Getting away from your truck

[DirtFarmer]

Wanting to hear from guys that know how to get out there and put boots on the ground. Most of my hunting is parking a truck in the morning darkness on a logging road waiting for day break. Getting impatient throughout the day and walking along road sides occasionally stepping off a few feet into the bush (all the while wishing I was hiking a ridge line or glassing a secluded bowl). My questions is about gaining confidence and knowledge about getting off the roads and into where the animals are. I know the quick answer is “get a gps app and walk into the bush” or “the animals are on the roads!”. Looking for more of a convo about the wilderness, how to or if you follow game trails and gaining the confidence of being in the woods without that nagging worry of getting lost.


thanks for the read,


Dirt

[geologist]

Learn how to use a GPS and compass/topographic map 1:20000.

Once you are comfortable orienteering you can venture out into the bush.

[stoneramhunter]

Wanting to hear from guys that know how to get out there and put boots on the ground. Most of my hunting is parking a truck in the morning darkness on a logging road waiting for day break. Getting impatient throughout the day and walking along road sides occasionally stepping off a few feet into the bush (all the while wishing I was hiking a ridge line or glassing a secluded bowl). My questions is about gaining confidence and knowledge about getting off the roads and into where the animals are. I know the quick answer is “get a gps app and walk into the bush” or “the animals are on the roads!”. Looking for more of a convo about the wilderness, how to or if you follow game trails and gaining the confidence of being in the woods without that nagging worry of getting lost.


thanks for the read,


Dirt


Hi
I would suggest spending time with someone that has the skills to be in the back country and soak up what knowledge you can. Its a shorter path to confidence in my opinion. Also dont completely rely on a gps or other electronic devices learn how to use a compass and map.

Best of luck hunting

[mike31154]

Map, compass, gps & know how to use them, not much more to say. Perhaps find a knowledgeable partner for a couple outings. I have to admit I usually rely on the gps & have gotten close to being lost once or twice. Here's a gps screenshot of a pretty good hike I took some years ago. I bumped 2 Whitetail does not 50 meters away from the truck after I headed up an abandoned trail. The FSR shown has since been punched farther up the mountainside & there's a sizeable cutblock. I didn't spy another ungulate on my entire hike up & back down. In my limited experience, I've seen more deer close to the road than during my hikes in to the thick stuff.

The up is shown, down would have been a slightly different route.
https://dsm01pap004files.storage.live.com/y4mhmk_bI93afk8dMI_BIPNCDUSHWEH64a0-jEnL2uWSLsDXag4bW1XYiUpvjHbKjwjrMr6uf7Cn6MLJh4UUri ZCVZ5yA6yMeUDZEdZ-5dskDl_TturdlcmYSVEu5g79XNGJWwdSVHtS2b3HBWpPnMZaIg MkZlxiKQ0FQe4EFt9MwuTME8b5yPuKXUjLgiLrAgc?width=10 24&height=558&cropmode=none

[Bustercluck]

What are you hunting? And where do you live?

Most mountains are easier to navigate than flats. You should be able to look at topi maps/Google earth and get an idea of the lay of the land and where you want to go. Take a look at the drainages. The natural thing is small creeks run downhill, join bigger creeks and then onto rivers. As long as you don’t cross a peak and go uphill you should be able to find your way back. Most main logging roads tend to follow valley bottoms(rivers) as well and the Spurs go up into more remote spots. So park your truck at a small creek that leads into a bowl you want to explore, follow the creek up and pretty much any creek you follow up will bring you back.

On the island near the ocean, pretty much every logging road leads to a dump. Follow the natural lay of the roads and you’ll come to somewhere where they’re dumping loads of logs.

If you’re in the alpine you’ll notice other things like the south facing slopes are green and the north facing slopes are more rocky. Pick out landmarks like peaks for reference of where you are.

Be prepared to spend the night. My day bag has a tarp, food and the means of making a fire.

Hang ribbon trails.


There’s more, but I don’t tend to walk around looking for animals. I tend to target where I think they will be and go there. Sometimes I wander around, but not really something I do to find animals.

