6:27 p.m. - 2009-12-06
handheld gps and the deer hunter
That's right, there is no single perfect handheld GPS unit on the planet for deer hunters. There could be a GPS unit out there that you consider good for the job, but obviously, not everyone out there share the same needs as you..

However, the good news is is that we can get pretty close to the perfect GPS for deer hunters, and you will find a few choices listed below. These GPS units are considered some of the best for deer hunting. As rated by the hunting community, these are the most popular devices being used.

However, there are a lot factors to consider when choosing a good GPS. A lot depends on how you intend on using it. I can't really give you a solid answer as to which unit is best, you'll have to make up your own mind. I have hopefully reduced the amount of research you'll need to do based on the list below. So I encourage you to look into each of these GPS and find what exactly it is that you are looking for and choose which GPS is best suited for you. GPS technology is constantly changing so check back often for updates.

Important GPS features to consider for Deer Hunters:

- A good battery with a long life (A charge should last at least 15 to 23 hours)

- MEMORY! You need lots of memory, its cheap and you can store more waypoints, get at least a 14 MB GPS unit.

-Portable and Light Weight. Needs to be handheld and managable

- Make sure it has an easy to read screen (especially if you hunt at night)

- You'll want WAAS capability on your unit, this gives accuracy up to three meters from the unit

- Water resistant or water proof

Here is my deer hunting community top rated units.

- Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx

- Garmin Etrex Camo

- Magellan Explorist 200

- Garmin GPS 60

Handheld GPS and battery life

One of the best features a handheld GPS can have is a long battery life. Hunting Deer is no short event. Heck, most deer hunting can last days on end. A lot of frustration can be reduced with a long GPS battery. There is nothing worse then having to cut a hunt short because your GPS unit only has enough juice to get you back to camp. Again, make sure you're choice fits the long battery life criteria above, if not, move on.
GPS Waypoints and Memory

Theres nothing better than having a hunting hotspot and being able to return to it on demand. There is nothing worse that racking up a bunch of hotspot waypoints in your unit only to find your maxxed out on memory and you need to start deleting old spots. Do yourself a huge favour when shopping for a GPS unit, make sure it has lots of memory.

NO heavy clunkers! Light Weight and Portable

There is nothings worse than carrying around a clunkie piece of electronics while in the forest. As if you didn't have enough to worry about already. I know of some handheld units that weight as much as four pounds That would be flat out ridiculous to go hunting with I would have to say that two pounds is as heavy as I go for deer hunting units. And of course, this means your criteria should include a unit that must be at or below two pounds.

Got WAAS?

Hopefully you are not one of the many GPS owners out there who is oblivious to WAAS and what it is. WAAS is one of those capabilities that gives your GPS device incredible accuracy. Accuracy of up to 3 meters. When hunting you want to know exactly where you are and how far you have to go in case of an accident. So when deciding which GPS is the best for yourdeer hunting needs be sure to include WAAS capability as a must have feature.

Having a Water Resistant GPS unit

As most already know, deer hunting, is an outdoor sport, which means weather applys. When it comes to a $100+ piece of equipment thats primary use is outdoors you don't want a little water to ruin it. When looking for a unit, make sure you can at least purchase a case for it so it stays out of direct contact with water.

http://www.getgoodreviews.com/gps-navigation/free-gps-software/
handheld gps and hunting

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