compass to back you up,it can be very easy to go round in circles as the bush looks familiar, at least the compass will have you heading and staying on the same direction. Hunting in pine forests for instance is a lot easier as generally you will strike a road somewhere, native blocks are trickier but as mentioned earlier creeks will eventually lead you to somewhere public. ( might take a while though)

Wow! I am over whelmed by the amount of replies and information offered. Thanks everyone, you guys have been very helpful and boosted my confidence now knowing what experienced hunter do out there.

Awesome post on how to utilise compass and map, gonna print it off and read it thoroughly!
https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....hniques-22505/

Time to do some homework I guess lol

Thanks
Alex

Originally Posted by 40mm

try the local orienteering club.

can you show me where it is?

I think any person who is new to go into the woods should do it with an experienced person who can also teach them the things required to be able to come out of the wood safely. Do not go in alone thinking its a stroll in the park.

if you carry a map and compass you should be able to find it for yourself

So with the advice above ...pack a good head light - torch ..if you hunt in the evening you will very likely be walking out in the dark ..if you do get off direction it gives you great comfort to have a light ..

Most important of all is if you are disorientated which can be very easy in fog or misty rain Do Not Panic ...stop think relax ...your ok eat something and take some time ...if you are really unsure ..stop ...your alive your ok ...people know where you went ( you let people know your plans ) ..listen for water use your compass and trust it .

Originally Posted by stingray

So with the advice above ...pack a good head light - torch ..if you hunt in the evening you will very likely be walking out in the dark ..if you do get off direction it gives you great comfort to have a light ..

Most important of all is if you are disorientated which can be very easy in fog or misty rain Do Not Panic ...stop think relax ...your ok eat something and take some time ...if you are really unsure ..stop ...your alive your ok ...people know where you went ( you let people know your plans ) ..listen for water use your compass and trust it .

Yip, I had an argument with my compass once, guess who was right Idiot!

Fog can seriously fuk you up I got lost once in a place I don't use a map in as I thought I knew it quite well its a whole new game when low fog comes in