[Husky7mm]

Use satellite imagery on your phone and carry a battery charger. Get GPS apps that you can open and use when your off line. If you hunt mountains Get a sport watch with an altimeter on it, and remember the elevation you parked at. You can run that line if you get a bit disoriented. Landmark the terrain, the big dead trees, the peaks and valleys around you. Look behind you when your hiking cause it will look different on egress. Pay mind to where the sun is throughout the day.

Get on google earth and burn the area you hunt into your memory, you will be shocked at what you see and learn with your eyes.

Carry a compass for back up, especially in the more flat country. Hike reclaimed logging roads, its a “trail” you can return on. Always bring your pack with water, lighters, food, emergency blanket, first aid no matter how short you think your hike may be.

Good luck, happy hunting.

[browningboy]

Why would you want to leave the truck? Going for a hike in the bush is one thing that we do but when hunting why would anyone want to pack a moose out 2 valleys over, like you asking for an injury?

[DJK]

I research my chosen area before I even get into the truck; Google Earth, iHunter (with topo map of my area downloaded so I can use it off line). I make note of certain landmarks, usually FSR's, cut blocks, cut lines, topography. I'll have at least 2 areas researched as I won't know the wind or hunter pressure (I'm on crown land) until I get out there. GPS, battery charger, compass, food/fire/water, trail ribbon in my day pack. Haven't been on a camping hunt in years, hoping to bolt together an elk adventure for 2023.

[Harvest the Land]

Wanting to hear from guys that know how to get out there and put boots on the ground. Most of my hunting is parking a truck in the morning darkness on a logging road waiting for day break. Getting impatient throughout the day and walking along road sides occasionally stepping off a few feet into the bush (all the while wishing I was hiking a ridge line or glassing a secluded bowl). My questions is about gaining confidence and knowledge about getting off the roads and into where the animals are. I know the quick answer is “get a gps app and walk into the bush” or “the animals are on the roads!”. Looking for more of a convo about the wilderness, how to or if you follow game trails and gaining the confidence of being in the woods without that nagging worry of getting lost.


thanks for the read,


Dirt

All great advice here. I am in a similar situation as you where I can only hunt weekends and use my truck and camper as a base camp. But I almost never walk the roads - only if it will save me time getting to where I need to go. 9.9 times out of 10, where I park my truck is where I start hunting from - i.e. I just start bushwacking it from there. A good idea is to take a general bearing with your compass and point in in the direction you're planning on heading and then you know as a rough guide to take the opposite bearing to get back to the road. Doesn't take long to find game trails and sign once in the timber.

What I think it comes down too is really knowing the area/areas you hunt inside and out. That is the main way to build up confidence in the area you're hunting and not worrying about getting lost. Creeks/rivers are great markers to help guide you, as are power lines - look for things like this in the distance and use them to help guide you. I always carry a compass as backup and while I don't know how to use it as well as I'd like, I know enough to get me back to the road if necessary. If you want to do more exploring in the timber instead of the roads and you don't really know your area that well yet and you are a tad concerned about getting lost, then maybe consider waiting until it gets light out before leaving the truck, so you can see what everything looks like and orient yourself accordingly. Get to know your area(s) inside and out - then you will know different ways to get to where you need to go (in dark and light).

Looking at maps before hand is crucial too - that should be your first step. But that will only get you so far, because the maps (both satellite and topo) won't tell you just how much blowdown might be in the timber and that area might not be walkable, or there might be 100ft cliff inside the timber that the maps can't pickup etc. - that kind of info you will only learn by exploring. Also, that Ihunter app with the satellite imagery has really saved me a TON of time navigating too and from spots. Highly recommend. Good luck this fall!

[Harvest the Land]

Wanting to hear from guys that know how to get out there and put boots on the ground. Most of my hunting is parking a truck in the morning darkness on a logging road waiting for day break. Getting impatient throughout the day and walking along road sides occasionally stepping off a few feet into the bush (all the while wishing I was hiking a ridge line or glassing a secluded bowl). My questions is about gaining confidence and knowledge about getting off the roads and into where the animals are. I know the quick answer is “get a gps app and walk into the bush” or “the animals are on the roads!”. Looking for more of a convo about the wilderness, how to or if you follow game trails and gaining the confidence of being in the woods without that nagging worry of getting lost.


thanks for the read,


Dirt

There's some good tips in this video for navigating without a map


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrN8h8f2fns&list=LL&index=558

[MRP]

Oh how I envy the the young man with energy to burn. My boots are still good but the feet I put in them are not the ones I remember. Truck and quad have become my friends more than I’d like them to be. There will be lots of good advice on here, get out and use them because experience is the best thing to take with you.

