Poor cell service option?

[crappyice]

So the area we leased has terrible cell service. I typically hunt with at least one other person and we stay in touch via text, but messages typically "time out" due to poor service and do not send.

We are considering walkie talkies but hate the idea of the speaking, beeping, etc. associated with walkie talkies. Anyone want to invent a texting walkie talkie for me? Or do they exist already?

The bigger question is how do you stay in touch with your hunting party if NOT by cell phone? We already have the string and paper cup set up so keep that suggestion to yourself! Haha!

[bubba]

lol how did people stay in touch before high tech days?  I guess they did not need to feel connected to the world.  I guess we leave notes at camp saying where we are going and when we will be back.  if not back we go look for them.  if we hear a shot that we know is in our area, we go to the person to see if they are ok and need help with a downed animal.  Pretty simple. I do not mean ot sound condescending, but the high tech way of the world today scares me.  You make it sound like you can not hunt without constant contact.  

[crappyice]

Bubba..I get it and I knew that response was coming. We mostly bow hunt(can't hear the shot to know when to help). To just wonder over and check or just go on a certain time of day, could mess up their hunt. I'm actually happy the service is poor to keep me away from Tapatalk will on stand! I just wish there was a better way to stay informed with the party. I like hearing what others are seeing or not throughout the day.

[Merlot]

My hunting partners and I would decide when we would rendezvous during the morning, say around 10:30 AM , in the field, and share Intel.  Then we would either continue to hunt or head back to camp. If someone harvested a deer, then that person would walk over to nearest partner to get help. This was before we had 2-way radios. Now we stay put and call to see what's up.

[growalot]

I carry a cell for one reason...they make me!...too many close calls so the family wants me to be able to call for help...well maybe they should have made me wear life alert...for if I'm unconscious..God forbid paralyzed at the bottom of a tree...not calling ppl...if I'm shot and in shock or dead...not calling then either...But it is good to have when I'm waiting for deer to leave stand so I can.......... or I'm waiting to trail...Keeps Mr B from ringing the bell , honking the horn or getting on the 4 wheeler and looking for me....lol

 

But I'm with Bubba on this..Cell is on vibrate when I'm on stand and stays in my pocket....

 

Oh and at camp...you move you blow the whistle every few yards...we all carry whistles...stuff is so thick at camp even hard to see orange on a moving person and the whistles do not bother the deer...

Edited August 11, 2014 by growalot

[bubba]

we get together after the hunt at camp and discuss the day we had and we plan the day for tomorrow.  This is done by the fire with dinner.  

[Five Seasons]

Buba can say what he wants, but safety is the primary reason to stay in touch. Secondly comes communication to let your partner know you shot, you connected, you missed, you're getting down and might kick some deer etc.

 

We used to use walkies back in the day. They're too noisy so we would set up radio "open times" the rest of the time they were off. This didn't help too much with safety if something bad happened, but it was better than nothing.

 

Check out best buy or google some cell reception booster products. If you can get a little bar, you might be fine to text with a booster device. Remember you get what you pay for.

[wooly]

Maybe you guys could use whitetail sounds and vocalizations to communicate.

You would just need to come up with some sort of codes for each.. a few examples below.  

 

 single grunt= not seeing anything

doe bleat= not a freaking thing yet

rattling antlers= still not seeing anything

snort wheeze= where the hell are they all

fawn bawl= still nothing, so we'll see if this works

tending grunt= I'm gonna climb down and run back to camp for lunch..., you want me to grab you a cold one?

 

other non threatening sounds:

 

complete silence= I got a booner in my crosshairs...., or.... I left my ammo in the truck, be right back!

 

 

 

[Elmo]

My walkie talkies accept headphones and microphones. We keep one ear piece on. If a deer is in front of me, obviously I'm not going to talk on the radio but if my hunting buddy talks to me, nothing around me will hear it.

[MACHINIST]

We just text when deer hunting.When we are calling for coyotes we have walkies set up with ear pieces so if the guy without the call sees something he can relay info to the caller.Personally I would rather not use text or anything but the guys I hunt with all use them so I go with the flow.They also know if I don't answer its just me.One of my best days in the stand last year I dropped my phone right at daybreak and left it there.No interruptions....no deer either but it was a great day

[pewlodar]

Get some ear buds and microphones. Works most of the time. If you are hunting very hilly area sometimes they don't work.

[Doc]

If I hadn't have had a stroke a bunch of years back, I wouldn't even own the primitive cell phone that I carry now. It is never turned on except to check the battery. Nobody including myself knows what the phone number of it is.....lol. It is only an emergency item that my wife makes me carry. Hunting is a way to get away from all the constant wired up lifestyle that we are all forced into these days. Hiking, hunting, fishing, etc. for me are solitary activities and purposely so.

[crappyice]

Good ideas about the earphones and service boosters.

