Getting "Turned Around" :)

[Lawdwaz]

I was checking my turkey hunting vest tonight in anticipation of the May 1st opener.  I always have a Silva compass in my vest just in case........Well it turned out I had another compass in there with the Silva, a fish eye Brunton.  Can never have too many right?

Goodness knows none of us ever get lost, just "turned around".  

I started digging around and it seems as though I have accumulated a few of these darned things.  The TruNord seems to be pretty nice piece.  I bought two when I looked into them.  The old Marbles came from a flee market for a couple dollars.  The different Silvas seem to be the best bang for the buck as they settle down fast compared to others.  Fish eye compasses are almost always "good enough" for most of my hunting but I do like a pocket compass once in awhile.  The silver one just to the right of the packaged Silva fish eye came from a deceased friend that saved my bacon one night in Pennsylvania back in 1985.  I had shot a doe with my bow and only got one lung.  We gave her an hour then started to look for her.  After 150 yards or so she jumped up and bolted.  We decided to leave her for the night..........I turned off my flashlight and said to him "holy cow, I haven't a clue on what way we need to go".  He said "don't worry kid, I took a compass reading and bearing before we struck out for the deer".  He pulled out that silver compass and we took a look then started out.  Piece of cake!!  After he passed, I asked his wife for the compass and she gave it to me.  I treasure it for multiple reasons. (oh yea, we found the dead doe 50-60 yards from where we jumped her the next morning)

This past winter I was hunting rabbits with a unnamed forum member here (the RealTCIII) and we got ever so slightly twisted around in the wilds of Lancaster, NY.  There were four of us and we damned near all pointed in different directions when it was time to head back to the barn......   Between us we had four nice smart phones that helped get us squared away, that and a little Google Earth.

So.........that said, what's your worst "turned around" story?  I have one more but my fingers are tired.........

There could be another couple stashed in packs, hooked on coats or in the truck but these were easy reaching for the mug shot.........

Edited April 20, 2017 by Lawdwaz

[turkeyfeathers]

Holy compasses Batman. Phobia of getting lost ?
I have a Silva somewhere but never hunted anywhere I feared of getting lost. I always use the Transit road reference while in the woods. One of the most North /South roads there are. Can always picture that road from where I'm at , within reason. Did buy my friend ( Dino, whom you know ) a Brunton fish eye for standing up as my best man in my wedding. 20 years ago in September and he uses it a lot. Neat you acquired the compass your buddy had that saved you guys from walking around for countless hours in the wrong direction. I'll admit I'm terrible reading maps and using compasses. Almost as much as my ability to swim . But I aced being a dufus and no shame thing I believe


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[sodfather]

Great story and nice collection. FYI if your ever lost in Lancaster again just point your nose to the air, follow that and you'll get to Turkey Feathers smoked almonds

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

Well nothing beats the old stuff, no tech and batteries, but my phone has a compass and just go on the maps and show your location exact location...

Nice collection and story

[Pygmy]

I have the one that is bottom row, MIDDLE and the one on the far right...I carry one in my pack and the other in my turkey vest.

I used to have  a cheap ball compass that I pinned on my jacket just for quick reference.  I lost it in Alaska in 1989....

In 1991 I hunted the same area in Alaska  again ( 200 miles from the nearest road) and found the ball compass where my partner and I had pitched our spike camp tent...It had toothmarks where some critter had been chewing on it....

[Nomad]

Interesting timing , today I as going through my gear, and giving some to my daughters . The oldest is hiking Washington and Oregon this May and Glacier Natinal park in July, the youngest Wash. and Oregon I July .

I pulled out two of my Silvas for them among other items.

I use mine while in the thick stuff where I hunt, as it's impossible for me to,keep a straight line in there . More then once I came out one side and said Corn ?? There's no corn on the south side ....turns out I'm on the West side !

The oldest has experience outdoors and stays on well used trails( but you know how that goes ) , still you must know what direction you went in, which way the road runs and so on, plus keeping in a straight line if off trial .

I have my Dads old pocket watch style compass but it's in a shadow box of his  gear from back in the day .