[Harvest the Land]

Here's a good one from the master


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snD-MDEknv4&list=LL&index=560

[Squamch]

I use the Gaia app on my phone. Mark the truck, then walk the road until I find either good tracks, or a game trail, then follow it...then I get back to the truck, notice deer or bear on the side of the road and shoot it.

[MichelD]

I hardly ever use a map, and though I recently got a Garmin Explorer Inreach for emergencies and has GPS functions, I rely on a compass remembering something my father told me 60 years ago. Look at your compass when you enter the bush so you can go the opposite way to get out.

One of the spots I hunt for example is in the timber uphill of a road. For simplicity's sake, let's say the road runs East-West. Using my compass I can see that walking uphill away from the road leads me to the North. Besides the topography, which tells me that going downhill will return me to the road, my compass will tell me where South is if I wander so far away that I've got to a plateau or into several dips and ridges.

Using this method I can walk east or west, north, round in circles, zig-zag back and forth sit and watch a game trail if I one and be confident that when I want to go back to the road I go south.

That's the simple version. If a road goes around in a circular fashion or is not very long and and you could possibly walk right past the end walking out, or the area is criss-crossed with roads with timbered patches in between you have to take that into consideration, but the same basic principle works.

The last three deer I got were within 200 yards of sometimes busy roads and except for helping my friends drag a deer from their off-road tree stand, I have hardly ever ever seen anyone else walking among the trees there or anywhere else.

[Ourea]

Interesting how everything evolves and gadgets seem to be more of a focus in general culture vs earned knowledge.

My thoughts......

Think about FN and their ability to survive and hunt with great success before technology.

What I find interesting is that newer to hunting folks are intimidated by being in the back country alone.....gotta Google Earth this and that.
My rule of thumb (other than whitetail and not a moose hunter) if it's not 3 to 5 hrs away from the closest rd, I don't hunt it.
Learn to be comfortable in the bush.
Learn to be comfortable spending an unexpected night or two.

I feel more safe sitting in my pack in camp by a fire than I ever did in down town Chicago or LA.

[DirtFarmer]

What are you hunting? And where do you live?

Most mountains are easier to navigate than flats. You should be able to look at topi maps/Google earth and get an idea of the lay of the land and where you want to go. Take a look at the drainages. The natural thing is small creeks run downhill, join bigger creeks and then onto rivers. As long as you don’t cross a peak and go uphill you should be able to find your way back. Most main logging roads tend to follow valley bottoms(rivers) as well and the Spurs go up into more remote spots. So park your truck at a small creek that leads into a bowl you want to explore, follow the creek up and pretty much any creek you follow up will bring you back.

On the island near the ocean, pretty much every logging road leads to a dump. Follow the natural lay of the roads and you’ll come to somewhere where they’re dumping loads of logs.

If you’re in the alpine you’ll notice other things like the south facing slopes are green and the north facing slopes are more rocky. Pick out landmarks like peaks for reference of where you are.

Be prepared to spend the night. My day bag has a tarp, food and the means of making a fire.

Hang ribbon trails.


There’s more, but I don’t tend to walk around looking for animals. I tend to target where I think they will be and go there. Sometimes I wander around, but not really something I do to find animals.


im on Vancouver island hunting Deer. It sounds like taking in my surroundings and trusting what I’m seeing is going to be a big part of being comfortable.

[DirtFarmer]

There's some good tips in this video for navigating without a map


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrN8h8f2fns&list=LL&index=558


Can you try to post the links again? Thanks!