[Waldershrek]

My walkie talkies accept headphones and microphones. We keep one ear piece on. If a deer is in front of me, obviously I'm not going to talk on the radio but if my hunting buddy talks to me, nothing around me will hear it.

 

That's what I was gonna say. We use the Secret Service style ear pieces and mics and they work good.

[bubba]

Buba can say what he wants, but safety is the primary reason to stay in touch. Secondly comes communication to let your partner know you shot, you connected, you missed, you're getting down and might kick some deer etc.

 

We used to use walkies back in the day. They're too noisy so we would set up radio "open times" the rest of the time they were off. This didn't help too much with safety if something bad happened, but it was better than nothing.

 

Check out best buy or google some cell reception booster products. If you can get a little bar, you might be fine to text with a booster device. Remember you get what you pay for.

 

 

You are correct.  Bubba can say what he wants.  I again ask how did people ever survive out in the woods before high tech toys.  Oh yeah we paid attention.  it is more of a boredom thing to entertain yourselves while sitting in the woods.  Tell the truth.

[Waldershrek]

You are correct.  Bubba can say what he wants.  I again ask how did people ever survive out in the woods before high tech toys.  Oh yeah we paid attention.  it is more of a boredom thing to entertain yourselves while sitting in the woods.  Tell the truth.

 

I'll admit it, the only reason I started carrying a phone into the woods was when I got a smart phone so I could keep up with the football scores.

[Five Seasons]

You are correct.  Bubba can say what he wants.  I again ask how did people ever survive out in the woods before high tech toys.  Oh yeah we paid attention.  it is more of a boredom thing to entertain yourselves while sitting in the woods.  Tell the truth.

 

This is the same argument the older generations make about the stuff we now deem unsafe. "hey i survived and I had a wooden crib painted with lead paint"

 

sure many and most were not effected. But i guarantee if you did a study you'd find plenty of dead lost hunter stories. Many of which might have survived with a phone. I do agree that my generation has softened considerably and relies too much on technology. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't also understand its benefits. People are living longer, healthier lives. More people are being saved from injuries due to quicker responses and better medical equipment. Hunters falling out of treestands are decreasing as awareness is made around fall safety and companies are building safer stands and more comfortable fall restraint systems.

 

I will admit there have been hunts where I passed time on my phone, but 95% of the time it's on silent tucked in my pack. Hunting is about time alone with nature for me. More than it has ever been about killing a deer.

 

[Elmo]

We also survived through polio but that doesn't we should have gotten vaccinated. It's always good to play it safe.

When I head out, I leave the GPS feature on my phone on so my wife can locate me on her phone in case some thing terrible happens.

[bubba]

if you fall out of your tree stand and your phone is on silent in your pack how much good is it ti you if your pack is up in the tree?  If it falls with you, the chances of it surviving with you are at best 50-50.    People are too willing to depend on technology than themselves.  A false sense of security.  

[Five Seasons]

It's better than nothing and provides gps tracking

[bubba]

Yup lying on the ground injured is much more comforting when your phone is up in the tree. I would feel much better

[Two Track]

This is what we did in the 80's & early 90's:

 hear a shot - wait 5 minutes to make sure it was not a miss and headed towards you.  Nothing shows up, head over to assist.

 

If shooter drops the deer, calls out "need a hand" to have another party member come over

 

If someone stills hunts over to next person to check on them, use hand signal to waive off if game is nearby.

I have done this when had 2 (a buck and perhaps a doe) under a holly tree down the slope from me.

Could see 6-7 legs and occaisionally a few tines would poke up from the holly tree branches.

 

Signaled to stop pointed at my eyes.  Signed the number 2 and pointed in the direction they were in.

 

If pushing, we would use simple small vocals to indicate where we were and yell out of we pushed something out.

 

Later we got FRS radios (no headsets though).  Since then I  picked up two radios (FRS/GMRS/HAM) and a headsets for them.

 

Some areas I have been in have spotty to poor cell service unless you get back to the parking lot.  Have to let wife know in advanced if it will be difficult to reach me by phone.  Currently she is not a hunter - one day maybe get her out there.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Two Track

[Elmo]

Yup lying on the ground injured is much more comforting when your phone is up in the tree. I would feel much better

Why is your phone up on a tree and not in your pocket?

[NFA-ADK]

We have no cell service.  We use radios and only turn them on when a shot is fired or at the end of the day when a member arrives late.  They have ear buts you can keep by your ear, not in it so you can still hear the critters.  The radio beeps can be turned off so only the person speaking is heard.  Good luck and be safe.

[Pav2704]

I keep my phone in my chest pocket for safety like others mentioned. I also like to know what others are seeing during the longer sits. Last year I started to take some pictures and videos of deer while in the stand. This definitely helped me let some deer walk and it also stops a lot of the bs back at camp with your buddies if you have some pics.

My phone is always kept on silent.