Once I shot a buck at last light , it was on the edge of our thickest stuff. Left my Ml under my tree and went in with my .357 to find him. Well it took some doing , it got dark and I started  dragging him, the wrong way. All the sudden I'm in the hard woods wth ! At least at that point I knew my way out . I almost left the ML figuring I'll get it tomorrow , but once the buck was to where I could drive to it ,I went back for it. Sure wish I took a reading when I first found him, would have saved a lot of work . Never mind the fact I thought I was " lost" in a farm woods in Canandaigua !

[growalot]

I shot a doe during bow season right behind the house. I knew the hit was very low and a bit foreward. She did a wide loop and headed down to the neighbors down hill. Iwaited  an hour and started out on the trail it was getting dark and I was on a light trail. Dark fell and I was headed down hill and trying to keep my bearings with our house lights and the neighbors when I looked up and couldn't see either. A bit later I lost her trail doubled back circled around ,doubled back again and lost my markers as well. Turned off my light and realized I had no idea where or how far I'd gone. I actually got a bit panicked...for I couldn't tell how far away a few red lights were,turned out miles away. When I spotted a halogen light set up the hill some distance away. I started walking towards it when I heard Mr B call out. He realized what had happened and set the work lights up behind the garage for me to  see.   Went back out the next day found my arrow but the blood trail completely stopped ...circled and zig zagged never found another sign. 

Found out that day how quick the night can swallow you up,even in your own back yard , as it were.

[Doc]

I was screwed up by a super dense fog up on our hill once. I was at the very top of the hill and was started down the wrong side when I finally saw enough landmarks that told me I was going the wrong way. That could have turned out ugly with maybe an unplanned night out in the woods. Who would have thought I would ever need a compass in an area I have hunted all my life?

[chas0218]

Went over to hunt the Erwin state land on the Friday afternoon before the season ended, only person in the woods based on the empty parking lot. I headed in new to the area never been there had my cell phone and what I thought was all charged. I have a very good photographic memory (numbers haha good luck) and can remember things like weird trees, pile of rocks, whatever is out of the ordinary. I managed to get turned around at some point, I think it was when I was crawling through some brush for around 75 yards. Anyway long story short I made it back out but did have that "Awwee crap I think I'm lost!" moment. I pulled my phone to to check the GPS and found I only had 10% left. I decided to put it on power save mode and only use it unless I needed someone to come rescue me. I carry some of the essentials like my knife, saw, rope, matches, MRE heat pack (mostly magnesium) in case I don't have any good kindling, some band-aids and a little gauze. My shoelaces are 550 cord so I was pretty set and not to mention a box of .270 ammo. So if I had to stay the night I could. Anyway I made it back to the truck about 30 minutes before sunset. That was a little nerve racking until I started to recognize a little bit of the area only thing I kept telling myself is to keep my mind about me and that I would eventually make it out to a road it wasn't like I was hunting in the ADKs or bigger area.

[G-Man]

Never been turned around.. Lucky I guess or just very familiar to terrain where u hunt... My neighbor gets lost 50 yards into his woods .was lost 3 he's once..now he only hunts field edges....

[grampy]

That is a nice collection of compasses! Very cool!

I admit to not using a compass much, as I mostly hunt familiar private property. I do have a couple compasses though. The best one is a solid brass compass, given to me by my grandfather when I was 12, at my conformation. The other is one I picked up when I lived in SC in my 20's. Both have been packed away for years and I really don't remember what make they are.