[wideopenthrottle]

it helps if you work through an area with defined borders where you can find your way back easily by just going in a certain direction...powerlines rivers and highways are good even if they are 5 or 6 km or more....we often will plan ahead a direction we will go if we have to find our way out..it is easy to get far back and turned around following game trails...GPS makes it good but having a compass as a backup and some skills on how to use it gives confidence...also hunting in fresh snow is another way to stray if you are sure it won't snow enough to cover them so bad you cant follow them back...I take several rolls of flagging tape and a couple of sharpies and will occasionally mark them with a time direction so I can use them if I was to get turned around... I always like to try and use the traditional methods like the sun and moss o trees to make a guess at the heading I am on before I pull out my compass to confirm...when you can do that regularly it builds confidence as well

[DirtFarmer]

All this advice is great! Working with a compass is something I’m going to do more this year. Being comfortable in the woods alone is something I am striving for this year. Being a new dad and a weekend hunter it might take awhile. I would love to be competent enough out there for the time when I can take my daughter out hunting. All the advice from new hunters and veterans is so appreciated.

[DirtFarmer]

it helps if you work through an area with defined borders where you can find your way back easily by just going in a certain direction...powerlines rivers and highways are good even if they are 5 or 6 km or more....we often will plan ahead a direction we will go if we have to find our way out..it is easy to get far back and turned around following game trails...GPS makes it good but having a compass as a backup and some skills on how to use it gives confidence...also hunting in fresh snow is another way to stray if you are sure it won't snow enough to cover them so bad you cant follow them back...I take several rolls of flagging tape and will occasionally make them with a time direction so I can use them if I was to get turned around

I like the idea of borders. Even if they are way out and won’t be reached. Makes it seem more manageable in my head instead of walking out into nothing

[Bustercluck]

Here’s a bit of inspiration for you to get out there and find some deer in the backcountry. This is one thing I didn’t have time for when I lived on the island, but wish I had done. Get a lightweight tent and spend some nights out there, you won’t regret it. The guy in the video is also a member here, I think he goes by Harv.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCaL0aOmOtqq93Kvn2oUYtow/videos

[DirtFarmer]

Here’s a bit of inspiration for you to get out there and find some deer in the backcountry. This is one thing I didn’t have time for when I lived on the island, but wish I had done. Get a lightweight tent and spend some nights out there, you won’t regret it. The guy in the video is also a member here, I think he goes by Harv.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCaL0aOmOtqq93Kvn2oUYtow/videos


awesome. Inspiration for sure!

[Redthies]

Why would you want to leave the truck?

To get away from the likes of you, of course!







:mrgreen:

[j270wsm]

[QUOTE=DirtFarmer;2356933]Wanting to hear from guys that know how to get out there and put boots on the ground. Most of my hunting is parking a truck in the morning darkness on a logging road waiting for day break. Getting impatient throughout the day and walking along road sides occasionally stepping off a few feet into the bush (all the while wishing I was hiking a ridge line or glassing a secluded bowl). My questions is about gaining confidence and knowledge about getting off the roads and into where the animals are. I know the quick answer is “get a gps app and walk into the bush” or “the animals are on the roads!”. Looking for more of a convo about the wilderness, how to or if you follow game trails and gaining the confidence of being in the woods without that nagging worry of getting lost.


thanks for the read,


Dirt[/QUOTE

There is only one way to gain confidence……get out of the truck and go for a walk. Take what ever device you have, compass/smart phone/gps/flagging tape, and start walking, You don’t have to go far to start building confidence or test your ability to maintain your heading. If possible find a small mtn with a distinct land mark, log block or rock out cropping, that’s 200-500yds from the road and see if you can find it with out using gps/smart phone. If possible do this in an area where your gaining elevation and allows you to see your vehicle or the road your parked on. Being able to see your vehicle or the road can help if you start to get uncomfortable.

start small and don’t over think everything.

[hunter1947]

What I have always done when hunting timber in unfilmilular area I read what way the sun is moving take note of the movement of the sun before intering the timber if it is sunny out, even if there is cloud cover most times you can still see where the sun is take note where your unit is from witch way the sun is traveling take a cumpass reading on where your quad or truck are before intering the timber read the road on what way it is running with the compass then when you go into the timber you will have to come out the opisite way you went into the timber with using the compass have a GPS and do a wieghpoint when your at your truck or quad most times a person can find an opening in the timber for a GPS reading on what direction you need to head back to your truck or quad.

[HarryToolips]

Hi
I would suggest spending time with someone that has the skills to be in the back country and soak up what knowledge you can. Its a shorter path to confidence in my opinion. Also dont completely rely on a gps or other electronic devices learn how to use a compass and map.