When bloodtracking with Deersearch, I've had a few oh crap moments, as I prefer to track at night, when there are no hunters in the woods. I use a small Garmin and that is usually all I need, as the hunter that is along with me "usually" knows the lay of the land. I also usually have a pretty good, god given sense of direction. But one time I was in Schoharie county outside the little town of Breakabeen, a good chunk of big woods for sure! A hunter had shot a deer that morning, followed blood for a few hundred yards and lost the blood trail. After talking to the hunter, my guess was a high front leg hit, with which we would need to keep the deer moving, to promote more blood loss to recover. So before leaving my truck I set the Garmin to "home" and off we went. The time was about 7pm. We got on the blood trail and it would be heavy for a bit slow down then deer would bed, and stop bleeding, be jumped, and start all over again. This went on for about  five hours and I'd guess, between two and three miles of zig zag. back and forth, up hill and down, through small creeks, thickets, hardwoods and field edges. All the while the fog is getting thicker and thicker. But the dog is going nuts as we kept the deer just ahead of us and we were still following a sometimes visible, sometimes not, blood trail. Finally, we caught up to the deer in it's final bed, and I ended the chase at about 12:30 am. The hunter and a couple companions prepared the deer for the drag out. And as I looked into a solid cloak of fog, with a maximum visibility of 20 yards or so in the beam of my light, I took out my Garmin, to see it was as dead as the deer! I'd changed the battery before heading out that night. Found out later that it was a defective battery, even though it was new. So I asked the hunter and his group, "OK, what way is outa here"? Got three blank stares, then three different directions! So back the way we had come, with them dragging the deer. Made it back to my truck just as the sun was coming up., with one tired out dog that I had to carry, three worn out young hunters, and one PO'ed tracker.  A strait compass bearing would have saved hours! After this ordeal, I always made sure to carry extra batteries, for the Garmin. And did buy a small clip on compass, that I'd clip on to my collar, but lost it on another bloodtracking trail, shortly afterwards. This is just one of many adventures, I've had over the years tracking wounded deer, at night.

[moog5050]

19 minutes ago, grampy said:

That is a nice collection of compasses! Very cool!

I admit to not using a compass much, as I mostly hunt familiar private property. I do have a couple compasses though. The best one is a solid brass compass, given to me by my grandfather when I was 12, at my conformation. The other is one I picked up when I lived in SC in my 20's. Both have been packed away for years and I really don't remember what make they are.

When bloodtracking with Deersearch, I've had a few oh crap moments, as I prefer to track at night, when there are no hunters in the woods. I use a small Garmin and that is usually all I need, as the hunter that is along with me "usually" knows the lay of the land. I also usually have a pretty good, god given sense of direction. But one time I was in Schoharie county outside the little town of Breakabeen, a good chunk of big woods for sure! A hunter had shot a deer that morning, followed blood for a few hundred yards and lost the blood trail. After talking to the hunter, my guess was a high front leg hit, with which we would need to keep the deer moving, to promote more blood loss to recover. So before leaving my truck I set the Garmin to "home" and off we went. The time was about 7pm. We got on the blood trail and it would be heavy for a bit slow down then deer would bed, and stop bleeding, be jumped, and start all over again. This went on for about  five hours and I'd guess, between two and three miles of zig zag. back and forth, up hill and down, through small creeks, thickets, hardwoods and field edges. All the while the fog is getting thicker and thicker. But the dog is going nuts as we kept the deer just ahead of us and we were still following a sometimes visible, sometimes not, blood trail. Finally, we caught up to the deer in it's final bed, and I ended the chase at about 12:30 am. The hunter and a couple companions prepared the deer for the drag out. And as I looked into a solid cloak of fog, with a maximum visibility of 20 yards or so in the beam of my light, I took out my Garmin, to see it was as dead as the deer! I'd changed the battery before heading out that night. Found out later that it was a defective battery, even though it was new. So I asked the hunter and his group, "OK, what way is outa here"? Got three blank stares, then three different directions! So back the way we had come, with them dragging the deer. Made it back to my truck just as the sun was coming up., with one tired out dog that I had to carry, three worn out young hunters, and one PO'ed tracker.  A strait compass bearing would have saved hours! After this ordeal, I always made sure to carry extra batteries, for the Garmin. And did buy a small clip on compass, that I'd clip on to my collar, but lost it on another bloodtracking trail, shortly afterwards. This is just one of many adventures, I've had over the years tracking wounded deer, at night.

cool story grampy.  I know who I am calling if I have a tough time tracking that booner!