Best of luck hunting

This is sound advice right here... I personally don't use a GPS, I am experienced in using a compass, map, the sun, and/or natural navigation techniques to find my way about, even in territory that is new to me.. I find that when one doesn't rely on a GPS it makes you more cognizant of your surroundings and makes you constantly pay attention... that being said, I have nothing against a GPS and they can be a very handy tool - I recently downloaded a program on my phone that tracks me like a GPS and I've enjoyed how truly handy it is.

I had the advantage of learning these skills to begin with in the military however...

The more you do it, like anything else, the more comfortable you will become at doing it..

Feel free to PM me for more details...once you get the navigation aspect of bush travel down , learn to identify key habitat for the game your pursuing..

[high horse Hal]

I would suggest spending time with someone that has the skills to be in the back country and soak up what knowledge you can. Its a shorter path to confidence in my opinion


I had the advantage of learning these skills to begin with in the military however..

For me it was Cubs and then Boy Scouts, remember when summer camps were also a great teacher
back when times were simpler ,

BCWF still has a great Kids program, and BOW for women, maybe they need to start one for beginner older boys/men

[Night Hawk 3]

im on Vancouver island hunting Deer. It sounds like taking in my surroundings and trusting what I’m seeing is going to be a big part of being comfortable.

Join a local orienteering club to learn the basic skills, then put them to use in bigger terrain.

you’re on the Island, so this is your club: https://vico.whyjustrun.ca/

NH3

[HarryToolips]

For me it was Cubs and then Boy Scouts, remember when summer camps were also a great teacher
back when times were simpler ,

BCWF still has a great Kids program, and BOW for women, maybe they need to start one for beginner older boys/men

I agree
...........

[dino]

I was born and raised on the island.
I shot lots of blacktails. Never road hunted.
Compass, gps unit and hunt the ridges above fresh cutblocks. Hunt in the rain is best. Island blacktails are different than mainland blacktails.
Watch the wind and go slow.

[MRP]

For me it was Cubs and then Boy Scouts, remember when summer camps were also a great teacher
back when times were simpler ,

BCWF still has a great Kids program, and BOW for women, maybe they need to start one for beginner older boys/men

The First Rangers and Rainbow Country TV shows... Actually didn't learn to much but it got us kids out in the bush. Cut trails, built shelters, trapped squirrels. It was a half mile to school but 4+ miles home, as long as I got in the house before dad got home.

[high horse Hal]

Forest Rangers maybe ?
XNY 556 !

:shock:

[Bustercluck]

My oldest joined air cadets this year. He’s been away to camp for a week already and it sounds like they’re learning a lot of this type of stuff too. Things like how to survive in a downed plane situation and navigate your way home. Only problem is it’s funded by the federal government and he might not be allowed in any more camps if he’s not vaccinated.

[caddisguy]

When you get out and wander first thing evaluate the terrain. Consider the big mountain you can see when heading up the next one over, that river, the valley bottom, etc. No expert on navigation here but it would be tough to get lost here in Region 2. Only managed to do that once briefly in old growth flats and fog.

One issue though.... you can have all the orientation, maps, gadgets, etc... waypoints probably the "best" but if you explore steep stuff, consider there are only so many feasible ways up and down things. Maybe you are hunting some benches and its getting dark... you try to take a direct'ish route... your sliding down on your bum holding saplings and branches here and there, next you know you're ledged up on a mossy cliff and its dark, gotta go back up and get down the right way, consider you might need to hunker down, pack for that so you're never worried or in a rush.... never rush

Flagging tape probably better than anything, even tracing back waypoints on a device, so long as you're good with coming back the same way or you are ok with it for a fail safe.

With all that in mind, just start with eyeballing an obvious bench above a cutblock... there will be a good deer trail up above so you can hang out and watch the cut and trail. Maybe you hike 30 yards in timber and 1km to that bench and deer trails above the cut. You won't get lost doing that, if you can see the cut the whole way, venture from there.

Roads, mountains, rivers, sounds of rivers, sun, etc... Map, compass, gps or phone with ihunter as a failsafe.

[geologist]

Often there is a main road or trail in your area. If you know it's overall long distance direction eg it's running roughly NW/SE ie. 315/135 and say you are in the bush NE of it, if you walk a bearing at right angles to the main road ie. SW or 225 degrees azimuth, sooner or later you will reach it if there are no insurmountable obstacles in the way.

Simple, common sense stuff like this.

[high horse Hal]

Many subjects of SAR efforts are found to have been disoriented and choose to follow a creek drainage as it falls , hoping to get down to safety
Many times these routes are choked out or lead to cliffs or impassable canyons where the subject gets stuck

If you don't know, don't go
Best to stay put in a spot to be found easily

[MichelD]

Wanting to hear from guys that know how to get out there and put boots on the ground. Most of my hunting is parking a truck in the morning darkness on a logging road waiting for day break. Getting impatient throughout the day and walking along road sides occasionally stepping off a few feet into the bush (all the while wishing I was hiking a ridge line or glassing a secluded bowl). My questions is about gaining confidence and knowledge about getting off the roads and into where the animals are. I know the quick answer is “get a gps app and walk into the bush” or “the animals are on the roads!”. Looking for more of a convo about the wilderness, how to or if you follow game trails and gaining the confidence of being in the woods without that nagging worry of getting lost.


thanks for the read,


Dirt


In the mountains it's pretty easy. If you see a ridge on the other side of the valley, go in the valley and up onto the ridge there.

Andhttps://i.imgur.com/S2N7yqf.jpgAnd when you're done look back across to the other side of the valley where you started from and go back.

https://i.imgur.com/7ouwKml.jpg

[Dannybuoy]

Wanting to hear from guys that know how to get out there and put boots on the ground. Most of my hunting is parking a truck in the morning darkness on a logging road waiting for day break. Getting impatient throughout the day and walking along road sides occasionally stepping off a few feet into the bush (all the while wishing I was hiking a ridge line or glassing a secluded bowl). My questions is about gaining confidence and knowledge about getting off the roads and into where the animals are. I know the quick answer is “get a gps app and walk into the bush” or “the animals are on the roads!”. Looking for more of a convo about the wilderness, how to or if you follow game trails and gaining the confidence of being in the woods without that nagging worry of getting lost.


thanks for the read,


Dirt
I'll add , get to know the area a little at a time . Not only will it help with your orientation but you will learn where the game are more likely to be.
I always have more success in area's I know very well

[Treed]

I try to build a map in my mind when I walk in the bush. I always try to keep my internal compass so it’s got a back bearing on my exit point. Look backwards lots and memorize things, odd fungus in a tree, a rock outcrop, whatever is memorable. When you cross a creek, mark it in your mind, same thing with benches and other topographic markers. Mark your travel direction relative to the wind and sun and pay attention as they change. It takes concentration to do but it’s really rewarding to be able to navigate without a compass, map, or gps. I still carry all of them and flagging tape. Flat terrain on overcast still days can be easy to get turned around in. That’s happened a few times to me. When it does, you really have to have faith in your compass and map or gps and ignore you body telling you that you are going in the wrong direction. Learn to use a compass and estimate how far you travel in an hour on different terrain. There is nothing better than spending the day in the bush hunting or just bushwhacking, so get off the roads in situations where you know you can’t get lost like an area surrounded by roads. It is so rewarding to shoot an animal in the middle of the forest.

[wideopenthrottle]

if you plan to come out the way you went in dont be shy to place some flag tape...i have a sharpie and will mark time and direction on the tape if it isnt raining...may help SAR if you have an emerg

[MRP]

“I'm not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh (https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1225592)

[Downwindtracker2]

A problem with both GPS and map with compass, you have to know how to use them. They do no good if they are in your day pack but not used. You ask these questions 9 month late. Practice .

When you walk in the woods, be quiet. Jean are very noisy, I hear my partner walking and my hearing has been industrially damaged . That includes your boots. It's pretty tough to beat wool pants and runners. My runner are soft "hiking boots". But old canvas runner are best. My stetson will make noise when it brushes up against leaves.