Edited April 20, 2017 by moog5050

[grampy]

20 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

cool story grampy.  I know who I am calling if I have a tough time tracking that booner!

With the way you shoot, you won't be needing me!

[NFA-ADK]

I find it funny how in area where you are not suppose to get lost I usually get stuck taking hours to get out. 

Dragging a deer out in the dark my buddy says "I have no clue where we are!"  I said your joking right?  He says no I am not kidding I am really lost right now!  I explained that we only tracked for a max of 50 yards and where right next to the shot area!  Only two hundred yards in max but between the dark and the drag he was clueless as to our location.  Another 20 yards and we where at the original track and blood trail, he said I am glad you where here.  Hardest drag he said he ever had, it was about 200 yards, lol.  I said that was the easiest I ever had.  Very experienced hunter just not very good at navigation especially in the dark.  LI urban hunting.

I was a few miles back by Wolf Lake in West Canada Wilderness area trying to get out and the compass was pointing the wrong direction, put a bit of scare in me as it was getting late.  I was able to find the river I crossed a few hundred yards away and then found the compass working correct, one of the few times I have tested more than one compass and all 3 where wrong until I reached the river area.  Only seen this one other time in the ADK, real scary when that never fail instrument is not working! 

Many times when wanting to get out of the woods the GPS has failed me, usually due to heavy canopy and thick fog or rain this is why I tend to use the GPS for marking locations and the compass for navigation.  4 miles back by Indian lake I was solo and trying to get out of some thick area, unable to get any satellite I used the compass to get out to a river but then had to hike a few hundred yards to the exit where I could cross the river, long day I probably did over 10 miles that day.  Legs felt like rubber! 

Hunting LI Ottis Pike my buddy says the compass is not working and his phone is about to die!  Found out later the magnets in the gloves he was wearing messed up the reading, worked ok when he connected it to a tree limb.  Then he buys me the same pair, I said thanks???  Are you trying to get me in trouble I asked, lol. 

Lucky for me I am pretty good at navigation and don't get into trouble that often. 

Hunting by Wakely Mt. I had almost hit the peak and found some good sign, I still hunted the ridge all day but kind of got stuck trying to get out, this was before GPS in the 90's, luck for me we had radios.  It was getting late and my buddy asked me to fire a round so I did.  Then they said I was on the wrong side of the mountain!  I said NO WAY, I did not go over the peak!  After some discussion and debate I asked them to drive a few hundred yards back the opposite direction and I was able to see the truck and navigate out the last 300 yards. 

PS: Love the Silva clip on compass, my go to as I like the glow in the dark feature, stays clipped to my GPS lanyard.  I keep a couple of spares in the day pack. 

 

 

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have a Silva polaris from way back in my Boy Scout days.I havean old military surplus one. Olive green and fips up on both ends. My father sue to carry tat from when he started hunting so that one never goes in the woods for fear of losing it. I have a couple liquid filld lape ones and I have a fairly new Brunton with a flip up mirror. Not sure of that model. 

17 years old and turkey hunting with my cousin on some pretty good sized state land. well we went in in the dark and set up. This is property that we had been dragged into since we were 8 with our fathers deer hunting. So we knew right where we were going....or so we thought. get settled in and didn't see or hear crap. so we were going to meet back up and the   agreed to time.  (no such thing as cell phones). I got up and looked around. It didn't look very familiar. I hear my cousin shoot and I start heading to him. I round the ridge and he is headed my way. Apparently a skunk had come head on with him up the log he was sitting against. Well he claimed self defense and said it smelled pretty bad over there. SO we start heading out the the truck. about 2 hours into our walk that took us about 45 minutes in the dark and we were lost. Well those nice compasses I mentioned above, I didn't have one with me and he didn't have his either. "no sense carrying it becasue the other guy will have his". long story short we ended up finding our way back to our original hunting area when the wind carried that oh so familiar skunk stink.  From there we made it back to the trucks just beofre dark. That woods sure looked a lot different with leaves out. 

[Salmon_Run]

Compass(s), knife and fire starter.....you never have too many and never leave the truck without'em....