[HarryToolips]

I try to build a map in my mind when I walk in the bush. I always try to keep my internal compass so it’s got a back bearing on my exit point. Look backwards lots and memorize things, odd fungus in a tree, a rock outcrop, whatever is memorable. When you cross a creek, mark it in your mind, same thing with benches and other topographic markers. Mark your travel direction relative to the wind and sun and pay attention as they change. It takes concentration to do but it’s really rewarding to be able to navigate without a compass, map, or gps. I still carry all of them and flagging tape. Flat terrain on overcast still days can be easy to get turned around in. That’s happened a few times to me. When it does, you really have to have faith in your compass and map or gps and ignore you body telling you that you are going in the wrong direction. Learn to use a compass and estimate how far you travel in an hour on different terrain. There is nothing better than spending the day in the bush hunting or just bushwhacking, so get off the roads in situations where you know you can’t get lost like an area surrounded by roads. It is so rewarding to shoot an animal in the middle of the forest.

I agree...the sun is my personal favorite navigation tool, and is the most dependable... it's also worthwhile learning the solar-watch method of navigation..

[MichelD]

This is an area my dad showed me on northern Vancouver Island in the 1960s.

He would drive to a certain mile marker on logging road, park and then we'd walk North to a nearby river where he'd fallen a couple logs across for a bridge. After bushwhacking a short while we came to a series of meadows where we'd hunt for deer. Everywhere you went there were little pocket meadows, a patch of trees and then another meadow. After a few times I pretty much got the feel for the place but if I ever got turned around I knew if I went South by the compass I'd come to the river and then the road. I went back last year to have a look after not having been there since about 1980.

https://i.imgur.com/BSUpqME.jpg

[tigrr]

I wouldn't leave my vehicle and walk and camp in the bush in most of BC today.
The only way I would do that would be with a rental with full coverage. And a sat phone!!

[hawk-i]

Hunting on foot covering mile upon mile all day long serves little purpose, if you do it in an area with little to no game animals.

[Codes44]

GPS etc are great, but even as simple as spending the summer and early fall scouting an area and get to know it better. Then come hunting season you'll be comfortable navigating around etc. GPS is nice to have, but I rarely use it...unless you're in a super remote area without many logging roads it's fairly tough to get lost...at least in my area anyways. In you're in a more remote area then GPS is a must, along with a long list of other things you'll need if you're way off the beaten path. I personally like to hike in before fits light and just sit and wait...then cover a little ground a couple hours after sun up.

[Squamch]

This is an area my dad showed me on northern Vancouver Island in the 1960s.

He would drive to a certain mile marker on logging road, park and then we'd walk North to a nearby river where he'd fallen a couple logs across for a bridge. After bushwhacking a short while we came to a series of meadows where we'd hunt for deer. Everywhere you went there were little pocket meadows, a patch of trees and then another meadow. After a few times I pretty much got the feel for the place but if I ever got turned around I knew if I went South by the compass I'd come to the river and then the road. I went back last year to have a look after not having been there since about 1980.

https://i.imgur.com/BSUpqME.jpg



And how was the sign??? Was the log bridge still good? Any deer seen?

[MichelD]

And how was the sign??? Was the log bridge still good? Any deer seen?

No sign of the old log bridge or deer sign.

[REMINGTON JIM]

I feel more safe sitting in my pack in camp by a fire than I ever did in down town Chicago or LA.[/QUOTE]

Or in Surrey or Nanimo - Prince George or many other cities now ! :tongue: :cry: RJ

[M1SF1T]

My oldest joined air cadets this year. He’s been away to camp for a week already and it sounds like they’re learning a lot of this type of stuff too. Things like how to survive in a downed plane situation and navigate your way home. Only problem is it’s funded by the federal government and he might not be allowed in any more camps if he’s not vaccinated.

Cadets is a great program. Can't beat the price either... My boy turns 12 in January and has been chomping at the opportunity to join Air Cadets since he was about 8, he's not vaccinated. I was forced to get the shot to keep my job as a federally regulated worker and am disgusted at that, but I find it particularly reprehensible that they are doing this to kids with their politically motivated policies. I know some kids were excluded from opportunities on base this year including C130 Herc exercises because of vaccination status disclosure issues. It's got to end.

[Bustercluck]

I feel more safe sitting in my pack in camp by a fire than I ever did in down town Chicago or LA.

Or in Surrey or Nanimo - Prince George or many other cities now ! :tongue: :cry: RJ[/QUOTE]

I definitely wouldn’t wander around downtown Nanaimo anymore. It’s no comparison to la or Detroit, but things have definitely fallen off a cliff there.

[high horse Hal]

Cadets is a great program. Can't beat the price either... My boy turns 12 in January and has been chomping at the opportunity to join Air Cadets since he was about 8, he's not vaccinated. I was forced to get the shot to keep my job as a federally regulated worker and am disgusted at that, but I find it particularly reprehensible that they are doing this to kids with their politically motivated policies. I know some kids were excluded from opportunities on base this year including C130 Herc exercises because of vaccination status disclosure issues. It's got to end.thats sick
The Turd has no conscience, no grasp as to the reach of his mandates

but nobody is rebelling

[brian]

Start small… bring a compass and hunt 50 meters off the road. Then stretch out as you gain confidence. Hunt the areas around cut blocks where you know you can get in and out easily. Move further into the bush when you feel more confident. Stick to day light until you gain confidence and get to know areas better. Then stretch out the hours. Eventually it becomes second nature and your fear will subside.

[GreyDog]

From the time I was a little kid, I have always liked to wander, and, on occasion, I got lost. Not to the point that I didn't know where I was but certainly to the point of not being quite where I had intended or hoped to be. Since we moved around a bit, I got to wander in a bunch of different areas. I wandered in Wyoming when I was six years old. I got lost near Worland when I wandered out to see what was attracting some vultures (It was a dead sheep). I got back to town OK, but it was a part of town I didn't know. I ended up having to accost a family outside a church and ask them how to find my address (at least I knew the address). I wandered in various areas in North Idaho, all around Potlatch and anywhere Potlatch Company logged. I've wandered in the Peace River country, the Nechako, the Chilcotin, the Bonaparte Plateau. I've wandered the Rocky Mountain trench, top to bottom. I've wandered Montana, Nevada, Utah, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. I've wandered through four feet of snow and waded in the cypress swamps. Quite the adventurer, you say? Not at all, just a guy who likes to wander around.
The Bonaparte plateau is one of those areas where I might not have been lost but was definitely not where I intended to be. This happened on more than one occasion. It is disconcerting to come to a stream and realize it is flowing in the wrong direction! The use of a compass is a good idea but is an idea I seldom embraced (not smart), and I walked a lot of extra miles because of it. Once, when heading back to my truck, I set out in what I was certain was the right direction (hard to tell since it was pretty dark). My dog wanted to go in an entirely different direction. I cursed her for a foolish hound and pushed ahead. We ended up in the wrong watershed entirely and it was after midnight when we got to the truck. I always felt like the dog thought less of me from that day forward.
Nowadays, there are roads everywhere. If you have some idea of the layout of the roads (back country mapbooks is a decent, though not infallible, resource), you may not know exactly where you are, but you will have an idea. Learn to travel in a straight line and look behind you from time to time. Note landmarks and how they look from each direction. Be a little prepared, (pack a lunch), relax, and don't worry. If in the mountains, have a good look around before dropping off a ridge. I once walked down the wrong watershed because I broke over a ridge without paying attention (I was intent on following some elk). This was on the North Fork of the Clearwater in North Idaho, and I added ten miles to my hike with this error. If in rolling, plateau country, use a compass and pay attention. Get out and wander. GD

[brian]

I have been turned around and unsure of my location many times, even felt the panic of being lost once. It’s a real thing that surprised me. It’s definitely takes recognizing that moment, force yourself to sit down and take a few deep breaths and relax. I have zero direction sense, poor memory, and can get lost in a closet. I feel safe going into the woods because, A. I know this and am not over confident. B. Know what to do if I am truly lost C. I always have a compass and some form of gps on me (Just for reference neither are fool proof, both have failed me at times. A compass began to give me faulty readings once and gps’s have failed outright. That said the compass is more reliable of the two) And D. spending a night or two out there might suck, but it’s not the end of the world if you have even basic survival stuff and a bit of know how. If I can feel confident heading out into the bush, then anyone can.

[walks with deer]

Hi
I would suggest spending time with someone that has the skills to be in the back country and soak up what knowledge you can. Its a shorter path to confidence in my opinion. Also dont completely rely on a gps or other electronic devices learn how to use a compass and map.

Best of luck hunting

Yes agreed